False Pretenses

I was so pleasantly pleased to be surprised by this movie. I was browsing through harlequin-type romances, and thought I'd give this one a try. Every time I thought I knew which way the tale was turning, it didn't. Instead of romances, the story ended with some nice friendships - the real people you can trust.

This movie had an OK story line and many of the actors were good though not great. I see everyone raving about Peta Wilson and I don't get it. I've never even heard of her before and I'm a big movie buff. Her acting was mediocre at best but it was hard to concentrate on it because of her voice. She tries too hard to sound sexy but she just sounds like an old smoker whispering. Not a fan of hers.

I caught this on the W network the other night and stuck with it because I was such a huge fan of 'La Femme Nikita' back in the day and Peta Wilson plays the vengeful wife here. She spends the movie seeking revenge against a con artist who finagled her husband out of all of their money, an event that later prompts him to commit suicide.

I'll be honest, this is not a great movie even for Lifetime. The acting is okay but it feels kinda choppy and rushed (Wilson's character didn't appear to mourn her husband at all before she hit the road to revenge) and there's also some with super boring parts involving the "Ponzi scheme". There were a couple twists I didn't see coming towards the end but still a very forgettable movie. 02.14.14

Basic story line is a hot babe has a husband who commits suicide because he was swindled in a ponzi scheme. The babe wife decides to try and get even. She even gets a job working for the swindler in the town where he currently resides. The rest is a cat and mouse game often thwarted by a curious cast of characters.

HOWEVER, the pacing was off and not up to a higher caliber heist or swindle scheme type movies. View David Mamet, Spanish PRISONER, HOUSE OF GAMES, and others. Or the HEIST with Gene Hackman. The movie needed a more dramatic sound track...more mysterious lighting, tighter pacing, and better cinematography.

Lighting was way to Lifetime...no dramatic shadows, and was almost documentary like with actors not up to full par...perhaps the director couldn't bring out the best in each actor.

I like the premise, the characters, I bet the book is a better read than the movie. Some of the Lifetime movies are interesting however.

And you can always tell those Lifetime movies shot in Canada. They should make one in LA with a good sound track, direction, cast. But their budget is probably a million bucks, so they do the best they can. The stories are interesting tho...usually from paperback novels one can get off a rack, but the 'girl in trouble' is popular during the day and 'bad guy boyfriend' at night on this channel.

Yes, I would buy it in a bargain bin...like 2 for $5 Or tape it next time on Lifetime.

Randy Ackers is happily married to Dianne (Peta Wilson) and living comfortably. He expects easy money from a safe short-term investment, but it's a scam. He loses it all and commits suicide. Dianne leaves California to start anew. Her car breaks down in a small Texas town and she takes a local waitressing job. One day, the con-man shows up at her diner, but he doesn't recognize her with her new hairdo.

I can buy that he doesn't recognize her, but everything else is way too convenient. The cop needs to be hotter and he has a good twist. I like capers but nothing here is that great. I never got into Peta Wilson although she is a hot lady. The smoky voice gets it done. This is nothing more than TV B-material.