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Granted, I sat down to watch the 2015 movie "Fatal Flip" because it has Dominique Swain on the cast list. And sure, I hadn't even heard about this movie before now in 2021, as I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it.

And it turns out that I actually found "Fatal Flip" from director Maureen Bharoocha to be a rather enjoyable movie, and it most certainly proved to be more entertaining than I had initially thought.

The storyline, as written by Maureen Bharoocha and Ellen Huggins, was actually a compelling one and an interesting one. The storyline was well-paced and had enough ups and downs to make it a fun ride. Sure, the movie was predictable, of course it was. But still, the movie endured and provide me with adequate entertainment for 1 hour and 26 minutes.

The characters in the movie were nicely detailed and were portrayed by a good ensemble of casted actors and actresses. Mike Faiola was really good in the role as the devious Nate and he was nicely cast for that role. And it was, of course, enjoyable to see Dominique Swain in the movie. I was surprised to see Tatyana Ali in the movie, and it was very enjoyable to watch her in this role. It was just a shame that she wasn't given more time on the screen.

Fatal Flip is an enjoyable thriller, and it is one that I can warmly recommend you sit down to watch, if you find yourself presented with the opportunity to do so.

My rating of "Fatal Flip" lands on a six out of ten stars.

The couple should have done their homework before hiring Nate to be their contractor for the fixer upper on the house they bought. That Nate is very deranged! Nate could have the opportunity to shave off his beard or alter his appearance after he had murdered one or two persons in Fatal Flip. Also, was not sure if his name was really Matthew (as the couple's friend found out on the internet) or Nate.

FATAL FLIP (TV Movie 2015)

BASIC PLOT: Alex and Jeff are a young couple who are tired of living the humdrum, 9-5 life. They've decided to take on house flipping, and they've put their future on the line to do it. They quit their jobs, cashed out, and put everything they own into an old colonial. If it works, there will be a big payday. The problem? They've never done this before, and they only have 45 days to do it. After only a few days, and a lot of nightmarish problems, they realize they are in way over their heads. They might lose everything, if they can't find help, and fast. But a trip to the hardware store changes all that. They "run into" Nate (Mike Faiola) in the plumbing aisle, and he seems like a godsend. He's willing to work for room and board, until the house is sold, and he's a contractor. Everything should be fine now, but there's something a bit off about Nate. Have Alex (Dominique Swain) and Jeff (Michael Steger) invited in a helpful stranger, or something much more dark and dangerous?

WHAT WORKS: *NATE'S SLOW MOVING IS AWESOME He's like a killer in a slasher movie. He never moves fast, he doesn't have to, and that makes him more scary. Also, he has power tools.

*I LOVE WHEN THE WOMAN IS HER OWN SAVIOR In this movie, Alex (Dominique Swain) is her own heroine. She doesn't wait for a man to save her, in fact, she saves him. She doesn't cower, or freeze, she doesn't even scream when she realizes she's hiding in the closet with a bunch of decaying bodies. These are excellent choices from the writers, Maureen Bharoocha and Ellen Huggins. They often write strong women taking care of themselves, see also I Am Watching You (2016)

*THE PROBLEMS BETWEEN JEFF AND ALEX ARE AUTHENTIC Jeff is more into Alex than she's into him, and it's established they were having problems before they bought this house. Neither of them is mature enough to be in a relationship, and their problems stem from this lack of empathy. The couple's problematic relationship, is well written by Maureen Bharoocha and Ellen Huggins. The fights are realistic portrayals of two people not ready to be in a relationship (and of course, the psycho in their midst, takes advantage of this).

*JEFF'S INSECURITIES AND PETTY JEALOUSIES ARE ALSOWELL WRITTEN The writers did a fine job creating a clingy, smothering, and insecure man. Michael Steger also plays this role well, I often found myself wanting to shake him.

*THE ANCILLARY CHARACTERS ARE WELL WRITTEN AND ACTED Tatyana Ali does a great job as Roslyn, and her argument with Alex (Dominique Swain) is believable. Paula Plum also does a fine job as Beth, the quirky realtor.

*EXCELLENT COVER ART! It's rare to see this quality of cover art for made-for-tv movies, I wish I could give credit here for who did it, but sadly, our search engines don't actually give out information anymore.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *IF THE LADDER BROKE, THEY'D GET A LAWYER, AND THEY WOULDN'T BLAME NATE Some ambulance chaser would show up at the hospital, and they'd get the payday they need from them lawsuit. Money problems solved! Also, why is Nate apologizing about the ladder breaking? As far as they know, it was a defect, so why?

*WHY DOES JEFF SUDDENLY SOUR ON NATE? Characters need motivations. Jeff has been out of commission since the fall off the ladder, so why is he suddenly mad at Nate? These kind of plot holes could be fixed with a few lines of dialog. Maybe he sees the dirty dishes in the sink, and realizes they had a romantic dinner together, maybe he finds her panties in his toolbox. Jeff needs a reason to change his mind about Nate, because Nate's behavior doesn't change throughout.

*WHY DOES ROSLYN NOT TEXT ALEX OR JEFF? I understand not going to the police right away, but the FIRST thing Roslyn would do, when she finds out Nate is dangerous, is text her friends. She'd do that before calling police, because they could be in danger. So, you have to create a plot line that addresses why she's doesn't call or text, her phone broke, she can't get a signal, they live in a dead zone, something. (Message to Maureen Bharoocha and Ellen Huggins, when several of the reviewers notice this plot hole, IT'S A FAIL!)

*WHY DON'T THEY HEAR NATE NAIL THE DOORS SHUT? Nate nails the doors shut, and they don't hear it? They don't have a radio or TV, so why don't they hear it?

*STOP USING THE WRONG VOICEOVER ARTISTS FOR YOUR TRAILERS! The trailer would have been fine, if not for the voiceover guy, who sounds like he's selling hemorrhoid cream! Get some spooky sounding voiceover artists, and put them to work! (On a side note: The Wrong Voiceover Artist sounds like a movie I'd like to see ; )

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *I would definitely recommend this movie if you like low budget melodramas/thrillers, or appreciate movies where the woman is the heroine. The acting and writing is above average for a made-for-tv movie, and it's one of my favorites.

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.

This movie is just as bad as you think it's going to be... and worse. I was rooting for the bad guy all the way through because the rest of them were so darn annoying. Beware, Fatal Flip may be bad for YOUR health.

Fatal Flip is a catchy title, isn't it? Ended up watching this recently and so glad I did. The script is unusual in that it really concentrates on 4 characters. Alex and Jeff are house flippers who buy a run-down colonial home and have 45 days to fix it up. Not enough time when they see all that is wrong with it. Enter Nate, a killer contractor who ends up doing a lot of the work in exchange for free room and board. Nate has the hots for Alex, played by the lovely Dominique Swain. She rejects Nate's advances and Nate goes nuts. What does he do? Tune in to find out. Fatal Flip, a definitely exciting thriller and recommended.