Obsessed (TV Movie 2002)
6 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 1:57 min
BASIC PLOT:
Ellena Roberts (
Jenna Elfman) has finally found the man of her dreams. David Stillman (
Sam Robards) is a world renowned neurosurgeon, who's handsome, accomplished, and learned. The only problem? He's married to someone else, and he's just had Ellena arrested for stalking. Is he trying to conceal their secret affair from his wife, Claire (
Jane Wheeler), or is Dr. Stillman right in thinking Ellena is hiding a dangerous secret?
WHAT WORKS:
*THIS MOVIE PROVIDES BOTH SIDES WELL It gives a plausible account to what could have happened, on both sides. Quite frankly, if men would like the benefit of the doubt in these types of situations, they should speak up more, when they see other men behaving badly - in whatever form. Men are punished as a whole, because they tend to cover for, or pretend they don't see, or outright lie for, other men, who are behaving badly. A good example of this is when Dr. Stillman (
Sam Robards) lies to his wife, Clare (
Jane Wheeler), about a note slipped under the hotel room door. Why does he lie, if there's nothing going on? Because he thinks his wife won't believe him? If men realized lying was the ONE cardinal rule not to break with women, they'd be more likely to just tell the truth, and face the music. Lying is the unforgivable sin, NOT cheating.
*THIS MOVIE USES MUSIC WELL It has two main songs, "Fallin" by Alicia Keys, and "Siren" by Red Delicious. They both fit well, and are used as a metaphor for Ellena's erotomania, throughout the film.
*THE ANCILLARY CHARACTERS PROVIDE A GOOD FOUNDATION TO AN INTERESTING STORY
Kate Burton does a fantastic job as Sara Miller, Ellena's lawyer, who takes the assignment, without knowing all the facts of the case. Sara's journey to uncover Ellena's "lives", while still trying to provide her with a decent defense, is laudable, and well portrayed by
Kate Burton.
Lisa Edelstein gives an authentic performance as Charlotte, a journalist Ellena meets in jail, who becomes her confidante, and constant companion.
And last, but not least,
Mark Camacho gives another fine performance as Sam Cavallo, the prosecutor. He's a great character actor, and never phones in his roles.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*VISUALLY, THIS FILM HASN'T AGED WELL Meaning, when you watch it on a modern TV, you can tell it's from 2002. This doesn't make it bad, it's just a bit grainy.
*LOTS OF THE SHOTS ARE BIZARRE
There's lots of shots that are looking up, and are too close. It's distracting, and odd. It may be because it was shot in standard, not widescreen. Either way, it's not a deal breaker.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*I would definitely recommend this film to fans of
Jenna Elfman, and fans of movies that are based on a true story. The filmmakers did a fine job of unraveling the narrative, in an enjoyable, postulating way, without giving away too much.
Jenna Elfman does an excellent job as Ellena Roberts, an erotomaniac who's dissembling disguise is so believable, even the omniscient viewer doesn't know what the truth is. It is a low budget, made-for-tv movie, so if you're not a fan of that type of entertainment, give this a pass. But if you love a good melodrama, then pop that corn, sit back and enjoy!
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 ANY way by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews, and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.
