Labor of Lies (2021 TV Movie) User Reviews

Delivers on its Promise

[Droid_Gunner · 6/10 · 26 July 2021]

"Delivers," get it?

If you're into these Lifetime thrillers, this one is worth watching. The snappy pace and solid performances keep the suspense going pretty much from the first minute. The motivation behind the main antagonist is absolutely loony, but hey, why not. The protagonist is likable and helps ground the movie -- even in the third act when things really get nuts.

While the movie is the furthest thing from realistic, having a baby in jeopardy like this is sure to give suspense to any parent. And for better or worse, that might have been what made the movie work for my wife and I.

Worth watching.

Pushin' and Poppin'

[lavatch · 6/10 · 22 January 2022]

The best part of this film may be its title. "Labor of Lies" is an apt moniker for the machinations of the evil Jamie Williams, who will stop at nothing in order to steal the baby of Lara Collins.

The film features the rather graphic bedside scene in which Jamie is motivating Lara to keep pushing in the strenuous act of bringing little Sophie into the world. The audience must endure the straining and grimacing in the protracted experience of pushin' and poppin'.

The filmmakers could have tried to give an ounce of sympathy to the desperate Jamie. She was so needy in her drive to become a mother that she would visit a hospital and fantasize about stealing one of the babies. On one occasion, she was arrested, although the film does not make clear whether it really happened or occurred only in Jamie's twisted mind.

Eventually, Jamie concocts a double lie. She bargains with an oily figure named Mr. Wynn to conceive, deliver, and sell her own baby to him for $125,000. Not only does she fake her pregnancy, but she also befriends Lara, serves in places of the midwife she kills, helps to deliver the baby, and, finally, steal the child...not for Mr. Wynn, but for herself!

This preposterous narrative often turned into farce, especially when poor Lara rises from her birthing bed and moves into action to recover her stolen child. A loose end in the film was the extraneous character named Tony, who was Jamie's husband. Tony arrives on cue to suspect his crazed wife of foul play, before she murders him.

The performances were winsome, especially the actress playing Lara. She conveyed the anxiety of awaiting the delivery of her long-desired baby, then had to suffer at the hands of a lunatic. The denouement, which indicated that Lara has a second child on the way, sets up the sequel for more adventures in pushin' and poppin'.