DYING FOR A BABY/PREGNANT AND DEADLY (TV Movie 2019)
TO ALL THOSE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND:
This is called a M-E-L-O-D-R-A-M-A.
A melodrama is a work with exaggerated, sensational events and characters. It is highly emotional, focusing on exciting, but over-the-top situations that are designed to encourage emotional responses in the audience. Strong characterization is NOT a feature of melodrama; rather, characters are assigned STEREOTYPICAL or simple roles, often in "good versus evil" situations. -literaryterms. N e t. In other words, this is a PERFECT MELODRAMA, written more than adequately by
Lindsay Hartley and
Jason-Shane Scott. The characters are not so well defined, but their motives are. If you watch this movie with that in mind, you'll like it a whole lot more. You're not supposed to take the over-the-top motives too seriously, it's pure silly entertainment. STOP LOOKING FOR EMMYS FROM LIFETIME MOVIES!
BASIC PLOT:
A serious car accident brings Amber Smith (
Christa B. Allen) and Jessica Moore's (
Sarah Minnich) lives crashing together. Both do not fare the same after the wreck however, and the impact to Jessica's life is much more severe. She was eight months pregnant when the tragedy occurred, and her injuries cost her the life of her unborn child. It also prevented her from ever getting pregnant again, and her marriage deteriorated soon after. Jessica isn't taking these setbacks well. She refuses to acknowledge she caused the accident, by texting while driving. She's tried to adopt, but her mental instability has blocked that option. With every disappointment, Jessica blames Amber more and more. Amber is happy, healthy and expecting her first child with her husband, Kyle (
Grayson Berry). Why should Amber be allowed to be happy, while she suffers? Jessica has decided Amber's happiness has lasted long enough. It's not just about fixing her own life, it's also about destroying Amber's. Jessica has a plan, will Amber recognize her machinations, before it's too late?
WHAT WORKS:
*JESSICA IS THE PERFECT VILLAINESS
Sarah Minnich's portrayal of Jessica is damn near perfect. It's melodramatic gold! Her rigid body language, doesn't fit her bubbly demeanor, instantly alerting the viewer there's something wrong here. Conveying underlying thoughts and feelings, without using language, takes real talent, and
Sarah Minnich's got it. (Check out the photo scroll, I added the many evil faces of Jessica.)
*MEN RUN WHEN FACED WITH TRAUMA
It is an unfortunate psychological fact, many men run when faced with great trauma. This is mainly in regards to their family, not strangers. An example would be, a couple is given the sad news their child is critically ill. Typically, the father will leave the family. This is an unfortunate fact of American culture, and one we should try to fix. In this instance, the couple, Jessica (
Sarah Minnich) and Dave Moore (
Tom Sandoval) are fine in happier times. Then, Jessica is in an accident, losses the baby, and her mind. Does Dave get her help? Does he have her committed? No! Instead he leaves her, and gets a restraining order. This is a very believable trope written by
Lindsay Hartley and
Jason-Shane Scott. It's so common an occurrence, it's become a truism, almost cliched, which is perfect for melodrama.
*THE BABY WAS ACTUALLY A NEWBORN
So often in made-for-tv movies, the "newborn" baby is actually six to eight months old, or older. But in this movie, the babies are all the age being portrayed.
*THE COVER ART IS ABOVE AVERAGE
The cover art is above average for this type of made-for-tv movie. It needed a few more hours of work, but the basics are there.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*THE TRAILER GIVES AWAY THE WHOLE MOVIE! I don't know who thought it'd be a good idea to put the complete movie in the trailer, but they should be fired!
*AMBER DOESN'T SEEM VERY UPSET HER BEST FRIEND'S BEEN MURDERED
Amber (
Christa B. Allen) barely notices her best friend Nicole (
Amber Lynn Ashley), has just been murdered. She doesn't cancel her doctor's appointment, or her double date, both for later in the week. This makes the character much less likable. Making light hearted banter, over burgers and beer, a few days after your best friend's murder, seems like an insensitive thing to do. Amber later calls Jessica her "closest friend". Wow! I know this is a melodrama, but without normal human emotions, like grief, Amber comes off looking like a selfish b*tch. She should mention Nicole occasionally, and at the very least, be interested in the murder investigation. A few added sentences of dialog could have taken care of this problem.
*THE BLOCKING AND SHOOTING CHOICES ARE BAD IN THE LAST FEW SCENES
In the last few scenes, Jessica is basically giving the gun to Dr. Welsh (
David Mackey. He could easily disarm her. Also, the blocking (where the actors are positioned), and the camera angle choices are bizarre and distracting. It's a jumble, you can't see what you need to see, the lighting is inadequate (often the case in made-for-tv movies), and there are objects in the way of the shot. It's only the last twenty minutes or so, but those are the most important.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*Melodrama is an ancient art form, perfected by Shakespeare. If you can understand and appreciate this type of art, you'll like this. If you like your characters with more depth, and your storylines more complex, try something else. However, this is a good melodrama, and a worthwhile effort from
Lindsay Hartley and
Jason-Shane Scott.
CLOSING NOTES:
*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 ANY way by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews, and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.
