A Vingança da Babá

This is a clever little tale which has a pretty good twist to the main plot, though even a couch-potato will be able to work it out quite early on. It's just a shame everything else about the movie isn't up to that standard.

Please be aware that you will need to watch an awful opening sequence. This is both badly acted and scripted. However, it's not shot too badly. But once you're past this and into the story proper then things do lift... a little.

The main bother I had with the story was the whole "Fund Raising" arc. No matter how much I didn't try to think it out, I still couldn't relate to the fact that, mother of two, Stella (Hartley) would even consider hanging around with the self-gratifying Meredith (Williamson) and her kowtowing minions. Let alone, try to impress her. This entire scenario was filled with such stereotypical fodder that it muddled the main storyline; this should have been a better arc.

Secondly, the acting was all over the place. This could be due to the out of sequence shooting of the scenes, because Freya Tingley (Blake), would be dire in one scene and then pretty decent in the next. It really does disjoint the film to have this kind of acting difference. The rest of the cast was pretty average, though Brody Hutzler (Tanner) and Bree Williamson (Meredith) do add a bit of solidness with their portrayal of their characters. Though, I think the trouble with Lindsay Hartley's character is due to the writing and direction, rather than her acting. There were quite a few things that weren't completely believable with Stella.

Though the story is strong in its synopsis, it does let itself down on some of the narration and stereotypical characters. There's also the obvious antagonising scenes where we get to see Blake's real character and motivation. The number of times that their friend's daughter, Julianna (Green) told Stella that she was like a mother to her was near vomit inducing. Some of these scenes appeared forced and there were too many.

This film would have been so much better with these issues sorted out. But even though there were a few annoyances it still is a good film, not great.

For the most part, the direction and pace are standard and steady, not adding anything new to the film. The acting levels out at average. And the story is better and stronger for the character of Blake and her background.

If there's a rainstorm or blizzard blazing outside then spending an afternoon with this flick wouldn't be too bad.

I love lifetime movies but this one was awful, bad acting and just not out together will

I LOVE Lifetime movies, but the main character (the mother) her acting was so bad. It seemed very forced. I have seen her in other Lifetime movies and I don't remember her acting as bad as it was in this movie. It was a good storyline though!!

Let's be honest, there was never any "Oscars buzz" surrounding this movie, but that's not what it was made for. The acting is questionable, the plot is questionable, the script is questionable and the directing is questionable, but if you're up for a bit of cheesy light entertainment for a couple of hours, you could do a lot worse. Put it on, switch off your brain, and just enjoy.

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.