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I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story – Review
I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story – Lifetime – 2 hours and 0 minutes
Natalie is a straight-A student with six children under 7 years old. Her mother, Angela, tells Natalie to provide more structure and stop coddling the children. Natalie’s father, Eddie, wants to spend time with his grandchildren. After class, Natalie expresses her concerns to her best friend, Beth. Natalie’s older children spend time together without the younger kids. The twin 2-year-olds don’t connect because one is non-verbal. Natalie fears one twin will be lonely. She wants to have IVF again. Also, 7 is her lucky number. Natalie calls her ex-boyfriend to use more of their frozen embryos, but he refuses. So Natalie chooses artificial insemination but does not tell her parents.
Natalie goes to her fertility specialist, Dr. Kamrava, because he implants more fertilized embryos to guarantee success. Dr. Kamrava will implant six. However, the doctor wakes Natalie during the procedure. Her uterus contracted and expelled the six. He wants to put six more in Natalie. Drugged, Natalie signs the papers, and Dr. Kamrava puts her back to sleep.
Weeks later, Natalie goes to the hospital to see if her IVF was successful. Her obstetrician discovers her hormone levels indicate multiples. He tells Natalie the board should take away her fertility doctor’s license for implanting too many embryos. Natalie refuses. Then, the doctor asks Natalie to use selective reduction. Natalie rejects this offer and chooses to carry all seven babies. Finally, the doctor requests to be Natalie’s OB/GYN for the foreseeable future. Natalie agrees.
Natalie tries to keep her pregnancy a secret, but Angela uncovers the truth when the babies break Natalie’s ribs. With three months left, Natalie’s doctor puts her on hospital bed rest to closely monitor her and her babies. Natalie gives birth a few months later, and the doctor finds a surprise: an 8th baby. Natalie unknowingly becomes a household name, and the media dubs her the ‘Octomom.’ The hospital hires a PR consultant to help Natalie and release them from liability. Natalie doesn’t want the consultant until she learns about the public’s disdain for her. Natalie decides to control the narrative and feed the beast. Sadly, it’s a choice she will regret.
Based on the life of Natalie Suleman, this movie follows her thought process while taking responsibility for her actions. She explains her family’s trauma and desire for another child. Natalie admits having one more was immature at the time. However, she never planned on having eight. Surprisingly, Natalie had three saving graces: CPS, the police, and rehab. The actress did a superb job mimicking Natalie’s voice and mannerisms. And the prop department ensured the technology matched the period. Natalie’s story proves bad press isn’t always good press. Viewers’ hearts will soften to her plight because Natalie expresses accountability. This film teaches you something new about the situation but doesn’t push you to change your opinion.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars
They’re not suffering. You are – Beth
Don’t judge me, yet – Natalie
You are such a selfish child – Angela
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Deadly Girls Trip – Review
Deadly Girls Trip – LMN – 2 hours and 0 minutes
Lacey worries because her husband, Blake, didn’t sleep. He’s concerned because his contract ends in 2 days, and he hasn’t secured another client. He’s working on a proposal for Neil but doesn’t believe it’s good enough. Lacey assures Blake that he will land the new contract. Blake can see the worry on Lacey’s face and questions her. Lacey wonders if her friends – Becca, Janice, and Addie – will notice her abstaining during the girls’ trip. She hasn’t told her friends she’s pregnant but worries about stealing the spotlight from Becca. The trip is for Becca’s birthday. Lacey chooses to keep her secret during the vacation.
Becca, Janice, Addie, and Lacey drive to the estate and unpack their bags. Lacey opens her makeup bag and finds a lipstick thumb drive (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). She realizes she got Janice’s bag and returns it. Janice laughs and says it’s banking documents. Then, Janice figures out Lacey is pregnant. She promises to keep Lacey’s pregnancy under wraps. However, the ladies unravel it and are happy for Lacey. Lacey goes to bed after 1 A.M. with the TV on. She wakes up to hear muffled arguing at 4 A.M. The yelling stops, and Lacey goes to bed. Lacey wakes a few hours later and walks on her balcony for fresh air. She looks down and sees Janice dead on the ground with blood pooling at her head. They call the police. The police conclude Janice’s death was an accident, but Lacey remembers the argument. She wants to discuss the death with Addie and Becca, but they give her the cold shoulder and tell her to let it go. However, Lacey will uncover what happened on their deadly girls’ trip.
The movie is a whodunit, but Lifetimers can piece together the clues because the foreshadowing is obvious. However, the motive isn’t clear until one woman talks about her past. The plot makes the audience believe Janice has some underhanded deals at the bank, but the story has many layers. In the opening sequence, viewers peek into the main character’s world. Each character is in a different stage of life and their friendships. They seem like a close-knit group until Janice dies. Then, pettiness and lies tear their friendship apart. This aspect makes the film a turn-off. When the women communicate, they stand together. The final fight scene is poorly edited but entertaining.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars
This is going to be an amazing weekend – Becca
Technically, it’s an estate – Janice
You sleep with one eye open when you have a kid, Lace. – Addie
You probably got some nuclear codes on that thing – Lacey
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Abducted in the Everglades – Review
Abducted in the Everglades – Lifetime – 2 hours and 0 minutes
Beverly calls her daughter, Carli, while Carli travels with her best friend, Simone. The college women want to spend spring break in Florida’s South Beach. Carli begs Beverly not to worry and ends the call. Simone tells Carli to appreciate Beverly because her parents don’t care about her.
Simone and Carli arrive in South Beach, and Simone begs Carli to be impulsive. Carlie agrees. They pull over and drop their bags with a concierge. Simone puts her phone in her bag to deter pickpockets and gives Carli the bag receipt and ID. Carli puts the ticket into her fanny pack but keeps her phone. Simone instructs Carli to share her location. If someone steals Carli’s phone, they can find it with Simone’s. The women go out for a night of drinking and dancing while posting photos on social media.
Beverly sits at home and watches Carli’s feed. She can’t believe her eyes. She messages Carlie to be safe. At the bar, Simone sees Pete and flirts. Pete tells them about an exclusive party at the beach and invites them. Carli, Simone, and Pete arrive at an empty beach. Then, Pete points out his cousin, Luke. Carli freezes because Luke is her ex-boyfriend. Carli apologizes for the split, but Luke wants to let bygones be bygones. They party, and Luke grabs Carli’s phone. He takes videos of her and suggests poses. She sees Luke drop his boat key and puts it in her fanny pack. Then Pete yells for Luke. Simone is convulsing. They argue about what to do next as Carli runs over to help. Luke says that Pete gave Simone too much. Then, Carli feels the effects of the drugs and passes out. Luke carries Simone while Pete picks up Carli.
Beverly’s phone wakes her. It’s the police. They found Simone, and she’s in a coma. Beverly begs for an update on Carli, but the police don’t know anything about her. Beverly decides to fly to Florida after the police refuse to look for Carli. In Florida, Carlie wakes up, blindfolded, gagged, and bound. She overhears Luke and Pete. Luke planned to drug Carli, create revenge porn, and make her lose her scholarship. It would be his revenge for dumping him. He’s not sure what to do next, so Pete takes control. Carli must escape before Luke and Pete kill her. Will Beverly find her first?
This movie is a race to see who can be the dumbest. Beverly preaches safety but keeps herself in danger. Simone is a party girl with zero self-awareness. Pete is a manipulator, and Luke is an abusive stalker. It’s obvious why Carli broke off the relationship with this jerk. Carli is the smartest of the bunch. The script foreshadows a lot as the girls decide what to bring on their club-hopping journey. However, it briefly mentions Luke. So, you assume he won’t be a factor. He is a large portion of this movie. Of course, Beverly finds love while desperately searching for Carli. Beverly’s search will drive you crazy, but Carli’s fighting spirit saves the movie. She does everything possible to muster the strength to overpower her kidnappers and survive. Her character is the redeeming force in this film.
I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars
Screw it – Beverly
I had no idea you were going to be here – Luke
It’s not fate, Luke – Carli
You came to me – Pete
It was me who should have been more careful – Simone
You got this – Ray
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The Royal We – Review
The Royal We – Hallmark – 2 hours and 0 minutes
Prince Desmond and Princess Coralina take engagement photos. When the two wed, their kingdoms will merge under one alliance, and they will become king and queen. Desmond’s courtier, Edwin, writes the royal decree for the happy couple. A few weeks later, Edwin sits at his desk and vandalizes images of Coralina. She dumped the prince for plumber Coby, stating it was true love. Edwin knows this uproar will further strife between the two nations, and Desmond must find a way to smooth things over. Desmond remembers that Coralina has a little sister, Princess Beatrix, who dropped out of the public eye years ago as a teen. Since Coralina married a commoner, she abdicated the throne. Beatrix will be the rightful heir. She looks at Beatrix’s images online and sees the hateful comments people left about her teenage appearance. He understands why she lives in the shadows. He vows to find Beatrix, marry her, and merge their nations.
Chloe knocks on her best friend’s door. She gave Bea the weekend to mourn her breakup. But Bea is still upset. Chloe opens the curtains and avoids the food containers on the floor. Bea’s boyfriend, Garrett, broke up with Bea to date a reality show influencer. Chloe reminds Bea they have a presentation to attract a new corporate sponsor for their foundation. Bea looks for her phone but can’t find it, so Chloe calls it. When they locate the phone, they discover several missed calls from an international area code. Bea tells Chloe to ignore them, grabs the phone, and enters the bathroom. Bea picks up the phone and demands the caller stop contacting her in French.
After their presentation, Chloe notices a car following them. They run into an alley to escape, but more black vehicles surround them. Bea tells Chloe to relax, but Chloe won’t let anyone kidnap Bea without her. Bea and Chloe leave with the men, and Chloe learns about Bea’s royal lineage. The men take Bea and Chloe to Edwin and Desmond. Desmond explains the situation, but Bea wants to wait until their fathers – King Winston and King Richmond – have their summit. They won’t have to get married if the summit comes to a peaceful solution.
The summit fails spectacularly. So, Bea knows marrying Desmond is the proper course of action. Before he proposes again, Bea decides to have a fun night in Boston. She will show Desmond the world outside of his sheltered cage. However, he will reintroduce her to the royal treatment. These two inspire growth in each other, their families, and their countries.
Chloe and the Kings make this movie. The writers made Chloe the voice of the audience. She says what you are thinking in real-time. King Winston and King Richmond’s encounters give viewers the most polite takedown in Hallmark history. When one goes low, the other hits the floor. Nothing is off-limits. The secondary characters are so captivating that the primary ones become bland. You will tune out while Desmond and Bea fall in love. Also, the editors put social media posts on screen. You will need to be close to your TV to read them. They give the people’s opinion about the royals. This addition brought the script into today’s era but wasn’t necessary. The conclusion highlighted the upcoming two royal movies – The Reluctant Royal and Royal-ish – while paying homage to Royal Matchmaker. This film is comical but will lose your attention momentarily.
I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars
We won’t be going to war, Edwin. – Desmond
So, that happened – Bea
My mom was right. I moved to the big city, and now we’re going to end up on Dateline – Chloe
Perish the thought – Edwin
Real love is never a sacrifice – Coralina
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Categories: Abducted in the Everglades, Anita Wittenberg, Caitlin Stryker, Charlie Carrick, Deadly Girls Trip, hallmark, I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story, Kristen Lee Gutoskie, Kristi Murdock, Lesa Wilson, lifetime, lifetime movie network, lmn, Made for TV, Mallory Jansen, movie, Nick Ballard, review, Ripped From The Headlines, The Royal We, Tommi Rose, Tori Spelling, tv review, Twisted Fate
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