I feel sorry for TV movies- honestly I do. It's as if they were made for one reason only- that they were not good enough to bring out on the silver screen i.e. movie cinemas in wide releases, and most seem to be targeted towards a single demographic audience- mature women. Many new TV movies (and I've unfortunately seen more than my fair share) have a woman as the lead in some sort of sad, pity-me tragic sort of role which requires them to take a huge challenge/mystery upon themselves and try to solve it and save themselves and everyone else that matters to them. The writers seem to give them the qualities of Xena, a model like look, and the skills of Nancy Drew which means that the police "detectives" in the movie are either too stupid or don't really have a clue as to how to do real police work.
I have yet to see a really good female led TV move (and I really want to see one as I'm not a sexist pig!) but as far as this movie breaking new ground it actually takes a big leap backwards.
Shannon Elizabeth looks good. And that's the only positive thing I can say about her. The plot, which started out interestingly enough, descended into the depths of garbage after fifteen minutes had elapsed. If the director or the screenwriters were attempting a shock twist in the who is it part they must have missed that lecture in their film school classes because it's a dead giveaway after the first few minutes of the movie. If anyone is surprised when the "revelation" is revealed...I would recommend that you buy some Where's Wally books and study them hard.
I digress- back to Shannon. Her character commits every cliché that B horror/thriller/suspense movie leads are supposed to do. Her acting's never been her strong point but it wasn't as painfully evident until now. She pouts and screams and whimpers- none of it sincere nor believable. The rest of the cast ham their lines in either a bored fashion or one that suggests that they're only doing it for the paycheck.
The plot became so ludicrous that I actually stopped watching so I don't even know how it ends but given that it's a TV movie rest assured that all's well that must end well. For my sanity it's best that I am blissfully ignorant as I can't imagine wanting to know what really transpires.
So, if you're a HUGE die hard Shannon Elizabeth fan (send me your address and I'll send you a get well soon card) ignore this rant and enjoy yourselves before they turn out the lights in your padded cells. The rest of you can move onto something that's more interesting...like watching paint dry.
