Innocence volée

Lethal Seduction (TV Movie 2015)

BASIC PLOT: Mark (Caleb Ruminer) is an amazing kid, with everything to look forward to. He's won a full scholarship to Princeton, and he can't wait to get out from under his mother's over protective thumb. Tanya (Amanda Detmer), Mark's mother, doesn't mean to be a smothering harpie, but since the death of her husband, all she can think about is keeping her son safe. Mark is determined to spend his last summer before college, hanging out with his friend Walter (Sam Lerner), and sowing some wild oats. So, when a chance meeting at the hardware store, leads to a sexual adventure with a seductive, older woman named Carissa (Dina Meyer), Mark thinks he's found the perfect summer fling. But Carissa is no one's trifle. She's determined to keep Mark for herself, and to stop Tanya's meddling once and for all. Mark's sexual inexperience makes it's hard for him to see Carissa's erotic enervations for what they are, a snare, to keep Mark close.

Can Mark sever the hold Carissa has on him, in time to save himself?

WHAT WORKS: *Dina Meyer's Carissa is both ominous and sexual. She draws you in, much as she does Mark (Caleb Ruminer), and makes you want to see more. Her scene in the bathroom, where she smashes the mirror, is outstanding.

*Walter is played to perfection by Sam Lerner. His goofy one liners are cinematic gold! Even his voicemail message is hilarious. In every way, Walter is the quintessential sidekick.

*I don't know who the location scout was, but they deserve praise. The juxtaposition between Carissa's house, which is cold and commanding, and Tanya's house, which is warm and smothering, is a great visual metaphor for the two women's personalities. The same can be said for the shark tank, where Tanya and Randy (Brian Thomas Smith) work. It's beautiful, but also dangerous, maybe even deadly, traits that can also be applied to Carissa.

*Finally, a TV movie with a decent trailer! Also, great cover art, which is also a rarity.

*Very well cast by Arlie Day. Everyone here is believable, which is a triumph in a melodrama, so kudos to Arlie.

*The music by Will Champlin and Stephen Gallagher is above average, and adds something special to this made-for-tv movie. It's fun summer music, which sets the stage.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *There's not much here to complain about, if you understand the art form of melodrama. The only thing remotely implausable is the relationship between Mark (Caleb Ruminer) and Tanya (Amanda Detmer). Even the best teenage boy, probably would have rebelled against his mother's grating interference, by the time he's 18.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *IF and that's a big IF, you understand and appreciate the art form of melodrama, you'll like this. It's a more sexual and violent take on Mrs. Robinson, but Dina Meyer makes it her own, and succeeds beautifully.

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. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.

I could write "Lifetime Movie" and leave it at that. All would be revealed.

Because I have an axe to grind, I won't,

Every single older woman/younger man story I've ever seen has the younger man - or should I say boy -GROSSLY miscast.

Remember Linda Gray and Chris Atkins in Dallas? Annette Bening and Shaun Evans in Being Julia?

Why would a gorgeous, sexy woman like Dina Meyer want this anemic looking, bland 17-year-old? What's wrong with Liam Hemsworth, 25 when this was made? That is what a 40-year-old finds attractive.

So here we are again with Meyer seducing this kid with an overprotective mother. Little does he know, she's one sandwich short of a picnic.

Revolting story with Dina Meyer wasting her time with this dreck.

This is so bad in so many ways. I'm not even sure how to describe it. First, the writing and acting is both so bad. It's like I don't know if this is supposed to be a cheesy movie or a serious. It crosses into both. The story line is off. It just feels weird. Six hundred characters to say how bad this movie is? No. I don't need that. But now I'm having to fill out multiple characters. Yawn. Weird scenes that seem forced. Blah blah. Awkward conversations. Blah blah. More bad acting. Blah blah. And the beautiful, yet psychotic older woman that you know will snap, you just don't know when. Don't waste your time.

What man can resist the wiles of a gorgeous woman hell bent on seduction? Not many....but if you think you can, then this movie is for you!

Here's a brilliant presentation of the irresistible power exerted by a ravishing brunette over a blonde youth. Dina Meyer portrays an insatiable cougar who demonstrates that it's unwise for any man to underestimate the bewitching power of sex when wielded by an irresistible female. This is the lesson embedded within this eye-opening movie. The fact that it's directed by a female director makes it even more hard-hitting, since a female is pulling the strings of the actors, to bring out the feminine mind weaving its seductive web to lure and trap the unsuspecting male she sets her sights on. Any woman who immerses herself in the story, will easily discern the indisputable fact of the immense power a woman can exert over a man using her sexuality.

Next time you're confronted with a dazzling beauty who's out to get you...remember the lesson this film teaches: a sexy siren is practically irresistible...

Handsome blond high school graduate Caleb Ruminer (as Mark Richards) is looking forward to attending Princeton University in the fall. The summer before moving away from possessive single mother Amanda Detmer (as Tanya), young Ruminer has a fateful meeting. In the local hardware store on an errand for mom, Ruminer meets sexually arousing older woman Dina Meyer (as Carissa Kensington). She asks Ruminer to help her select and install a new shower massage head. Ruminer and Ms. Meyer are quickly steaming up every room in her house...

The fantasy-fulfilling relationship is great for both Ruminer and Meyer. She like her boys tied up in their boxer shorts, and he's willing to go along for the easy sex. However, there are growing problems. Meyer eventually asks Ruminer to move in and consider skipping college, which makes mother Detmer furious. And, this being a "Lifetime TV Movie", Meyer does not know how to take "no" for an answer...

Meyer wants her boy toy, or else...

This story been rehashed several times by producers at the Lifetime TV network. However, it does feature some nice touches, by director Nancy Leopardi and her crew. The sex quotient is very high, for US television. We see a collage of Ruminer and Meyer celebrating their sexual stamina, there is an extensive scene showing Ruminer handcuffed in his boxers, and Meyer is almost shown stroking the goods...

On a more artistic level, scenes are inter-cut from an aquarium where Detmer's neglected boyfriend Brian Smith (as Randy) works. The sharks are cleverly named and effectively symbolize Meyer's threat. She's a shark, of course, and one of many Ruminer must manage as he makes his way into his "real world" aquarium. The harpooning was a great idea and the performances are quite nice, but choppiness spoils some of the fun. "Lethal Seduction" would rate higher if we knew, for example, how Ruminer goes from hung up to laying down in the sauna room.

***** Lethal Seduction (2015-07-11) Nancy Leopardi ~ Caleb Ruminer, Amanda Detmer, Dina Meyer, Brian Smith