Identity Theft (2004)

So much average

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

"Based on true events", the film revolves around Michelle Brown and her husband seeking the classic 1950's white suburban segment of the American dream. Events turn sour when 9 minutes in, Michelle and one of her basic bff's flow with excitement over her filling out loan papers. The rigged debt that will come from this will come back to haunt her. To twist the knife even further; a monster in the form of Connie Volkos, a white trash cartoon stereotype, uses Michelle's credit card information to feed her shopping addictions. It becomes a race against time for Michelle to stop Connie, save her financial life and hopefully, learn to use her money better.All the performances range from serviceable (Michelle's partner) to jocular (Connie Volkos); but the lead character, Michelle Brown, at the helm of Kimberly Williams-Paisley is given the most human performance in this picture.Michelle Brown's ignorance early in the film may be doltish, but she is clearly a character worth rooting for as she is proactive in her tedious journey of taking her life back. As this is a Lifetime movie; almost the entire story structure is procedural, and at times heavy handed to the point of irritation (there is a scene in which one of Michelle's friends spells out to the audience about the growing danger of identity theft in America). This all isn't to say "Identity Theft: The Michelle Brown Story" is complete rubbish; for what it lacks in suspense, it makes up in clarity. I could imagine a film director like Steven Soderbergh ("Ocean's Eleven") making a sophisticated and white-knuckle thriller revolving around a plot similar to this film.Grade- C+

This film isn't necessarily bad, but it's not that good. The acting is just passable, the story is very bland, and the whole flow this film is overly predictable. The premise is good, however. The actors and actresses in this film did alright. They seemed pretty believable for the most part, but a few of them just didn't seem to give it their all, and came off as somewhat boring. The story, while it's premise is good, is very bland. The story itself is pretty good for the most part. However, it seems very predictable and kind of aimless. Other than all that, I was impressed with Lifetime with this film, considering some other films from Lifetime, Hallmark, Freeform, etc., are mostly garbage in my opinion. But this film was good enough for me to think this film was better than most from Lifetime, Hallmark, Freeform, etc. I don't think I can really recommend this to anyone, as there are better films than this, but I'm sure that most people who like films from Lifetime would enjoy this film, probably more than others they have seen on that Channel.

An average made-for-television movie -- not bad but strictly by the numbers. The title pretty much tells the whole story, but surely dramatizes some of the elements, such as Annabella Sciorra's not merely using Kimberley Williams-Paisley's credit cards and bank account to stoke up on "stuff" or "things", but desiring to actually BE the victim, whose real name is Michelle Brown.Michelle Brown, a good, solid English name. Sciorra is named Connie Volkos which, in comparison, sounds like something from the Mongolian steppes. The story has almost written itself for television. Sometimes it feels good to be a victim. Freud called the good things about being a victim "secondary gains," but if that's all there were to it there would be no such thing as Münchausen's syndrome. Not that Michelle Brown invited this exploitation. She's as blameless as Bridget Fonda was in a similar story, "Single, White, Female." Michelle is young, slim, sexy, bubbly, and cute in an almost cartoonish way. She has sparkling blue eyes and exudes innocence. She has a high chirpy voice that in times of upset turns a little tinny. All she wants is a house and the guy waiting in the wings to come out as a loving husband who is cheerful and "there" for her. And vegetarian pizza.Schiorra is older, bleached blond, sinister, surprisingly hefty, and whorish. We meet her sucking a chocolate lollipop and twirling a strand of her tangled hair. She's a contralto. We can tell at once from her appearance and demeanor that she's a self-absorbed slut. She listens to hip hop music in her brand new automobile bought with some kind of credit stolen from honest, likable Michelle. She dyes her hair brown like Michelle's and obtains a fake photo ID. It goes on rather predictably from there.There is one unanticipated element in the film. Sciorra's character is given a certain amount of depth. She has a reason for acting as she does, though not a justification. It's probably Anna Sciorra's best performance, mixing as it does envy, defiance, carelessness, indifference, and pathos. It adds to the film, not so much through the dialog as through Sciorra's handling of the role. I have a creepy feeling that in real life, "Connie Volkos" didn't want to absorb Michelle Brown's identity; she just wanted the money.

This is an effective biographical drama that does entertain from beginning to end, although I think real-life identity theft cases are much more serious than this movie says. Is going to prison a light sentence? Can't really say. Also, I don't think Identity Theft has ever been covered until this movie came along (Most crime movies are always about sexual crimes, or anything involving weapons and/or destruction). As I mentioned before, real-life cases are probably more serious than the one depicted here. In spite of its effectiveness and entertainment value, I think this movie could have used more complications. As to why the judge (at the end of the movie) would dismiss the case as a minor issue, is anyone's guess. So, after watching this movie, you might want to be careful about who you give your credit card (or any other personal info) to.