Les griffes de la cigogne

Don't be fooled and don't waste your time. This movie was SOOO bad that I don't even want to waste time writing about it. This is only a warning to others not to see it unless you enjoy bad writing, blood and a full-on loony as the main character. Peter Boyle and Scott Cohen are too fine of actors to put their energies into such a pathetic film. What were they thinking?

After watching quite a few of these TMC late night movies, it dawned on me- a simple formula. Such a formula made famous by Poison Ivy (an actually good movie) and taken to the limits with different types of women, dysfunctional couples and the disappointments that can happen in life.

The formula is as follows:

1.) Start the movie off with one of the main characters (usually the beautiful "evil" girl) as a child. Show what horrible thing happened to them, therefore leading to their psychosis.

2.) Show the unsuspecting souple (widower and daughter, divorcee and daughter, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend) who somehow became entangled with the "evil" girl, and cant escape.

3.) Introduce the "friend" of the family or couple (this can be a best friend, boss, maid, boyfriend) who suspects the bad girl all along. When they find out a little too much, have them killed. Have the bad girl "comfort" them.

4.) Show how the bad girl seduces one half of the family or couple- all the while having something to hold over the other one's head. Have just one gratuitous sex scene.

5.) Have a bloody conclusion, where the now happy couple move to the suburbs.

I love Bridgette Wilson as an actress, and she did a good job with what she was given.

This movie has a variation of the plot where a smiling stranger enters another couple's lives and wreaks havoc. Here it's a pretty young woman who is hired to be a surrogate mother for a childless couple. She says she's a pre-law student wanting to earn money for her education but soon it is shown that she's deceiving them and problems start to arise. Unfortunately this isn't a great telling of this story; the pace always seems to be off a beat or two throughout.

What this movie does have going for it is a fine performance by Bridgette Wilson as the young woman. She gets all she can out of the role and definitely bears watching in the future. I would only recommend this film to someone who is a big fan of the thriller genre, as there are plenty better than this one, but a dedicated fan might get some enjoyment out of it. Peter Boyle, Steven Gilborn and Marne Patterson are among the others in the cast.

I admit i just watched this for Bridgette Wilson. I wasn't expecting much. What I got was a very predictable story - Girl chosen to be surrogate mother wants the baby for herself - with kind of a twist in the end. It seems the father had previously killed her parents in a car accident. Actually was a pretty good story to think all the planning that went into this beforehand. And Wilson did some good acting, some cheesy scenes, and there weren't any of those unnecessary 7 minute sex scenes. Pretty good movie,

An almost 6 out of 10

Ths movie is thrilling enough to keep you glued to your seat to its (predictable and disappointing) end. What makes it worth watching is a fine performance by Bridgette Wilson who has to lead an otherwise pretty mediocre cast. Peter Boyd and Seiko Matsuda at least manage to look desperate enough to give their characters some credibility. Direction and script are also not really inspired but provide the suspense necessary to keep you thrilled right to the end. Photography and music are above direct to video standard.