KAnnD86

I've actually been waiting a long time to see this movie, as strange as that sounds. I was going to watch it a few years ago on TV, but wasn't able to and I've been keeping an eye out for it in the listings ever since. The story sounded good and Shannen Doherty has made some good TV movies. This is one of them. I thought the story was solid. It was simple and easy to follow.

At the beginning of the movie, we really get a sense of the struggles this family is going through. The husband, Keith, is doing his best to find work, but there's not much out there for him. Money problems are only one reason the marriage is falling apart and CeeCee, the wife, decides to leave Keith, and move away in order to start a new life with a stable job. I liked the way they developed her character. She wasn't selfish and shallow by staying with the husband just because he won the lottery. He convinced her that their marriage deserved another chance and that having money would just give them options for the future.

The couple and their son Eric travel to Denver to claim the prize money. Keith is a pilot and he borrows a plane from the charter company he works for. He makes the mistake of showing his boss the ticket before leaving, giving her just enough time to sabotage the plane - draining the fuel tank, cutting off the radio and removing most of the survival pack. The plane crashes miles away from civilization on a snowy mountain and the family has to do whatever it takes to survive and elude the people who are hot on their trail after the ticket.

I enjoyed this movie immensely. I felt it was very well-written and executed. There were no parts I felt were unbelievable or implausible. One of the comments on this movie talk about a plot hole. There was no such plot hole. The family didn't make false tracks because they had to get someplace where they'd be found. Misleading Rita and Chuck, the ones who rigged the plane to crash, would only waste time and energy. The family did exactly what anyone in the same situation would do. The many obstacles they had to overcome showed their ingenuity and strong will to survive. This is a great flick for a late night. You'll be rooting for the good guys and you won't be able to guess what's coming next.

I've seen a lot of Lifetime movies in the past and have a pretty good idea of what's good and what's not. This one does not even live up to the most basic Lifetime movie, which is disappointing because the story could have been good.

Deborah Matthews is recently divorced mother of 16-year old daughter, Erika. Erika is an aspiring ballet dancer who is eligible to audition for a prestigious dance company and tries to spend every spare moment rehearsing for the big day. The ballet instructor, Mr. Kappas, leaves town without warning, forcing the dance school to hire Reed Halton. Of course, as in all Lifetime movies, he is not who he says he is, but before any of the other characters can figure it out, he's already insinuated himself into their lives.

I figured out every upcoming plot twist within 20 minutes of watching this movie. I was looking forward to it being a fan of Daphne Zuniga, but I was quickly bored with the story, with the acting, and with the direction of the film. We were subjected to dozens of slow montages of Erika dancing in various outfits in the ballet studio. I grew tired of the accompanying music very quickly. I won't pretend to know much about ballet, but I do know ballerinas are supposed to be graceful and light on their feet. In this film, Erika didn't appear to be the magnificent ballerina everyone around her said she was. The transitions from one step to another seemed clumsy and her entire routine seemed simplistic and unimpressive. I believe the filmmakers were trying to drive home that she's so beautiful a dancer, who wouldn't be mesmerized and become obsessed with her? They overdid it and failed.

Reed's character was not well-written. At first, he seems fairly normal and gets along with everybody well. Halfway through the movie he turns into a creep. His motives are weak and undeveloped. We're given one explanation about why he's so crazy, but it doesn't hold up well. There are many unrealistic things in this movie, like a website you can just click around and find someone's criminal record from another state. The way the cops act throughout the movie are very unrealistic as well.

Overall, this movie is just poorly executed. The subplots are predictable and the acting is sub-par. I can think of plenty of other Lifetime movies which are better than this one in every way. Avoid it if you can. 4/10