Dying to be Loved (2016 Lifetime)

Dying to be Loved (2016 Lifetime)

Cast: Lindsay Hartley, Paloma Kwiatkowski, Dan Payne

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Synopsis (via Lifetime)

Jill Yates’ daughter Emily takes up with bad boy Gary, whose violent behavior lands him and Emily in trouble. To avoid prison, Gary and Emily appear to commit a double suicide, but Jill sets out to prove Gary has gone on the lam, taking Emily with him.

Thoughts

A surveillance camera captures a man and a woman tying themselves together with chains and cement blocks. They are going to throw themselves off a bridge and commit suicide.

Six months earlier, we meet a nerdy college student named Emily. She is dating a hunky boy named Gary, who is out of her league. Emily has a history of mental instability and struggles with depression. Emily lives with her mother, Jill, and her new hot AF fiance named Connor. Jill counts her daughter’s medication because she can sense something is off with Emily.

When Jill and Connor realize that Emily is dating a new boy, they are both relieved and invite Gary over to dinner. The concerns return when they see Gary being controlling and also chugging wine from a water glass. Gary talks about almost making it to the Olympics as a snowboarder but failing, and he now works for campus security. Connor tries to lighten the mood by talking about a new smark stove he can control with his cellphone. (No1Curr.) Jill is distraught with her daughter’s choice of boyfriend.

Gary’s mother and brother invite Emily and her family over for dinner. It is less refined than Jill and Connor’s house. When Jill gets alone with Gary, she tells him to stay the hell away from her daughter. Gary hits on Jill and is a creep. He also gets Emily to stop taking her medication.

Jill hires a PI to look into Gary. He has a criminal record, including a DUI and date rape charges. He also has road rage. (He pulls a gun on someone that cuts them off.) Gary shoots the driver while Emily is in the car with 911. They are both arrested. Fast forward through the court hearing. Gary is looking at 15 years at least, and Emily still stands by his side. (Much to Jill’s disappointment.)

A police officer comes to Jill’s house early in the morning to inform her that her daughter committed suicide. Jill reviews the footage from the bridge and cries. (Lindsay Hartley pulls out all the stops her and does a decent job.) The camera doesn’t actually show them jumping off the bridge, only Emily’s red scarf remains. The police have yet to find the bodies.

Things aren’t adding up for Jill, and she tells Gary’s brother Richie that the deaths were staged. She convinces him to give the case another look. The chief of police won’t listen to Richie. Then she works on the PI to help her. Jill also tried to convince Gary’s mother to help, but she wants him to stay a free man.

Jill grieves for a bit but eventually gets back on the hunt for evidence. She finds A LOT of it: Gary’s Nicorette, track marks, a map, and a set of Keys. She gives the gum to the PI, who runs a DNA trace and matches Ritchie, Gary’s brother. Jill’s obsession puts a strain on her and Connor’s relationship.

In the middle of the night, Connor and Jill are almost killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. The stove was turned on by a cellphone because it is a “smart stove.” In the hospital, Jill sees a picture of a snowy mountain and remembers that Gary snowboard and heads to a remote cabin.

In the cabin, Jill realizes she is not alone and finds her daughter tied up. Emily thinks she is hallucinating because she is off her medication. Jill slowly tries to free Emily as she warns her that Gary is crazy. Gary shows up with Ritchie. They were working together all along. They demand a ransom, and I’m not sure if they know how the whole thing works. Jill asks for time to pull things together, but the boys decide just to kill them both.

Mother and daughter make a run for it through the woods. Ritchie is shot in the leg, and Gary puts his brother out of his misery. Jill tries to wrestle the gun away from Gary, eventually throwing him over a cliff. Emily is rescued and back on her meds. (Oh she is also on parole.)

The wedding happens, and Connor holds Jill like a baby. It is bizarre. I guess he is carrying her over the threshold. They all hug and take selfies. The end!

Side Note

Minority Report: Police Officer.

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Overall rating

🔪🔪🔪 (3 Knives)

🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required.)