Her Best Friend's Husband

This made for tv-movie tells the story of best friends Mandy Roberts (Bess Armstrong) and Jane Thornten (Cheryl Ladd) who find themselves at a crossroads. Mandy is the stifled wife of Will (William R. Moses) and mother to college student daughter, Kelly (Lindy Booth), but she longs to be more. When Mandy gets the nerve to ask for a divorce and open her own business she asks Jane for support. The widowed Jane obliges begrudgingly, but feels for the wounded Will and Kelly. Naturally (and predictably) Will and Jane fall in love. How will Mandy react? Will Jane's conscience let her love Will? What will Kelly do when she finds out? We know the answers already, but it's still fun to watch. A standout in this cast is up-and-coming Canadian actress Lindy Booth as Kelly. She is a joy to watch in anything, but it is especially exciting to see her featured so prominently here.

In terms of story, everyone is wrong here, except maybe the daughter. Mandy - where did she get the idea that she wanted out? Jane - she was part of that family. You don't do that to family, not to your best friend, not to her mom, not to her daughter who is like a daughter to you. But people seldom do what is right full across the board. People do what pleases them most at the time. Sometimes they also repent. Sometimes they forgive.

The main actors feel like they are trying to hard. They feel like they are acting. Like they bear down on each line. Strangely, relative newcomer Lindy Booth seems the most natural.

The story is pure hype, pure sensational, dare a say pure cliché.

Jane is a busy New York attorney who did not have time to come to the funeral when her best friend Mandy lost her father. But for Mandy's birthday, she is flying to Seattle and taking some time off.

Mandy is not happy. She never sees her architect husband Will except when they are in bed. She wants a divorce. And she wants to start her own design business, to be located in a building owned by furniture designer Elliott. Mandy also thinks that two years after Peter died, Jane needs to start dating again, and Jane and Elliott seem to get along.

Mandy and Will have a daughter Kelly who is in college and dating Sam, a rock musician. Kelly doesn't think her parents will approve. Jane has connections that might help Sam's career.

From the movie's title, you can probably guess what will happen. I won't give too much away, but I will say characters have mature reactions to the events that take place ... eventually. They set examples for people who might behave otherwise in the real world, because situations like this happen all the time.

Lindy Booth was absolutely adorable as Kelly. I hated to see her sad, but Booth handled both perky and depressed well.

Cheryl Ladd looks cute with short hair. And, at least when this movie was made, she had nice legs for tennis and ... other activities.

Bess Armstrong wasn't much to look at and all her character seemed to do was complain, and yet I didn't find her unpleasant. It has been a lot of years since she was so cute in "On Our Own", and I would say she looks her age. But she must have done a good job with this role, because a guy should automatically run and hide on hearing the first words in this paragraph.

If you cry during movies, make sure to stock an ample supply of Kleenex.

Whether intended or not, this movie seems to have some deeper levels. The predicament of the heroine naturally attracted to her "best friend's" discarded husband, the Oedepian (spelling?) reaction of the young daughter and the self centered and self seeking wife looking for herself... all made interesting viewing on different levels.... not the worst way to spend a couple of hours...

This is one of the first LMN movies I really liked and felt could have happened in real life.

I do not agree how Ms. Ladd's character was the villain or a bad friend to Amanda. For one thing, the wife no longer wanted her husband. Does anyone forget how horrible she acted on her birthday party after her husband gave her a nice gift of jewelry and how she was so quick to go onto a fast life without her family? The daughter quickly forgot how it was her mother's FRIEND who got her boyfriend-in-the-band on the charts when he seemed like a pretty greasy guy with no talent.

The movie does serve as a lesson. It is never advisable to go out with a friend's ex. Also, a woman should really think before throwing away a good husband. Good men are hard to find. Amanda is like a lot of women who will tell a decent guy to get lost and then expect them to pine for them. Life goes on. It is fairly normal for a separated or divorced man to move on a lot quicker than the ex-wives want and it is usually with someone they know rather than a stranger. I loved the slap scene!