Terror in the Family

If you're looking for a quality movie about a family and their problems, "Terror in the Family" is the one to see. It doesn't waste time, or sermonize, which is what a drama, especially one with this theme, should be. And it's never slow, either. Also, there's nothing new to it either. And it is predictable. Hence the title, the movie is about a teenager's behavior that is apparently influenced by her boyfriend. At the very end, it turns out it is. In case you haven't seen or heard of any of the actors here, almost the entire cast is made up of familiar faces: Hilary Swank, "Growing Pains" star Joanna Kerns, and "The Wonder Years" star Dan Lauria.

Grade: B+

I was curious about this as an early credit for Hillary Swank, and if I were she and someone mentioned this movie in my presence I'd probably be thinking, "I'm a big movie star now, I've won two Academy Awards, I should be allowed to forget credits like that." Truth be told, though, it's a better than average Lifetime movie and Swank acquits herself marvelously in it as the rebellious teenage girl whose violent relations with her family open a lot of old wounds going back three generations. This has some of the usual Lifetime weaknesses — melodramatic plot construction, an overly reverential attitude towards psychotherapy, sappy piano-and-strings background music (they must have a library of millions of these records) and a limp excuse for punk rock allegedly performed by Garrett's band, as well as the obligatory soft-core porn scene — but it's also solidly acted by a tight ensemble cast, it's all too believable despite the melodramatics, and Gregory Goodell has a visual sense far ahead of most of the Lifetime directors.

This film was edgy for a made-for-television show, dealing with real issues for a change. Miss Swank showed promise here early on, as well as newcomer Rachel Youngberg. Cinematography was good. Direction, for a film this size, was also good. The location shots were believable, which puts it ahead in my book. What made this film interesting was a storyline that moved it along, and enough action to keep it going. Some of the smaller parts seemed better acted than most, and may be due to the Utah casting. While it dragged in spots, the intensity of the characters pulled it through. I really liked seeing a younger Hillary Swank, with a hint at what she carried inside for later expression.

As far as t. v. made movies go this gets a B+. Hilary Swank better known for her role in "The Next Karate Kid" plays an abusive teen who starts to violently hit her parents when she gets real angry, through all the fighting and her dating a delinquent the violence turns into an authority involvement. Joanna Kerns (Growing Pains) plays her alcoholic mother who can't seem to control her daughter or keep a punishment, she's believable but tries too much. I'm not saying it's the best but I would see it as often as it may come on.

Joanna Kerns, (Cynthia Martin) plays the role of a mother who loves her family and especially her daughter, Deena Martin (Hilary Swank) who has the hots for her boyfriend who is wild and drags Deena down the wrong way of life. However, Cynthia Martin loves to drink wine all day long and has trouble trying to deal with her husband who wants to make pottery in the basement all the time. In the meantime, Adam Martin, the son of Cynthia Martin loves to drink vodka from a bottle before he goes to sleep or when problems start to hit him in the face. The only sane person in this out of control family is Todd Martin, (Dan Lauria) who plays the role of the husband of this crazy family which needs professional help.