HER FORGOTTEN DAUGHTER/THE WRONG NANNY/OUR NANNY'S KILLER SECRET (TV Movie 2017)
5 out of 5 stars Time to read: 1:34
BASIC PLOT:
Stella Armstrong (
Lindsay Hartley) is a determined woman. She's trying to plan, and execute a fundraiser for pancreatic cancers. Stella wants to honor her mother, who died from this horrible disease. But things aren't going well, her twin babies are handful, and there's so much to do. Her husband, Tanner (
Brody Hutzler), thinks it's high time she revisit the nanny idea, and finally get the help she needs. Stella reluctantly agrees, even though she's not comfortable with a stranger in her house. But the fundraiser is important to her, so she begins to search for a nanny. Most are not a good fit, until she comes across Blake Nolan (
Freya Tingley). Blake seems perfect, the boys like her, and she even comes recommended by a trusted family friend (or does she?). Things finally seem to be on track, but Blake has strange emotional outbursts. At first, they seem harmless enough, but as time goes on, Blake's behavior becomes more and more bizarre. Can Stella uncover Blake's true motives in time to save her family from destruction?
WHAT WORKS:
*MOST OF THE ACTORS GIVE ABOVE AVERAGE PERFORMANCES
Lindsay Hartley and
Brody Hutzler have decent couple energy, and perform their roles well (as they always do).
Freya Tingley and
Bree Williamson both do a superb job, as the b*tches, one crazy, and the other spoiled. I also like
Monique A. Green's portrayal of Juliana, it's only Walt's (
Monti Sharp) character that doesn't feel authentic. He feels like an afterthought, or just a plot device, and that's never going to come out well.
*THE TRAILER IS ABOVE AVERAGE
The trailer is better than most, as are most trailers from
Reel One Entertainment. I think it gives away a spoiler, but it's still well made, and encourages the viewer to see the movie.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*WHY IS DETECTIVE TYLER SUCH AN ASS?
I understand we need Blake to react badly to Detective Tyler (
Monti Sharp), but he's too over the top. They don't give us a reason why anyone would like him. This plot device needed to be reworked, his bad behavior literally stops the conversation in the room, and there's an uncomfortable silence. He also has no "bro chemistry," with Tanner (
Brody Hutzler). It confuses the audience, as to why he is even in protagonists lives. Either give us a reason why they put up with his bad behavior, or eliminate it. Why not just make Walt a nice guy, and have Blake react badly to Juliana (
Monique A. Green), his daughter, instead?
*WHY DOES STELLA HAVE TO GIVE A BAD SPEECH? She's the heroine, we want her to succeed, and show-up Meredith Woodley (
Bree Williamson). So, why is her fundraiser speech so terrible? You never want to make your guests feel bad, or uncomfortable, especially when you're trying to get them to donate money. Also, she talks about big prom hair in 1996, but that was '86, not '96. I'm guessing the youngsters who wrote this
Carlee Malemute and
Jesenia Ruiz aren't aware of that. Hey guys, if you need an '80's or '90's consultant, I'm available. 😉
*THE COVER ART IS BAD
I don't know why it's so hard to find decent cover art these days. There are two posters available, both of them BAD! Neither express the feelings or the ideas of the movie.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*If you understand and enjoy the art form of melodrama, you'll like this. It's a well done, small budget, made-for-tv movie. If you like your characters with more depth, and more than a good vs evil storyline, then give this a pass (and avoid melodramas).
CLOSING NOTES:
*THIS IS A MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE FILM, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in ANY way by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews, and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.
*The is a pet peeve, but in today's dumbed down society, I always hate to hear bad grammar in movies and on TV. We should strive for an educated, well spoken society. This movie uses "good" in the place of "well," on two separate occasions. This is incorrect, and an example of bad grammar we have all just adopted. I like this movie, and think
Carlee Malemute and
Jesenia Ruiz did a fine job writing it. But as writers, they have a responsibility to themselves, and their audience, to strive for excellence.
