The Stranger Inside

GIVE ME MY BABY/THE STRANGER INSIDE (TV Movie 2016) *Contains SA Time to read: 3:48 min 5 out of 10 stars

BASIC PLOT: Layla (Kelly Sullivan) and Nate King (Gabriel Hogan) are living their almost perfect life. The only thing that's missing is a child, and they're committed to becoming parents, no matter the trouble or cost. It won't be easy, Nate is a retired golf pro; he makes a living giving lessons at the local golf course. Layla, is a perfume designer. She used to work for a big corporation, but now makes small batch, individualized perfumes. A baby would complete their happy lives, so they are consulting a fertility specialist, Dr. Bianca Hartlin (Sofia Milos). She's knowledgeable, friendly, and comes highly recommended. They did get an appointment a bit too easily, normally it takes months to get into see Dr. Hartlin, but they see that as a good sign of things to come. At first, all goes well, and the procedure seems to work. But Dr. Hartlin has put Layla on lots of fertility shots, and her behavior is changing. Layla is becoming irrational, and her mental stability is deteriorating. After a breakdown at a client's home, Layla is rushed to the hospital. The attending doctor is shocked by the drug regimen Layla's been on, but he does have happy news. Layla is finally pregnant. Now that Layla has everything she's ever wanted, will she be able to hold on to it? Dr. Hartlin is not who she appears to be, but what does she really want? And why is Nate suddenly keeping secrets?

WHAT WORKS: *GREAT COUPLE ENERGY Kelly Sullivan and Gabriel Hogan do a fine job portraying a loving couple. They have no awkwardness, and it adds to the believability of the movie.

*DR. HARTLIN IS A GREAT VILLAINESS Sofia Milos does a great job as the psychotically obsessed Dr. Hartlin.

*GREAT TRAILER! I rarely say that these days, but the trailer was successful.

*GREAT COVER ART! I was very surprised how good the cover art is for this movie. I'd like to give credit for who created it, but alas, our search engines don't give out any real information any more (not unless you're buying something).

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *ALLISON'S CHARACTER IS TOO EXAGGERATED IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE MOVIE I know this is a melodrama, and I know that means characters and motivations are exaggerated, BUT, having Allison (Laura Hand), Nate's daughter, be so over the top, doesn't work. She called people in their late 30's and early 40's "senior citizens," and "old". She drops out of college, sells her car, and expects her father to just deal. They don't present Nate (Gabriel Hogan) as someone who is good with this type of behavior, so why does she act like it's normal? What's weirder, she only acts like this in the first half of the movie. Then, she becomes much more stable. Why? Melodramas are always better when there's some character development, and when the characters aren't too exaggerated. If they'd reeled in Allison, this movie would have been a whole lot better.

*IF SOMEONE SENT TEXT FROM YOUR PHONE, YOU'D BE ABLE TO SEE THEM Even if they deleted them, they are usually stored on the server, and even if they weren't, you'd be able to see the times and day they were sent. You'd know who you were with, and therefore, who sent them.

*IF LAYLA HAD A CONTRACT WITH SHANNON, AND SHANNON BACKED OUT, NO ONE WOULD EVER WORK WITH SHANNON AGAIN. Jason (David A. Gregory), tells Layla that because of a few texts, Shannon (Brooke Hogan), is not going to honor their legal contact. Layla (correctly) says she'll sue, and he says, if she does no one will ever work with her again. But the same would apply to Shannon, and there's no way her legal advisors would allow her to do something like that. It's a BS plot device, THAT DOESN'T WORK IN REAL LIFE! Having Layla have a breakdown at Shannon's filming location, THAT WORKS. Having Jason say no lawyer would take Layla's case against Shannon, is asinine! The public would be more likely to believe bad things about a reality star, not an unknown perfume designer. Danny J. Boyle and Guy Nicolucci should have reworked the whole scene, because it's disruptive, to an otherwise good made-for-tv movie.

*DR. HARTLIN DRUGS, RAPES, AND CONCEALS HER IDENTITY AND NATE DOESN'T TELL HIS WIFE?! By not telling Layla what Dr. Hartlin has done, he puts her and the baby at risk. No one would do that, after considering the consequences.

*AFTER DR. HARTLIN TRASHES THE HOUSE, THEY "SUDDENLY" REALIZE SHE'S DANGEROUS? Why does Nate go confront Dr. Hartlin in person? And why don't they call the police on the way over to her office?

*AND HERE'S WHERE WE CAN TELL IT'S WRITTEN BY MEN... *Why don't we call it rape, when a man is sexually assaulted? He's drugged, he fights his attacker, he yells, "STOP, NO!" THAT'S RAPE GUYS!

*Pregnant Layla escapes the doctors building, with her drugged husband in tow. She gets him in the car, is driving away, and Dr. Hartlin stops in front in them, and beats on the car. Does Layla drive around her? Does she drive over her (my choice)? NO! She begs her unconscious husband to wake up and help her. And that my friends, is a tale-tell sign this is written by men. Even a meek woman (which Layla is not), finds her strength when she's pregnant, and her family is threatened. A strong woman, would run that b*itch over! These types of tropes don't help your screenplay (I'm talking to you Danny J. Boyle and Guy Nicolucci), it makes women throw things at the screen. Ask yourself, as men, why do you need women to be so dependent? Also, ask yourself, who your main viewers are? Do you think women would appreciate these types of tropes?

*CONTINUITY ERROR AT THE 1:02 MARK When Nate is entering the parking garage to confront Dr. Hartlin, his convertible top is down. The next scene shows him pulling into a parking spot, and the top is up. Most modern vehicles don't allow them to be put up or down while the car is in motion.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *If you like made-for-tv melodramas, then you'll like this. It's not to be taken too seriously, it's lazy afternoon faire. If you like your movies with lots of character development, and in depth, believable plotlines, then STOP WATCHING MADE-FOR-TV MELODRAMAS!

CLOSING NOTES: *Contains sexual assault.

*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.

Total waste of air time and my time. There was no suspense, it was completely predictable and a waste of money spent on the production of absurdly stalwart acting. A shambles from start to finish.