Please don't spend money on this.

A Brilliant Conflict

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I picked this up thinking it was a horror movie; as is typical for Lion's Gate, the DVD packaging is completely misleading. As the film opened, I instantly realized that it was a movie of the week... and one that I've seen a billion times since FATAL ATTRACTION came out in '87. Yes, crazy lady becomes obsessed with the notion of being with a man who doesn't love her. Before I go any further, I must admit that Purl devoured her role but unfortunately, nearly everything else about the film was inept.I can't remember the last time I had everything figured out in a movie eons before it occurred. All of the twists that should have been subtle were instead anti-climactic because of the hackneyed direction and even worse writing. A few examples: In one scene, we see Purl trying on the wedding ring her brother-in-law bought for his new fiancée, and the camera lingers far too long on her niece, who walks in and catches her. I wonder how that's gonna end. In another scene, Purl calls a guy from an incriminating location, and as he closes his cell phone, he asks himself aloud, "Where's that area code?" Gee, do you think that's a setup for him to figure out what she's up to? Then there's several fantasy sequences which are far too obvious for anyone to think they're actually happening. But most insulting of all is an overlong flashback sequence near the end that rehashes every single plot point, as if the audience were too stupid to figure it out for themselves.The actors elevated the material quite a bit, but couldn't save it from being a 90 minute Lifetime Movie cliché. Even on a camp level it doesn't really work and I'm shocked to see all of the favorable reviews. Personally, the one and only reason I'd recommend this is for a few performances. If you like Purl, Ashby or Sturges, check it out; all others, beware.

The first time I heard about this movie, I wanted to see it because I was expecting blood, jealousy ad rage in a very lethal combination. Linda Purl played the villain, but I was actually rooting for her! In fact, I thought she was the good girl and Nicole was the bad uh, girl. However, the movie seemed a little pale, and Shannon Sturges' acting did not give me that much satisfaction, especially in the stabbing scene. I was looking forward to a more family-oriented ending (where Richard and the kids realize that they are enough for each other). All in all, the plot, the schemes and Linda Purl's pity-soliciting acting contributed to the film's likability, but Shannon Sturges' stiffness seemed a little off.

This was by far the worst kind of TV movie that I've seen in my entire life. I saw that somebody liked the acting in this movie I have to ask: What acting and the same goes for the directing,I mean Jeez this could have been good in the 50's - Maybe! All and all this was a BWOT! One could guess the plot after about 30 seconds from the first frame. I mean what kind of morons can imagine that this kind of storyline would interest anyone with higher IQ than 80 which equals an idiot. I was totally eluded by the commentaries and the ratings from now on I'll be a lot more careful about believing in other peoples' commentaries because I've been mislead to see a bunch of some really horrible crap-movies. Please do not waste your time on this one.

I picked this up at the video store thinking "this'll be a really bad, unintentionally funny melodrama about a Desperate Woman" -- and I was only half-right. Yes, it is about a desperate woman, but it's actually very well done, powerfully suspenseful and develops all the characters to the point where they come across as real people you care about.This movie fooled me at least three times, and I like to think I'm fairly quick on the uptake. Linda Purl is a wonderfully expressive and intense actress -- why isn't she famous??? I highly recommend this movie to anybody who likes good thrillers, and/or anyone who enjoys watching a superb actor like Purl as she crafts a brilliantly realized character (even if the movie isn't quite good enough to deserve her).