Twisted Desire

The REAL story involved a girl and her boyfriend, and how they plotted together to kill her parents. There was not another boyfriend involved. The real crime involved just one girl and her boyfriend. He came to her house and he shot her parents in bed. Later, he claimed that he had been smoking marijuana on his way over to their house. He said that his girlfriend was there to let him in and she yelled at him to shoot the mother again after seeing the first shot didn't kill her. The boy's attorney had claimed that the boy suffered from mental problems and had a low IQ. But these claims were argued and he was convicted. The girl and her boyfriend had both ended up in prison and served time, but her boyfriend was eventually executed. The girl was eventually released. One of the last statements he made was about how he didn't think it was fair to execute him while his girlfriend walked free, since they had both been part of the murder. He claimed to have been reformed and he wanted another chance at life. He never got that chance. I personally don't like it when "true crime" books TV shows and movies change the facts. I wish they'd just tell it the way it actually was. This movie does not give you the real story. Besides, Melissa Joan Hart's acting was just awful.

This is a mediocre, made-for-TV diversion, in which Melissa Joan Hart is miscast as an evil, psychopathic teen. She tried, but evil she is not. Her engaging and charismatic personality is much better suited to her ironic role as Sabrina, the teenaged witch, on ABC Friday nights, although at twenty-three she should be getting her PhD instead of playing a high school girl, witch or otherwise. I think the original idea they had for her as a newspaper reporter would have worked. At least she wouldn't have been instantly too old for the role.

Incidentally, I understand she auditioned for the title role in Adrian Lyne's "Lolita," losing out to Dominique Swain. Funny thing about that: Hart really is the Lolita type, so much so that at the age she started playing Clarissa (perhaps 14), she would have been perfect for Nabokov's enchanter. However, by the time Lyne got around to casting for his film, she was way past sweet sixteen, and much more a young woman than a nymphet.

Had they shown her smashing that car window with a baseball bat, I might have believed this movie a little. And they could have made her a tiny bit slutty, which would have been consistent with her character. I had the sense that her mother was watching every detail of the production and didn't want Melissa to look bad, even though the character she was portraying was very bad indeed.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)

I have to say that this TV movie was the work that really showed how talented Melissa Joan Hart is. We are so used to, now, seeing her in a sitcom and I really hope that a TV station will show this TV movie again soon as it will show the Sabrina fans that MJH shines in a drama. Seen as we have watched her on Sabrina now for now 5 years and so to give the viewers a taste of her much unused talent would be a plus. Melissa plays her role so well in this wanting her parents "done away" with so she can be with the guy she loves. One thing that all Sabrina viewers will notice, Melissa works with David Lascher in this, well before he took the role of Josh on Sabrina. So it would be kind of neat to see this currently whenever it gets aired again. Hopefully MJH gets some good roles in movies or even in more TV Movies, sort of like Kellie Martin who has always shined in TV Movies. Lots of unused talent waiting to bust out when it comes to Melissa Joan Hart, you shine always Melissa!!!

I thought this movie was exciting because it was a true story. The directer made us take a look at the characters and developed them very well. I never would have guessed the ending, because they covered it up so well. This is one thriller not to be missed!!!! I'd give it a 8/10. Well done!

First of all it was fun seeing the star of angsty-but-nice teen programmes "Clarissa" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" playing a MURDEROUS PSYCHOPATH!!!! I'm not awfully sure if she was completely suited to this role, but maybe I was just biased after being used to the full extent of Melissa-Joan Hart's evil being a proclamation of "Ferguson you dork!" followed by an imaginary dream sequence in which she's the President and he's not. Or something.

Back to the movie itself, apart from the fact that the plot twists tended to stand on the not-to-distant horizon wearing flashing signs that read "I AM A PLOT TWIST", the course of events at least made sense and actually turned out to be rather credible. To his credit, the bloke playing her father almost made me want to murder him myself, especially when he showed up to the party and dragged her off before she could make it with that guy. He was annoying, over-bearing and probably the father from hell (for an American teenage girl).

I won't give away any more of the plot in case Melissa-Joan's many adoring fans want to watch this film without knowing what's going to happen; though I challenge anyone not to work the whole thing out by about 15 minutes into the movie!

Overall, I saw the beginning, kept watching and didn't switch it off. That's the main reason why I'm recommending it. My attention span is short, but for some reason it stayed with this film. I can't quite explain why (maybe Sabrina put a spell on me), but if you ever see it on TV and there's nothing else to do, you might as well give it a go.