HIS PERFECT OBSESSION (TV movie 2018)
6 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:15 min
BASIC PLOT: Bart McGregor (Brendan Murray) goes a little crazy sometimes, but we all go a little mad sometimes, don't we? With Bart, it's usually because Allison Jones (Arianne Zucker) is around. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about her since the third grade. He knows EVERYTHING about her, from her favorite band, to the shampoo she uses. Bart's mother Cecilia (Deborah Grover), warns him, nothing good ever comes from his obsession with Allison. She tells him he's going down a dangerous path again, but Bart is sure, this time will be different. This time, Allison will see him in a different light, and if he can just get her alone, he can convince her to love him.
Allison is oblivious to the depth of Bart's obsessions, and the dangers encompassing her, and her daughter Abigail (Ali Skovbye). She's always thought Bart was a little odd, but she never considered he might be dangerous. Will she uncover Bart's dark and hidden obsessions, before they both become entangled in his web of complete control?
WHAT WORKS: *BART MCGREGOR IS A FANTASTIC CHARACTER! The crazy little ticks he has (like holding his cell phone with a handkerchief) are pulled off with skill, giving the character a realistic feel. Excellent portrayal by Brendan Murray.
*ALI SKOVBYE DOES A FINE JOB PORTRAYING A BLIND PERSON I'm sure it wasn't easy for Ali Skovbye keeping up the illusion of being blind, but there wasn't a time I thought she was a sighted person. Good job on her part.
*ALL THE ANCILLARY CHARACTERS DO A FINE JOB From Wyatt (Tomas Chovanec), the jerk husband, to Ben (Scott Gibson), the barkeep and his son Shane (Mikael Conde), and especially Bart's mother Cecilia (played to perfection by Deborah Grover, who always does a fine job) ALL execute their parts in a believable, entertaining way. Kudos to the entire cast.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *IT'S PRETTY RUDE FOR ALLISON NOT TO INTRODUCE BART TO LANCE It's rude & awkward for everyone NOT to be introduced when you're all standing in a hallway together. As the host, Allison should introduce the two men. When she doesn't, it implies Bart is just the help, and not a human being. It's pretty ugly behavior on Allison's part, and makes the protagonist unlikable (a cardinal sin in melodramatic screen writing).
*WHY DOES ALLISON FREAK OUT WHEN BART GIVES HER THE CONCERT TICKETS? We never get Allison's side of the backstory between her and Bart. We get Bart's & his mother's side, and even Ben, the bartender's side, but we (the viewer) don't know if Allison was aware of his obsession, or not. The implication is, Allison didn't know. Otherwise why would her aunt use Bart as an accountant, and why would Allison keep using him, now that her aunt is dead? So, if she didn't know, why does she freak out when an "old friend" gives her concert tickets? One second, Allison & Bart are sitting at the dining room table, joking about old times, then he gives her the tickets. Her reaction is like he flashed her, not did something nice for her. It's confusing, and makes no sense to the viewer.
*IT'S STUPID WHEN PEOPLE FREAK OUT WHEN SOMEONE TELLS THEM THEY SAW THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA FEED Allison is freaked out that Bart has looked at her social media feeds, but isn't that what they are for? I hear this a lot, both IRL, and on TV. People are not stalkers for looking at your social media feeds. They are public, and meant to be looked at.
*MALE WRITERS NEED INPUT FROM WOMEN WHEN WRITING FEMALE CHARACTERS I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I can tell this is written by a man, BEFORE I looked. Why? Because women DO NOT go downstairs in the middle of the night, when they KNOW someone is in their house. That's something a MAN would do. Women call for help - the police, a neighbor, whoever, but THEY CALL FOR HELP! Correct motivations are important when writing screenplays, and I hope Alexandre Carrière (the writer/director) gets the message before he writes another one. In this, he writes that neither woman calls for help, instead, both go downstairs to confront the attacker, even when one of them is blind. Are you kidding me?! NO WOMAN WOULD DO THAT! And since this is written for a woman's channel (Lifetime), all the women watching, are throwing things at the screen, when this scene comes on. It throws the female viewer out, and taints an otherwise good movie.
*WHEN BEN IS HURT, ALLISON DOESN'T MAKE SURE HE'S OK She's instead comforts her daughter, but if someone just risked their life for you, and was injured in the process, most women would instinctively comfort the injured party (after making sure her daughter was alright, which she is). It's hardwired into women to behave that way, and both women would go to him. Again, it throws the female viewer out, and if the screenwriter had a woman consultant, he'd know that.
*BLIND KIDS HAVE THEIR OWN SCHOOL So why is Abigail in school with Shane? It doesn't make any sense, and the last scene should have been shot ANYWHERE else, bit a high school.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *If you enjoy made-for-tv melodramas, then definitely give this a chance. It has a few problems, but for the most part, it's an enjoyable time waster.
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. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.
BASIC PLOT: Bart McGregor (Brendan Murray) goes a little crazy sometimes, but we all go a little mad sometimes, don't we? With Bart, it's usually because Allison Jones (Arianne Zucker) is around. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about her since the third grade. He knows EVERYTHING about her, from her favorite band, to the shampoo she uses. Bart's mother Cecilia (Deborah Grover), warns him, nothing good ever comes from his obsession with Allison. She tells him he's going down a dangerous path again, but Bart is sure, this time will be different. This time, Allison will see him in a different light, and if he can just get her alone, he can convince her to love him.
Allison is oblivious to the depth of Bart's obsessions, and the dangers encompassing her, and her daughter Abigail (Ali Skovbye). She's always thought Bart was a little odd, but she never considered he might be dangerous. Will she uncover Bart's dark and hidden obsessions, before they both become entangled in his web of complete control?
WHAT WORKS: *BART MCGREGOR IS A FANTASTIC CHARACTER! The crazy little ticks he has (like holding his cell phone with a handkerchief) are pulled off with skill, giving the character a realistic feel. Excellent portrayal by Brendan Murray.
*ALI SKOVBYE DOES A FINE JOB PORTRAYING A BLIND PERSON I'm sure it wasn't easy for Ali Skovbye keeping up the illusion of being blind, but there wasn't a time I thought she was a sighted person. Good job on her part.
*ALL THE ANCILLARY CHARACTERS DO A FINE JOB From Wyatt (Tomas Chovanec), the jerk husband, to Ben (Scott Gibson), the barkeep and his son Shane (Mikael Conde), and especially Bart's mother Cecilia (played to perfection by Deborah Grover, who always does a fine job) ALL execute their parts in a believable, entertaining way. Kudos to the entire cast.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *IT'S PRETTY RUDE FOR ALLISON NOT TO INTRODUCE BART TO LANCE It's rude & awkward for everyone NOT to be introduced when you're all standing in a hallway together. As the host, Allison should introduce the two men. When she doesn't, it implies Bart is just the help, and not a human being. It's pretty ugly behavior on Allison's part, and makes the protagonist unlikable (a cardinal sin in melodramatic screen writing).
*WHY DOES ALLISON FREAK OUT WHEN BART GIVES HER THE CONCERT TICKETS? We never get Allison's side of the backstory between her and Bart. We get Bart's & his mother's side, and even Ben, the bartender's side, but we (the viewer) don't know if Allison was aware of his obsession, or not. The implication is, Allison didn't know. Otherwise why would her aunt use Bart as an accountant, and why would Allison keep using him, now that her aunt is dead? So, if she didn't know, why does she freak out when an "old friend" gives her concert tickets? One second, Allison & Bart are sitting at the dining room table, joking about old times, then he gives her the tickets. Her reaction is like he flashed her, not did something nice for her. It's confusing, and makes no sense to the viewer.
*IT'S STUPID WHEN PEOPLE FREAK OUT WHEN SOMEONE TELLS THEM THEY SAW THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA FEED Allison is freaked out that Bart has looked at her social media feeds, but isn't that what they are for? I hear this a lot, both IRL, and on TV. People are not stalkers for looking at your social media feeds. They are public, and meant to be looked at.
*MALE WRITERS NEED INPUT FROM WOMEN WHEN WRITING FEMALE CHARACTERS I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I can tell this is written by a man, BEFORE I looked. Why? Because women DO NOT go downstairs in the middle of the night, when they KNOW someone is in their house. That's something a MAN would do. Women call for help - the police, a neighbor, whoever, but THEY CALL FOR HELP! Correct motivations are important when writing screenplays, and I hope Alexandre Carrière (the writer/director) gets the message before he writes another one. In this, he writes that neither woman calls for help, instead, both go downstairs to confront the attacker, even when one of them is blind. Are you kidding me?! NO WOMAN WOULD DO THAT! And since this is written for a woman's channel (Lifetime), all the women watching, are throwing things at the screen, when this scene comes on. It throws the female viewer out, and taints an otherwise good movie.
*WHEN BEN IS HURT, ALLISON DOESN'T MAKE SURE HE'S OK She's instead comforts her daughter, but if someone just risked their life for you, and was injured in the process, most women would instinctively comfort the injured party (after making sure her daughter was alright, which she is). It's hardwired into women to behave that way, and both women would go to him. Again, it throws the female viewer out, and if the screenwriter had a woman consultant, he'd know that.
*BLIND KIDS HAVE THEIR OWN SCHOOL So why is Abigail in school with Shane? It doesn't make any sense, and the last scene should have been shot ANYWHERE else, bit a high school.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *If you enjoy made-for-tv melodramas, then definitely give this a chance. It has a few problems, but for the most part, it's an enjoyable time waster.
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. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.