The Surrogacy Trap

Something remarkable may be afoot at Lifetime: movies that are not aggressively chintzy. Recently the network aired Dark Desire, released by The Asylum -notable in itself- , and very much unlike the typical Lifetime dreck. This was well acted, nicely directed by a director with a few above average pictures to his credit, and written in a way that kept up the pace and sustained the tension. The Surrogacy Trap is at least as good, with an acting and directorial style unlike what we've come to expect from Lifetime. The female lead does not have a smiley, wholesome friend with whom she shares cute, warm, folksy quips. The forced upbeat, uplifting character interactions are entirely absent. The patented ending remains though - it is a Lifetime movie after all. But this does not detract from the quick pace, engrossing story, snappy pace and actors quite unlike the usual Lifetime mediocrities. The performances are quite nice and sometimes actually interestingly subtle. (The male lead happens to be a dead ringer for SNL's Seth Meyers.) No Douglas Jackson directing this one. This is not the same old Lifetime movie you've seen a million times.

Let's hope something is changing at Lifetime.