Seduced (2016)

Undescribable Perfection

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Load of rubbish!!

As Good As It Gets

... having a Ferrari and painting it olive drab. Seriously, a blue eyed woman that was born in Germany, uses the German spelling of Elizabeth, and has an umlat in her name should be mandated to have blonde hair. More applicable here since the requisite bad guy has a phony eurotrash accent.Not much else to add here. Standard components are present: Lifetime Heroine (LH): Caroline, a widow with a daughter, who is not the usual rebellious teen. Lifetime Bad Guy (LBG): Gavin Lifetime Psycho (LP): Margo Dead gingers / females in jeopardy: G1 and G2Some random observations while watching:Female in jeopardy starts off right away with a ginger woman (G1) that has been ganked laying on the floor, presumably ganked by the LP, who steals her necklace. Body count: 1.LH meets the LBG via a sketchy online ad via her daughter. Romance blossoms. LH has a sketchy boss that is possibly a crook.Apparently all women that go to work in Southern California pack a swimsuit in case they get a short-notice invite to a lifeguard tower for a picnic.The LH should have realized the LBG wearing a wifebeater is never a good sign for a relationship, but instead they go for it on his counter. The following scene should bolster sales of Lysol for use in dressing rooms. He subsequently brings out her inner "bad girl" via a series of gifts, although I'd have to call her a material girl the way she was adoring the ring while they were together. Unusual for this type of movie is that the LBG has not threatened or drugged anyone.Her common sense is completely out the window when she mentions loaning the LBG $5 million in company funds from the company where she works as an accountant. She had hid the relationship from her daughter but finally fesses up, and this brings out the rebellion in her daughter that had been missing.A co-worker tries to get some background on the LBG and finds nothing, which upsets the LH. Then we see she was not serious about ripping off the $5 mil. The relationship heads south at this point, as does the relationship with her daughter.The LH then finds out the LBG has another ginger girlfriend (plot point), the LP. They have some quality girl time and figure out he's defrauding them and hatch a plan. Even though the LH mentions calling the police, they do not. Lifetime police are generally incompetent anyway. The LH could use some tips as to covert recording of suspects as well as how to snoop on a laptop. She and the LP do some snooping on the LBG, who by now has a second ginger lined up to fleece (G2), and she writes him a check on their first date. The LP mentions having lived in Boston (plot point).The next day G2 turns up ganked in the same area as G1. Body count: 2. Regular Lifetime fans will realize that the LP breaks the pattern here, and the only evidence she has anything to do with the LP are her own statements (plot point). Did I mention it looked like she was wearing a wig?LH records the LBG again and now her and the LP go to the LAPD, who interview the LBG. The detective trips him up by speaking Italian.The LBG turns up at the LH's home and is talking to her daughter, and then drops the Italian accent. He assaults and threatens her and then leaves. The LH gets an email from the LP telling her to go to the LBG's place now. She gets there and sees signs of a struggle. In an unusual move for a LH, she calls the police. It looks like a lot of blood but no body. The missing jewelry from the ganked gingers is present. The cops bust the LBG when he shows up at the crime scene.We learn the true identity of the LBG and that he is from Boston. The news is calling the LP the LBG's third victim and the LBG a serial killer for the three dead gingers. The LH sees more messages online and goes to the LBG's place, where surprise, it is the LP! She spills the beans that she and the LBG conspired. The LP threatens the LH with a knife and the wg comes off (knew it!). One chick fight later and as the LP is strangling the LH, she finds a convenient champagne bottle neck and ganks the LP by cutting her throat. Body count: 3.The movie ends with the LH being assertive and taking over the company by blackmailing the owner, paying the employees the bonuses they had earned, and chatting with the LBG while he is in jail, knowing he is not a murderer but leaving him to that fate.Real movie score: 4/10 (higher is better). Lifetime movie score: 6/10 (higher is stupider).

By now, you should know what you're getting when you start a Lifetime movie. Seduced fits the bill in many ways, but I was pleasantly surprised by the production value of a number of scenes. The plot progresses exactly as you expect it to and, as per tradition with this genre, leaves you scratching your head over a major twist with about five minutes to clean up the crazy. It's just as fun as it is frustrating and most of all, it is familiar. You either are on board from the jump, or you should wait until you're in the mood.What sets Seduced apart are a handful of beautifully shot and curated scenes between the two lead actors. The standout is a highly stylized and romantic beach scene that could have been pulled from footage of a perfume commercial or an art house short. Cinematographer Chris Ekstein perfectly captured the chemistry between the actors, and managed to deliver the film's most visually appetizing moments. In what could have been a very campy, common couple of minutes, Ekstein elevates the genre and gives us something unexpectedly beautiful. The romantic scenes are the film's strong point due to his eye; the bookstore and bathtub dates standout on a visual level.For fans of Lifetime movies (I am one myself), Seduced gives you what you came for in a package that will pleasantly surprise you from a production standpoint. Definitely worth the watch!

I was surprised and delightfully so - by the quality of this Lifetime movie. All the basic plot stuff was there -- (and thanks to the terrific performance by Elizabeth Rohm -- it had some punch!) but the great thing was the overall look and feel. Cool shots and effects -- sharp editing -- the pacing was just right. Terrific sense of place. And, to an impressive degree, the sense that this story was taking place in a real world. A couple of the smaller roles were really well-performed, adding to that feeling of authenticity; Tanner Stine (the daughter's bf) and SerDarius Blain (her work friend, Sean) -- really nice performances. It's a fun ride. And often interesting and cool to look at.

If you like Lifetime Movies you'll love this. Stylistically I felt it was way ahead of any I've seen on Lifetime. I found it way more artistic, edgy, and real. I actually believed the characters had relationships with one another and cared about one another. At one point I even had tears in my eyes, there were some real moments in this piece.It's also very well shot and acted. Elizabeth Rohm in particular is great. Enjoyed the use of music in the piece too which gave it a hip vibe. The movie is also sexy without being cheap. One of the best of this genre that I've seen. Super entertaining. Super fun and has a surprising twist at the end that you don't see coming.