Killer Mom (2017 Lifetime)

Killer Mom (2017 Lifetime)

Stars: Karen Cliche, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Maddy Martin, Sophie Gendron.

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Synopsis (via Lifetime)

When 14-year-old Allison loses her father in a plane crash just two years after her adoptive mother died, she is devastated. At the funeral, she is shocked to finally meet her birth mother, Jessica–who had an affair with Alison’s father but gave up custody of her baby daughter. Now, Jessica tells her daughter she’s ready to step in and be the mother Allison needs. But unbeknownst to Allison and her half-sister Sydni, Jessica has a nefarious plan in store for her new family.

Thoughts

Jessica is in a leather coat and a statement red lip. She shoots someone while they beg to know why. She cooly states, “I don’t need you anymore.” Then we get the title card. Jessica then throws a fancy cocktail party, where her husband, Robert, is taken away for embezzlement fraud. Jessica freaks out on her husband in front of everyone.

Jessica watches as the government repossesses her home and possessions. She is forced to move in with her friend, Simone. (Played by Sophie Gendron, who makes appearances in MANY lifetime movies. She is living my dream life.) Jessica is upset that her world is crumbling around her. Jessica looks through a book and finds adoption paperwork for her daughter Alison. As she uncovers the page, she says, “Alison!”

Alison recently lost her father in a plane crash and is being watched by her housekeeper and sister Sydni. Jessica shows up at the funeral but is deterred from approaching Alison by an ex-boyfriend named Aaron. Aaron knows Jessica is just after Alison’s inheritance.

Aaron tells Alison and Sydni about their inheritance and gives them a letter their father writes them. The letter talks about an affair that their father had with Jessica. He apologizes for lying and tells them that Jessica is trash. (Not really, but he should have.)

Jessica is meeting up with a man in a hotel bar named Cole. They plot to get the inheritance. Jessica meets with the girls and says she wants to be back in their lives. She plays innocent and opens up about her troubled past. Jessica promises that she has all the money she needs and even mentions Robert embezzling money. After she leaves the meeting, Jessica calls Cole and tells him to get rid of the lawyer Aaron.

New mother and daughter go to a fancy lunch. (the housekeeper tags along.) They talk about Jessica growing up in the town and her childhood. Jessica’s credit card is declined, and she is asked to leave the hotel. Jessica seduces Brian to get him to let her stay at the hotel longer. When he turns down her advances, she rips open her blouse and screams that he is raping her. (What. The.

Hell.) Then she moves out anyway and moves in with Cole. Making the fake rape claim completely irrelevant and gross. (Depicting women taking rape needs to stop.)

To get more money, Jessica pawns off some jewelry. Then promptly receives a parking ticket—instant Karma.

Cole and a young guy hack Aaron’s home computer. Police come to Aaron’s house and search his house. He is arrested for child porn. Jessica rewards Cole with sex and then asks him to take care of the housekeeper next. Cole goes to the housekeeper’s mother’s house in a ski mask and beats her!!! The housekeeper has to go back to take care of her mother. (This movie should be called Killer Cole, not Killer Mom.)

With no one to care for Alison, Jessica volunteers to watch the child and moves in. Sydni is reluctant but agrees her sister needs a caretaker. Sydni has been spending most of her time with her deadbeat boyfriend, Tony, and drinking.

Sydni helps Aaron after he is released from jail. He suspects Jessica is behind everything, and he warns Sydni that Jessica is trash garbage. (For real this time!) They hug and promise to figure things out while Cole watches them from his car. Aaron is chloroformed and killed but made to look like suicide. (Like, he shot himself in the head. Yikes!) We are “luck enough” to get crime scene photos. (I DON’T WANT TO SEE THAT!)

Later, Sydni goes through Jessica’s things and finds the Filofax with Alison’s adoption papers. When Jessica comes back to her room, she notices her things are off and that Sydni is to blame. Jessica turns Alison against Sydni as an act of revenge. Then she hires Cole to take out Sydni next. (Tony sees the transaction go down.)

Sydni vows to figure out what is going on and to avenge Aaron’s death. Sydni looks into her father’s death and asks the mechanic about the plane that killed her father. He promises that the aircraft was up to code and suggests that someone tampered with it. Sydni informs detectives about the information she knows and tells them about what Tony saw with Cole. The detective already has a file on him.

Jessica plants drugs in Sydni’s car to frame her and calls the cops. Sydni is taken into custody, and she pleads with the detective to look into her father’s death. With Sydni in rehab, Jessica starts the process of adopting Alison. Then she starts cutting Cole out because he is a loose end. (Even though he did all her dirty work for her.) Jessica shoots Cole in an alley; he is the man getting shot at the beginning of the movie. Poor Cole.

Tony steps up and carries on where Sydni left off. He sets out to prove Jessica is a bady, bad, bad guy. He helps Sydni sneak out of rehab. (Insert Amy Winehouse joke here. RIP.)

Jessica throws Alison the perfect birthday party. (Except the off-key singing of “Happy Birthday.”) Alsion thanks everyone for coming and is genuinely grateful. She is a good kid! Jessica shows Alison the adoption papers she drafted up, and Alison is overjoyed.

Outside by the pool, Sydni shows Alison incriminating evidence about Jessica. (The hotel bill.) Sydni says that Jessica is broke and just wants Alison’s money. Sydni tells Alison that Jessica killed their father and Aaron. The conversation is interrupted by Jessica. Alison demands to know the truth, and when Jessica lies to her face, Alison knows her sister is right. Alison tells Jessica that she isn’t getting her money. This sets Jessica off.

Jessica screams and calls her a rich and entitled little bitch. Jessica strangles Sydni but loses her footing and falls backward, impaling herself on the pool gate. Jessica is dead, and everyone is happier.

Sydni leaves for college, leaving Alison to stay with an aunt that came out of nowhere. They all eat a family meal as a shakey ass camera pans out.

Side Note

Minority Report: Meter Maid, Birthday party guest… not a very diverse cast here.

The only redeeming thing here was Maddy Martin‘s (Allison) performance.

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Overall rating

🔪🔪 (2 Knives)

🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required.)