Hidden Intentions (TV Movie 2018)
5 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 1:56 min
BASIC PLOT:
A car accident has taken Sophie (
Paige Searcy) and Noah's (
Lofton Shaw) mother, and David's (
Chris McKenna) beloved wife. They are trying to recover as a family, when an unexpected visitor appears on their doorstep. It's a woman, claiming to be Jordyn (
Ashlynn Yennie), the estranged sister, of David's recently deceased wife. None of the family has ever met Jordyn, they don't even know why she was alienated from her sister. But that doesn't stop David from inviting her to stay with the family. Jordyn reminds him of his wife, and his grief is affecting his judgment. Sophie is not so trusting. She immediately suspects something is not right with Jordyn, and begins investigating, with her boyfriend, Luke (
Garrett Westton). But Jordyn is not going to be thwarted so easily, and she'll remove anything or anyone, who gets in her way.
WHAT WORKS:
*MEN ARE STUPID WHEN IT COMES TO SEX
This movie accurately portrays how otherwise smart men, turn off their brain, and put themselves in stupid and dangerous situations, when sex is thrown at them. We all wish it wasn't so, but unfortunately, it happens so often, it's become a truism.
*SOPHIE'S REACTIONS TO HER DAD'S STUPIDITY ARE PRICELESS When David (
Chris McKenna) tries to tell Sophie (
Paige Searcy) he believes Jordyn's (
Ashlynn Yennie) lies about Luke (
Garrett Westton), Sophie's reactions to his stupidity are hilarious! Well written by
Adam Rockoff, and well acted by
Paige Searcy. (
Adam Rockoff is NOT a writer I would normally recommend. He has written two decent melodramas, this and
La strana vita dei miei vicini (2017) - one of my all time favorites, the rest off his TV movies are pure drek!)
*GARRETT WESTTON DOES A GREAT JOB AS THE DUMB JOCK He's even in on the joke, because he says to Sophie, "I'll just stand here and look pretty."
*DECENT COVERART I rarely say that these days, but this has very good cover art. I love the storage shed in the background, excellent!
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*EVEN IF YOU WERE ESTRANGED FROM YOUR SISTER, YOU'D STILL HAVE PHOTOS
Most people have photos from their own childhood, and your siblings are often in them. The family would have seen these photos, and recognized this wasn't Jordyn.
*WHAT IS JORDYN'S MOTIVATION? Is she just crazy? Does she want a family? Does she want a man to take care of her (she has a job, so that doesn't make sense)? What's her deal? This is a minor plot hole, because maybe she's just crazy, but it is an irritating one. They try to wrap it up at the end, but it's not really explained. Jordyn tells Sophie, she didn't have a family, and always wanted one, but that's not a reason to go on a killing spree.
*TRAILER GIVES AWAY TOO MUCH It's the whole freaking movie condensed! If you haven't seen the movie, for pity's sake, DON'T WATCH THE TRAILER
*WOMEN DON'T USUALLY STAB
As a means of killing, women don't usually stab. This is just a statistical abnormality, not anything huge, just an observation.
*SOPHIE'S A BIT OF BRAT FOR BEING 18
Even for someone who's mother just died, Sophie (
Paige Searcy) acts a bit immature. Her fit throwing is more like a twelve year old, than an eighteen year old.
*THE EAGLE HAS LANDED is not a term teenagers would use. It shows the age of the writer,
Adam Rockoff, not the age of the characters.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*IF you like and UNDERSTAND melodrama as an art form, you'll like this. It is low budget, and their are a few plot holes, but it's a fun, silly time waster, for when you need to turn off your brain. If you like deep character development, and intricate plotlines, look for your entertainment elsewhere.
CLOSING NOTES:
*This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.
