Lifetime movies have a few plots, all of which are recycled to make dozens of movies: the insane yet seductive babysitter, the "All Above Eve" scenario in the office, except the wannabe wields a knife; baby-stealing; psycho stalkers; wife killers; and the plot of "Deceit," a man lost at sea who may or may not be dead and the wife finds out things about him that she never knew.
In this story, a man (William Devane) is lost at sea, and the man's wife (Marlo Thomas) is haunted by a police detective that is suspicious about the circumstances. She also finds out about financial improprieties in her husband's business. The question is, what does she know and when did she know it? "Deceit" moves slowly, and the plot is convoluted enough that one soon loses interest. Marlo Thomas is a good actress who has made some very good TV movies; this isn't one of them. At 67, she's too old to be the mother of that little boy - in fact, it's not a stretch that she could be his great-grandmother. There was easily a thirty-year gap between Thomas and the woman playing her sister. There was one scene where Thomas was beautifully lit; if attention had been paid to the lighting throughout, she could have gotten away with it.
William Devane had too little to do.
Just not very good.
