The Surrogacy Trap

Its missing something in the casting, the baby is Penelope and Eleanor Belley

Something remarkable may be afoot at Lifetime: movies that are not aggressively chintzy. Recently the network aired Dark Desire, released by The Asylum -notable in itself- , and very much unlike the typical Lifetime dreck. This was well acted, nicely directed by a director with a few above average pictures to his credit, and written in a way that kept up the pace and sustained the tension. The Surrogacy Trap is at least as good, with an acting and directorial style unlike what we've come to expect from Lifetime. The female lead does not have a smiley, wholesome friend with whom she shares cute, warm, folksy quips. The forced upbeat, uplifting character interactions are entirely absent. The patented ending remains though - it is a Lifetime movie after all. But this does not detract from the quick pace, engrossing story, snappy pace and actors quite unlike the usual Lifetime mediocrities. The performances are quite nice and sometimes actually interestingly subtle. (The male lead happens to be a dead ringer for SNL's Seth Meyers.) No Douglas Jackson directing this one. This is not the same old Lifetime movie you've seen a million times.

Let's hope something is changing at Lifetime.

The Surrogacy Trap is a predictable tale of a couple who go down the surrogacy route in order to get the family they want. Their choice doesn't go as well as they had hoped.

It's all a bit far fetched and you know exactly what is going to happen right down to the clichéd ending. However thanks to really good performances from the three leads it actually manages to overcome these obstacles and still manage to be entertaining from start to finish.

You shouldn't expect too much from this film but if you're in the mood for an easy watch on a rainy afternoon you could do far worse than this. One of the better TV movies.

Makes me scared to ever try a surrogate.

Enjoyed the movie just found it odd that I can't find a filming location for this movie till the actual end of credits.... But nice to see "Kristy" in something other then "The L Word" (which she was amazing in though)

At work, attractively pregnant brunette designer Mia Kirshner (as Christy) appears to go into labor. Unfortunately, it turns out to be another miscarriage – and Ms. Kirchner is now unable to bear children. One year later, she and scruffily sexy husband David Julian Hirsh (as Mitch Bennet) are sitting in a small bathtub, celebrating their happy marriage. They still want a baby of their own, though. Obviously wealthy, the couple sees a professional woman who arranges surrogate mothers. They are matched up with pretty blonde Rachel Blanchard (as Mallory Parkes), who seems too good to be true. She agrees to be implanted and carry the Bennet baby for $35,000 a month, plus expenses. For that kind of money, you'd think the agency would provide some strict boundaries and helpful guidelines for the happy trio...

Think again...

Many "Lifetime" TV stalker movies have characters and situations which make no sense, so "The Surrogacy Trap" could be considered average. One suggestion for this one would be to have the couple portrayed as financially strapped, and go to a shady dealer in surrogacy. Then, we could dispense with extras like their huge mansion and late-hired nanny. The prior infidelity is good, but should have been brought into the plot earlier. Beautifully blonde Blanchard is the most entertaining part of the story – we get to see her act as girlish innocent, hormone-crazed sexpot, and scraggily-haired loon. Best played scene may be when she hammers a water pipe to get herself all wet, then calls Mr. Hirsh to come over and help – hoping to seduce him. How Hirsh handles the situation is truly inspired.

***** The Surrogacy Trap (1/1/13) Adrian Wills ~ Rachel Blanchard, Mia Kirshner, David Julian Hirsh, Emma Campbell