My Family's Secret

MY FAMILY'S SECRET (TV movie 2010) 3 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 4min *Warning: Contains a Suicide Attempt (see below)

Not one of Christine Conradt's successes...

BASIC PLOT: Jason Darcie (Dylan Neal) should be enjoying the best time of his life. He's newly married to Lara (Nicholle Tom), a wife he desperately loves, but his past is ever present in his mind. The stress and horrors of his childhood have put a strain on Jason, and the pain has become too much for him. He's tried to commit suicide, and his note said he couldn't live with the secrets of his past any longer. Thankfully his wife Lara, found him in time to save his life. But he still needs long term, in patient therapy, and that costs money they just don't have. Lara decides her only option is to seek out Jason's brother, Grady (Philip Riccio), a man she barely knows, for help. He still lives in the Darcie ancestral home, and Lara wonders if she can convince him to mortgage it, to save his brother.

While staying at the Darcie estate, Lara is uncomfortable with Grady's strange behavior. He seems to change on a dime, and she can't figure out what's wrong with him. But she does convince him to mortgage the house, so Jason can get the help he needs. While she is staying with Grady, Lara discovers several things about the boys' past. Apparently, they had a little sister, Kara Lynn (Gracie Orr), who died under mysterious circumstances. Lara also uncovers their father, Paul Darcie (Peter MacNeill), was more than just abusive, he was a monster.

Can Lara discover the secrets of the Darcie family's past, in time to save their future?

WHAT WORKS: *DYLAN NEAL GIVES THE ONLY BELIEVABLE PERFORMANCE IN THE WHOLE MOVIE Dylan Neal is a good actor. You can stick him anywhere, and he'll be fine. It's no different here, he gives his typical, quality performance, and it's as good as it can be, with a script this bad. He must have really needed the money, or the script looked a lot better on paper.

* Cinthia Burke IS A GUILTY PLEASURE OF MINE No one but true Lifetime Movie fanatics would even know who she is, but she always played the quintessential, ancillary bad girl, in Lifetime movies from this era. Here she plays another side character, Candy Wickson, and as always, there's just something likable about her.

*THIS HAS A COOL MOVIE POSTER That's so rare these days, I feel the need to comment on it. I wish I knew who designed it, so I could give credit.

*THE TRAILER IS W-A-A-A-Y BETTER THAN THE MOVIE If the movie, was half as good as the trailer.... But, alas, it's not.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *THIS MOVIE IS LIKE WATCHING A BAD COUGH SYRUP COMMERCIAL I kept thinking, over and over, this is like a bad TV commercial. The acting, the actors articulation, the framing of the shots, everything is just like a TV commercial.

*NICHOLLE TOM IS BAD But then Nicholle Tom is always bad, and this is no different. Her portrayal of Lara Darcie is just awful. How she continuously worked on Lifetime is a mystery to me.

*THE CHARACTERS ARE STIFF AND NOT BELIEVABLE These characters are so wooden, and one dimensional, it's hard to watch. It's just bad, and I mean bad.

*THE CINEMATOGRAPHY AND DIRECTING IS DISTRACTING Everything is either too close, or oddly placed , and there are lots of shots that are so dark, you can't see the actor's face. This is all down to director, Curtis Crawford, and cinematographer, James Ransom.

*FOR A THRILLER, THERE'S NO SUSPENSE Maybe it's because there's no real character development, but there's no tension, or suspense in this movie. None.

*THE DIALOG IS BAD I used to be a fan of Christine Conradt (for the most part), but this is not up to par. A matter of fact, I wouldn't recommend any of her work after 2016, AND even though this is older, I would definitely NOT recommend this either. It's plodding, boring, and there's no tension whatsoever. There's not enough character development to make me give a damn about anyone in it, and it's almost unwatchable, even for a time waster.

*JANET-LAINE GREEN CAN'T SAVE AUNT JUNE Janet-Laine Green is a fine actress, but even she can't save this movie from it's terrible script. She plays June Shaeffer, the Darcie boys aunt. She knows their father, Paul Darcie (Peter MacNeill), was disturbed, and she believes he killed her sister. But even with all this insight, she still taunts an unbalanced Grady, when he comes her house. NO ONE WOULD DO THAT!

*THIS IS NOT HOW DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER WORKS I know everybody who's seen the movie, Identità (2003), thinks that personalities can kill each other off, but reality is much less dramatic. With DID, the personalities all serve a purpose in the sufferer's life. They might argue, but they wouldn't be able to murder one another, it would go against why they were created in the first place. Also, it is ludicrous Lara (Nicholle Tom) would "figure out" Grady (Philip Riccio)has DID (a man she barely knows), when his best friend, Candy (Cinthia Burke) and his boss, don't know.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *I cannot in good conscience, recommend this to anyone, even to fans of made-for-tv movies, and melodramas. It's just a fail, and that's too bad, because the premise is interesting, but the execution is terrible. Try another Christine Conradt film instead, like Sposa per corrispondenza (2015) or Fuga da casa (2013), they're much better.

CLOSING NOTES: *I don't believe in trigger warnings, but I do believe in giving people a heads up, when there's something potentially harmful or hurtful to certain people. In this case, there is a suicide attempt, and the audience does witness this, so be aware it's there, if this might be a problem for you. If you, or someone you know, is feeling suicidal, you are not alone!

Dial 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or call 911. To chat: 988lifeline . O r g

*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 full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.