Good or bad, the first several minutes were not bad and had a slightly different plot, (although it needed a few more re-writes.) As of this writing, IMDB oddly does not give a character name to the co-star called Hanna. She is even listed last in the credit order although the movie has her third. The acting is mildly typical. After the many times Hanna was blackmailed and being drugged and threatened with a knife, at least twice, wouldn't you think she'd either give up and tell, or at least secretly record the threats. The whole time, how bad we're those pictures? They never actually showed anything bad. She was never naked with the guy. The longer the movie went on, the harder it became to watch. The climatic fight scene at the end was plain old stupid. Those things aside, it's still almost fun and entertaining. P.S. To the special effects team about the snow scene with the house in the beginning...nice try. Is there no stock footage of snowing?
12 Reviews
Ridiculously naive girl could have stopped it after 15 minutes
Little_Tyke13 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The main character, Hanna, a grade A student was portrayed as being academically outstanding, yet she behaved like she was as thick as two short planks. Her cousin Madison spiked Hanna's orange juice then took compromising photos of her and threatened to reveal the photos to the world if Hanna didn't do what she wanted, namely to pretend to take Madison's place in an exam.
Instead of going directly to her mother and telling her what had happened, Hanna - supposedly a bright girl, remember - fulfilled Madison's every demand, including falsifying a computer entry at the dead of night. Meanwhile, Hanna's mother had started seeing a detective, who would have been the ideal person whom Hanna could have told what was going on. The police would have then raided Madison's household, snatched the phone and laptop, leaving Hanna in the clear and Madison bang to rights.
Another utter idiot was the character playing one of the teachers, who, despite having suddenly discovered just how dangerous and cunning Madison was, did not practise any kind of caution in her presence and ended up dead when Madison pinned him with her SUV to the back of his SUV, which he was in the process of unloading.
Despite the terrible plot line and stupid behaviour of most of the characters I still give it four stars, because unlike some recent TV movies, this one did move along apace and wasn't boring.
If this happened in real life, what kind of punishment would Madison have got? Her character was a juvenile, so she probably would have been sent to juvy. But the US nowadays has extremely harsh and lengthy punishments, so maybe juvy would be followed up with 20 years in a state prison. I'd like to think so.
Instead of going directly to her mother and telling her what had happened, Hanna - supposedly a bright girl, remember - fulfilled Madison's every demand, including falsifying a computer entry at the dead of night. Meanwhile, Hanna's mother had started seeing a detective, who would have been the ideal person whom Hanna could have told what was going on. The police would have then raided Madison's household, snatched the phone and laptop, leaving Hanna in the clear and Madison bang to rights.
Another utter idiot was the character playing one of the teachers, who, despite having suddenly discovered just how dangerous and cunning Madison was, did not practise any kind of caution in her presence and ended up dead when Madison pinned him with her SUV to the back of his SUV, which he was in the process of unloading.
Despite the terrible plot line and stupid behaviour of most of the characters I still give it four stars, because unlike some recent TV movies, this one did move along apace and wasn't boring.
If this happened in real life, what kind of punishment would Madison have got? Her character was a juvenile, so she probably would have been sent to juvy. But the US nowadays has extremely harsh and lengthy punishments, so maybe juvy would be followed up with 20 years in a state prison. I'd like to think so.
Horrible casting
anacamille13 January 2021
I don't watch this sort of lowest common denominator stuff but am unwell in bed and it's on tv. It's pretty horrible acting, direction and story. But the worst part, is that the "killer cousin" of the title is meant to be a high school student of 16 or 17 - yet the actress playing her is at least 34 years old. Her petite stature doesn't fool us. That's just asking for a little roo much suspension of disbelief.
Horrible!
gab-6759923 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
So the main character could stand up to her mom but not her bully of a cousin!? This was one of those movie that just pissed you off the more you watched it. You wanted the meek loser to just stand up for herself, which she never did. No one in their right mind would continue to keep being harassed in this way. Hands down the worst LM I have seen in a long time!
This Goes TOO FAR!
Jazzie-too8 July 2021
The villainous role, played by Madison Willits, just goes too far beyond reality. I'm sure the actress is very talented but the script and director's role push this over the edge. But I think what got my goat the most was the closing remark related to compassion. Compassion was the furthest thing from my gut! How about some compassion for the poor guy in the driveway scene! The only reason I didn't give a one star was the overall talents of the actors. But they should have declined the whole thing.
IMDB Wouldn't let me rate a 1
ryleilove21 February 2022
First of all the villain cousin plays a 17/18 year old when clearly this is a grown elder. She has to be at least 35ish. Horrible casting on that part; she sounds and looks like she could have played the mom or if this was a story about a creepy grown woman who wanted the dad I don't know but this wasn't the role for her. She also sounds like she smoked 100 cigarettes right before being cast; and her acting is bad. There are plenty of teens especially those in other lifetime films who probably wanted this role and would have been more believable. Even if they got someone in their early 20's.
Another reason for the one rating is because of course it's another typical lifetime story with the most oblivious characters. Let's switch it up lifetime. Let's create a movie with sharper characters.
Another reason for the one rating is because of course it's another typical lifetime story with the most oblivious characters. Let's switch it up lifetime. Let's create a movie with sharper characters.
Tripe
michaelmlbfanwhite7 June 2022
From the header I put you may be able to guess that we didn't like this awful movie. It is the pits. Let me admit I am a UK movie watcher. The school system in the USA is rather different to here, so the dumbness of the students is rather unreal to us. It also influences us in accepting that this is a feasible plot or characterisation. The casting is to be questioned regarding the role of Madison; it weakens the believability of the character. The more I write the more incensed I become. The movie is rubbish. Period.
Enjoyable
vbacon-111-57832922 November 2020
First off, this is a Lifetime movie so one should know what to expect, and the rating can't go that high. But this is one of the better ones of the genre.
Sydney Meyer plays the villain excellently! It's effectively the main role and she does it so well. The way she uses her voice and her gazes are very well done. Would be nice to see her career move into more feature films.
Sydney Meyer plays the villain excellently! It's effectively the main role and she does it so well. The way she uses her voice and her gazes are very well done. Would be nice to see her career move into more feature films.
THESE AREN'T MOVIES GOING FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD, PEOPLE
jp037926 June 2022
I am so tired of seeing people bash movies and write a review as if they are are directors and producers. What's even more tiresome is movies on the LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK that are reviewed as if the movies on this network are made in order to be in the race for an Academy Award.
This movie, like just about all the movies made for this channel, is not filled with amazing locations, incredible top tier actors, and a mind blowing plot. If you are looking for that, don't be so voluntarily inane to expect to see that on the LMN.
The movie has a simple plot....a girl gets caught in a compromising position by her cousin, and the cousin uses that info as blackmail to get her cousin to do all her schoolwork for her in order to get into a prestigious university. The movie is just fine, you wind up not liking the "villain", and karma winds up...well, watch the movie.
There is one scene involving a school computer that is a bit unbelievable, but unless you are one of those I describe who can't just watch a movie and enjoy it, the idea of what is done in this scene won't bother you in the least.
Again, if you or anyone else here is waiting for the next "THAT'S THE BEST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN!" flick, and you're watching LMN, you need someone to help you explain why you're in the wrong place.
If you're one of the many people nowadays that make themselves feel better by finding negative things to say about things or people, please....go away.
If you just want a guilty pleasure to waste away a night on the sofa, this movie is just fine.
This movie, like just about all the movies made for this channel, is not filled with amazing locations, incredible top tier actors, and a mind blowing plot. If you are looking for that, don't be so voluntarily inane to expect to see that on the LMN.
The movie has a simple plot....a girl gets caught in a compromising position by her cousin, and the cousin uses that info as blackmail to get her cousin to do all her schoolwork for her in order to get into a prestigious university. The movie is just fine, you wind up not liking the "villain", and karma winds up...well, watch the movie.
There is one scene involving a school computer that is a bit unbelievable, but unless you are one of those I describe who can't just watch a movie and enjoy it, the idea of what is done in this scene won't bother you in the least.
Again, if you or anyone else here is waiting for the next "THAT'S THE BEST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN!" flick, and you're watching LMN, you need someone to help you explain why you're in the wrong place.
If you're one of the many people nowadays that make themselves feel better by finding negative things to say about things or people, please....go away.
If you just want a guilty pleasure to waste away a night on the sofa, this movie is just fine.
Sydney Meyer plays it to the hilt!
Chartreuse122 November 2020
This Lifetime movie was well scripted, well directed, and well cast! Crazy Madison blackmails her cousin who's a brilliant student to make sure she gets into college OR her rich father will cut her off financially. Meyer is such a strong actress that she convincingly carries the whole film! We also saw her in Remember Me, Mommy? but she was even better in this role. The Canadian actress is one to keep your eye on. Highly recommended!!!
The Fighting Fletchers
lavatch20 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Amanda Fletcher and her daughter Hanna have a special bond. They rely on each other for support and they always tell the truth. They pride themselves in being the Fighting Fletchers.
Hanna is super-star student, having made the Stellar Student List at Elmwood High School and won a full scholarship to college. But her cousin, Madison Willits, is virtually the opposite. Pressured by her father Michael into getting accepted into college, the slacker Madison can only lament, "Why is it so hard to get into college?" She then moves into action with a diabolical scheme to blackmail her over-achieving cousin.
After lacing Hanna's orange juice with rohypnol, Madison takes compromising photographs of Hanna. She then demands that Hanna complete her homework assignments and even take her college entrance exam for her. Somehow, Hanna is able to get Madison on the Stellar Student List.
It was unconvincing that Hanna would wait so long to confide in her mother that she was set up and blackmailed. But the outstanding performances held the film together. It was credible that Hanna was a stellar student. And the performer playing Madison was eerily convincing. If there is a moral to the film it is that one should always trust the ones you love and respect. After all, Hanna and her mom are the Fighting Fletchers!
Hanna is super-star student, having made the Stellar Student List at Elmwood High School and won a full scholarship to college. But her cousin, Madison Willits, is virtually the opposite. Pressured by her father Michael into getting accepted into college, the slacker Madison can only lament, "Why is it so hard to get into college?" She then moves into action with a diabolical scheme to blackmail her over-achieving cousin.
After lacing Hanna's orange juice with rohypnol, Madison takes compromising photographs of Hanna. She then demands that Hanna complete her homework assignments and even take her college entrance exam for her. Somehow, Hanna is able to get Madison on the Stellar Student List.
It was unconvincing that Hanna would wait so long to confide in her mother that she was set up and blackmailed. But the outstanding performances held the film together. It was credible that Hanna was a stellar student. And the performer playing Madison was eerily convincing. If there is a moral to the film it is that one should always trust the ones you love and respect. After all, Hanna and her mom are the Fighting Fletchers!
One of the Better Lifetime Movies
Denny1236 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I was surprised that so many people gave this movie a rating of 5/10 or even 1/10 - perhaps I have watched so many awful Lifetime movies such as "Engaged to a Psycho," "Psycho Yoga Instructor" and "The Wrong Cheerleading Coach" that an allegedly mediocre film has excited me. "The Wrong Cheerleading Coach" has to be one of the most irritating movies I have ever watched and in comparison, this movie is absolutely amazing. I actually enjoyed "Deadly Jealousy: The Killer Cousin" as it had a different plot to most Lifetime movies and the storyline was intriguing.
The premise of the movie is that a teenage girl, Madison, becomes extremely jealous of her cousin who excels academically and is involved in many student activities. Madison has a rather complacent attitude towards school, drinks alcohol during school hours and does not exert copious amounts of effort in terms of her studies. Madison's father is extremely wealthy and Madison seems to be accustomed to getting what she wants. Madison concocts a vicious and underhanded plan to blackmail her cousin, Hanna, which places her cousin in an extremely precarious situation.
Both girls reside in single parent families and it soon becomes evident that Madison resents her cousin. The actress, Sydney Meyer, did a fantastic job of making the audience loathe her character and the despicable things that she does. Her character is vile and horrible, but the actress portrays this very well. Her character does show remorse for her actions at one point in the movie by crying after she does something horrendous to her teacher, but she is more vicious than anything else. This is one of the first few times that a nefarious Lifetime character has shown self awareness.
One of the first unrealistic aspects of the plot is that Madison wrecks a car and immediately gets another one. It is clear that Madison rarely faces consequences of her actions. Her extremely wealthy lifestyle is clearly evidenced and she has not involved herself in student activities to the extent that Hanna has.
What drives the plot is when Madison invites Hanna to her house and serves her a mocktail, which we later find out contains rohypnol. At first, Madison jokingly asks Hanna to take her college entrance exam for her and then almost immediately states that she was kidding. Hanna conveniently passes out for the whole night, which enables Madison to take photographs of her naked cousin. Madison then uses these photographs to blackmail her cousin. The characters in Lifetime movies always seem to acquire illegal drugs with ease. As Hanna has not been home for the whole night, her mother is understandably concerned when Hanna returns home. The mother seems extremely calm despite the fact that her child has been missing for the duration of the night. Hanna states that Madison gave her some clothing, but it is evident that she entered her home without carrying anything that would resemble clothing. In many Lifetime movies, the mothers are presented as being overbearing such as in "The Boy She Met Online," in which the mother classifies her daughter as being out of control because her daughter wants to get a job and is showing that she can actually think for herself which the mother labels as being rebellious. The mother is this movie seems reasonable and she knows that something is wrong, but she cannot place her finger on it.
The mother has a close relationship with her daughter and had Hanna just told her what had happened, things could have been very different. Hanna had obviously not done anything wrong and she is an extremely smart girl. Madison blackmails her cousin into taking a college entrance exam for her. No mention is ever made of Hanna taking such an exam, despite her academic brilliance.
Madison also convinces her father to let her attend Hanna's school. Of course, this happens amazingly quickly because in what seems like the very next day, Madison is flaunting her perfect outfit through the halls and everyone pays attention to her.
Some things were slightly too convenient and implausible, such as Madison breaking a window at her teacher's house during the day, which causes the house alarm to sound. The purpose of this was so that the teacher would be called away from his test proctoring duties. How did Madison know that the teacher had a house alarm? She was surprised when he told her that he was proctoring the exam and she did not have a lot of time to plan. It was a bit too convenient.
Madison also wanted Hanna to find a way to make her part of some honour student group. I know that this was not what it was called in the movie, but the point is that it was a group of students who were selected because of their high academic achievements. It was a bit far-fetched that Hannah could so easily access the school during the evening, not cause any alarms to sound, remain undetected and just guess the password on a first attempt. She was also able to make the relevant changes with relative ease. People would question why and how Madison became a member of this coveted group. It was really silly how easily Hannah broke into the school and accessed information. People would raise questions when they saw that Madison was part of the group when no one nominated her.
The time line of the movie is a bit unclear. Madison's plan begins to work and she receives higher grades as a result of Hannah doing all of her homework for her. The Lifetime movie conveniently does not show the administrative burden of Madison having to complete forms, select classes and make the transition into a new school.
The ending is a bit farfetched, but everyone eventually discovers what Madison has been doing.
I felt a sense of frustration when Madison began to manipulate Hanna by blocking her mother and friends from her phone. The fact that Hanna was not receiving texts should have been addressed earlier in the movie. Hanna's friend often asks her about the texts that she sends. Hanna is presented as being extremely smart. When Hanna's friend states that Hanna has not responded to texts, Hanna does not show her friend the phone as proof. When confronted, Hanna never examines her phone as a sensible person would. The characters in some Lifetime movies often engage in actions which flout common sense. It would not take a genius to examine a phone and realise that people were blocked. Madison intruded upon Hanna's life in every way and Madison's hunger for greed was insatiable.
Furthermore, the times of the cheerleading practices seemed to change quite frequently and the decision to remove her from the cheerleading squad seemed a bit too unilateral and the coach should have made more of an effort to speak to Hanna. Why did they not seem more concerned that Hanna was missing practices and acting strangely?
Furthermore, when Madison speaks to Hanna's friend during the school's lunch period, Madison "accidentally" reveals negative and insulting things that Hanna allegedly said about her friend. Why did Hanna's friend immediately believe what Madison said? What Madison stated was so bizarre that Hanna's friend should have doubted Madison's credibility. So many Lifetime movie plots pertain to seemingly intelligent people who believe a complete stranger. Hanna's mother eventually figures out what is going on and she confronts Madison's father who at first refuses to believe that his daughter could do such horrible things.
The photos on Madison phone are what the character uses to blackmail Hanna. Hanna's studious nature and wholesome character gives her credibility. If suddenly photos were distributed of Hanna without clothes and words written on her in lipstick, this would cause people to ask questions. Her classmates would think that it was exceptionally out of character for Hanna to do anything like that. I do not think that the ages of the characters are ever mentioned, but Madison's possession of the photographs on her phone could amount to something extremely criminal and if she dispensed those photos, she it is highly likely that she would be criminally liable. The issue was never raised that if Madison did publish the photos, it would be relatively easy for it to be proven that the photographs originated from Madison's phone. I do concede that Hanna would not want anyone to see those photographs.
I enjoyed the movie because the characters were interesting and it was so much better than most Lifetime movies. It was frustrating that Madison got away with things for so long and the hold she had over Hannah.
The premise of the movie is that a teenage girl, Madison, becomes extremely jealous of her cousin who excels academically and is involved in many student activities. Madison has a rather complacent attitude towards school, drinks alcohol during school hours and does not exert copious amounts of effort in terms of her studies. Madison's father is extremely wealthy and Madison seems to be accustomed to getting what she wants. Madison concocts a vicious and underhanded plan to blackmail her cousin, Hanna, which places her cousin in an extremely precarious situation.
Both girls reside in single parent families and it soon becomes evident that Madison resents her cousin. The actress, Sydney Meyer, did a fantastic job of making the audience loathe her character and the despicable things that she does. Her character is vile and horrible, but the actress portrays this very well. Her character does show remorse for her actions at one point in the movie by crying after she does something horrendous to her teacher, but she is more vicious than anything else. This is one of the first few times that a nefarious Lifetime character has shown self awareness.
One of the first unrealistic aspects of the plot is that Madison wrecks a car and immediately gets another one. It is clear that Madison rarely faces consequences of her actions. Her extremely wealthy lifestyle is clearly evidenced and she has not involved herself in student activities to the extent that Hanna has.
What drives the plot is when Madison invites Hanna to her house and serves her a mocktail, which we later find out contains rohypnol. At first, Madison jokingly asks Hanna to take her college entrance exam for her and then almost immediately states that she was kidding. Hanna conveniently passes out for the whole night, which enables Madison to take photographs of her naked cousin. Madison then uses these photographs to blackmail her cousin. The characters in Lifetime movies always seem to acquire illegal drugs with ease. As Hanna has not been home for the whole night, her mother is understandably concerned when Hanna returns home. The mother seems extremely calm despite the fact that her child has been missing for the duration of the night. Hanna states that Madison gave her some clothing, but it is evident that she entered her home without carrying anything that would resemble clothing. In many Lifetime movies, the mothers are presented as being overbearing such as in "The Boy She Met Online," in which the mother classifies her daughter as being out of control because her daughter wants to get a job and is showing that she can actually think for herself which the mother labels as being rebellious. The mother is this movie seems reasonable and she knows that something is wrong, but she cannot place her finger on it.
The mother has a close relationship with her daughter and had Hanna just told her what had happened, things could have been very different. Hanna had obviously not done anything wrong and she is an extremely smart girl. Madison blackmails her cousin into taking a college entrance exam for her. No mention is ever made of Hanna taking such an exam, despite her academic brilliance.
Madison also convinces her father to let her attend Hanna's school. Of course, this happens amazingly quickly because in what seems like the very next day, Madison is flaunting her perfect outfit through the halls and everyone pays attention to her.
Some things were slightly too convenient and implausible, such as Madison breaking a window at her teacher's house during the day, which causes the house alarm to sound. The purpose of this was so that the teacher would be called away from his test proctoring duties. How did Madison know that the teacher had a house alarm? She was surprised when he told her that he was proctoring the exam and she did not have a lot of time to plan. It was a bit too convenient.
Madison also wanted Hanna to find a way to make her part of some honour student group. I know that this was not what it was called in the movie, but the point is that it was a group of students who were selected because of their high academic achievements. It was a bit far-fetched that Hannah could so easily access the school during the evening, not cause any alarms to sound, remain undetected and just guess the password on a first attempt. She was also able to make the relevant changes with relative ease. People would question why and how Madison became a member of this coveted group. It was really silly how easily Hannah broke into the school and accessed information. People would raise questions when they saw that Madison was part of the group when no one nominated her.
The time line of the movie is a bit unclear. Madison's plan begins to work and she receives higher grades as a result of Hannah doing all of her homework for her. The Lifetime movie conveniently does not show the administrative burden of Madison having to complete forms, select classes and make the transition into a new school.
The ending is a bit farfetched, but everyone eventually discovers what Madison has been doing.
I felt a sense of frustration when Madison began to manipulate Hanna by blocking her mother and friends from her phone. The fact that Hanna was not receiving texts should have been addressed earlier in the movie. Hanna's friend often asks her about the texts that she sends. Hanna is presented as being extremely smart. When Hanna's friend states that Hanna has not responded to texts, Hanna does not show her friend the phone as proof. When confronted, Hanna never examines her phone as a sensible person would. The characters in some Lifetime movies often engage in actions which flout common sense. It would not take a genius to examine a phone and realise that people were blocked. Madison intruded upon Hanna's life in every way and Madison's hunger for greed was insatiable.
Furthermore, the times of the cheerleading practices seemed to change quite frequently and the decision to remove her from the cheerleading squad seemed a bit too unilateral and the coach should have made more of an effort to speak to Hanna. Why did they not seem more concerned that Hanna was missing practices and acting strangely?
Furthermore, when Madison speaks to Hanna's friend during the school's lunch period, Madison "accidentally" reveals negative and insulting things that Hanna allegedly said about her friend. Why did Hanna's friend immediately believe what Madison said? What Madison stated was so bizarre that Hanna's friend should have doubted Madison's credibility. So many Lifetime movie plots pertain to seemingly intelligent people who believe a complete stranger. Hanna's mother eventually figures out what is going on and she confronts Madison's father who at first refuses to believe that his daughter could do such horrible things.
The photos on Madison phone are what the character uses to blackmail Hanna. Hanna's studious nature and wholesome character gives her credibility. If suddenly photos were distributed of Hanna without clothes and words written on her in lipstick, this would cause people to ask questions. Her classmates would think that it was exceptionally out of character for Hanna to do anything like that. I do not think that the ages of the characters are ever mentioned, but Madison's possession of the photographs on her phone could amount to something extremely criminal and if she dispensed those photos, she it is highly likely that she would be criminally liable. The issue was never raised that if Madison did publish the photos, it would be relatively easy for it to be proven that the photographs originated from Madison's phone. I do concede that Hanna would not want anyone to see those photographs.
I enjoyed the movie because the characters were interesting and it was so much better than most Lifetime movies. It was frustrating that Madison got away with things for so long and the hold she had over Hannah.
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