Hitched

The info button on my remote control described this movie as " A neat thriller with shades of Hitchcock " . I`ve got to really wonder if the person who writes the stuff for the info button ever watches the films in question because the only real connection with an Alfred Hitchcock film HITCHED has is that the female protagonist has blonde hair . I also can`t help but be aware that almost every single thriller with a twist in the tail is inevitabaly described as having " shades of Hitchcock " . Am I alone in thinking this phrase is painfully over used ?

To be fair to it HITCHED is a perfectly watchable TVM which owes more than a nod to Stephen King - Especially GERALD`S GAME and MISERY - more than it does to the master of suspense , and I guess for personal reasons the title could have been a lot worse , I mean the male protagonist is called Theodore and just think of all the titles this film could have used instead of " HITCHED "

This excellent drama had me engrossed from start to finish and deserves top marks. From the moment the concerned wife reported her husband missing at the police station, to the end of the movie I was riveted.

The film is really a tale about adultery, and the lead actress gives a terrific performance as do all the supporting cast.

There is an enormous amount of very funny scenes in the film, such as when a married couple go for a civil marriage but the person performing the ceremony is overjoyed as his divorce decree has just arrived; another scene where a husband seeking to justify his marital infidelity claims his "tool" has no conscience!

And there is a hilarious episode with one of the characters and his love of "Disc Golf".

Also there is a first rate, amusing and thoughtful script and the direction of the picture is professional and kept me watching throughout.

Of course "Hitched" is a bad movie. It was brought to us by the same box that gave us "Baby Monitor: The Sound Of Fear." I have learned not to expect great things from my television, so instead of critiquing, which only stands to leave me empty-handed, with neither an opinion nor an excuse, I do my best to interpret. What the hell does it all mean?

For my part, I am an active disliker of men and women and the way they bonelessly coalesce into their respective roles as charlatan and virago as soon as they enter a marriage. What's funny about "Hitched" is I couldn't figure out whether this movie hated women, was merely poking fun at them, or saying, "Hey, girls, this is a viable option you may have overlooked." In all honesty, any of these options is a viable as the next, and all of them are okay with me.

It's not fair to the film to try to criticize the way it was directed, the production design, or even the acting, which, for a movie about a woman who chains men in her basement, was pretty nuanced. That's not why people watch TV, and it's certainly not why people would tune in specially to watch a movie that promises the plot of "Hitched." It's all about settling in for shock and schlock, then a quick "what do you think, honey?" before brushing the teeth and going to bed.

Gorgeous Sheryl Lee needs to get a better agent. As the trade magazines for movie theater owners used to say in the 1950s: "For the lower half", meaning suitable only as the poorer half of a double-bill. It would have made a boring, standard half-hour TV show. But stretched out to 1.5 hours, it is painfully redundant and repeatedly-telegraphed (except for the ending, which is not telegraphed, but is totally unmotivated). To make things worse, Sheryl does not even get to do anything sexy in the film.

This tv movie addressed a cheated wife's revenge in a rather fun way. I'm sure many viewers found a thousand reasons this was for entertainment only and not something that would have actually have panned out. A some what predictable ending that was slightly reeking a breath of Hitchcock. The biggest surprise was seeing Anthony Michael Hall as an adult. Especially after just recently seeing him as the geek in 16 Candles. Almost didn't recognize him.