One of our favorite actresses, Laurie "Lifetime" Fortier stars in this melodrama of an ongoing saga of deaths of cheerleaders at Hampton High School. Laurie plays Caroline, the devoted mom of Natalie, who becomes a new student at Hampton.
Unfortunately, the screenplay for "My Diary of Lies" (aka, "Secret Diary of a Cheerleader") was a stinker. The main problem was that, apart from Caroline, the characters were utterly repulsive.
Even the protagonist Natalie was not very likable. When given the opportunity, she starts popping pills, then lies to her mother about it. This was a crucial detail because Caroline made the move to L. A. to get away from her drug-addicted husband.
Natalie even has the temerity to steal the boyfriend of her co-captain on the soccer team. In the most cringeworthy scene of the film, Madison, who is in a drug-induced stupor, willingly hands off her boyfriend Jake to Natalie. Subsequently, Natalie will be in for the surprise of her life when the deranged Jake shows his true colors.
The various characters and situations were part and parcel of a routine thriller with a psychotic killer on the loose. But the scenes were so far-fetched that almost anyone could have been the perp. The oily chemistry teacher, Mr. Rexford, who was known to the students as "Dr. Fabulous" because he sold them drugs, was the most repellent of them all and the most likely suspect. The clueless principal had no idea on earth what was transpiring at her school.
In the end, the film reworked a tired formula without adding anything new. It may be a sad commentary to observe that the most memorable scenes from this potboiler were the skillful cheerleader routines and drills. The coach was clearly an accomplished dancer-athlete. But those scenes were not sufficient to sustain interest for ninety minutes.
Unfortunately, the screenplay for "My Diary of Lies" (aka, "Secret Diary of a Cheerleader") was a stinker. The main problem was that, apart from Caroline, the characters were utterly repulsive.
Even the protagonist Natalie was not very likable. When given the opportunity, she starts popping pills, then lies to her mother about it. This was a crucial detail because Caroline made the move to L. A. to get away from her drug-addicted husband.
Natalie even has the temerity to steal the boyfriend of her co-captain on the soccer team. In the most cringeworthy scene of the film, Madison, who is in a drug-induced stupor, willingly hands off her boyfriend Jake to Natalie. Subsequently, Natalie will be in for the surprise of her life when the deranged Jake shows his true colors.
The various characters and situations were part and parcel of a routine thriller with a psychotic killer on the loose. But the scenes were so far-fetched that almost anyone could have been the perp. The oily chemistry teacher, Mr. Rexford, who was known to the students as "Dr. Fabulous" because he sold them drugs, was the most repellent of them all and the most likely suspect. The clueless principal had no idea on earth what was transpiring at her school.
In the end, the film reworked a tired formula without adding anything new. It may be a sad commentary to observe that the most memorable scenes from this potboiler were the skillful cheerleader routines and drills. The coach was clearly an accomplished dancer-athlete. But those scenes were not sufficient to sustain interest for ninety minutes.