In a suburban California community, red-headed law student Brigid Brannagh (as Molly) meets cool blonde Allison Lange (as Sophie) on a bus. The attractive women talk over problems. Riding the bus because her rich daddy took the T-Bird away, Ms. Lange doesn't seem entirely sane; as it turns out, she's fresh out of a "Rolling Hills" mental institution. Seeming to be more even more distraught, Ms. Brannagh is troubled by her husband's first wife Rosa Blasi (as Heather), a crazed drug addict who causes embarrassing scenes for Brannagh, brawny hubby Brian Krause (as Jeff), and their cute 'n' cuddly daughter Charlie Stewart (as Gracie)...
If you've seen Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" (1951), you can get off at the next stop. But, if you want to go along for the ride, it's "Next Stop Murder" as Lange decides she should kill the ex-wife troubling Brannagh in exchange for the latter killing daddy Joe Regalbuto (as Warren). Lange tells Brannagh, "We can help each other out of our nightmares." Naturally, things don't go according to plan
This is an average made-to-run-on-TV production. It's nice to see Lin Shaye turn up as the detective, and the scenes between Brannagh and little Miss Stewart are nicely done; the story does not take advantage of the fact that they look like mother and daughter (they could have made them aunt and niece). Unfortunately, this is a blatantly inferior version of Patricia Highsmith's original story, expertly filmed by Alfred Hitchcock (as the aforementioned "Strangers on a Train"). Although the leading characters have been changed to women, the same sex subtext (attraction) is missing; neither Highsmith nor Hitchcock would approve.
**** Next Stop Murder (2010) John Murlowski ~ Brigid Brannagh, Allison Lange, Brian Krause, Joe Regalbuto
