Evil Nanny (2017 Lifetime)

Evil Nanny (2017 Lifetime)

Stars: Lindsay Elston, Nicole Sterling, Matthew Pohlkamp

Listen to the Lifetime Uncorked Podcast here!

Synopsis (via Lifetime)

When Fay Tripp needs to go back to work, she and her husband hire a live-in nanny, Jen. Soon, Jen starts neglecting her duties, and the Tripps decide they have no choice but to fire her… but Jen refuses to leave. They learn that Jen has established residency in their home, and the only way to get rid of her is through a legal eviction–which could take months. In the meantime, Jen takes over the household, taunting the Tripps every chance she gets. On the verge of losing everything, Fay is forced to take action to save her family before Jen ruins them for good.

Thoughts

A sad blonde teen in a bunkbed sobs after being kicked out of her foster home. Her brunette sister (or BFF) wants to stay, even though her sister is leaving. They have matching tattoos. The brunette should have left because the blonde sets the place on fire while alternative music plays. Hmmm. Oh, this is “inspired by true events,” so I think the actual event is sisters sometimes get matching tattoos.

Cut to a woman named Fay and her husband, Tim. (Lifetime hunk, Matthew Pohlkamp.) They recently moved to a fantastic house in the mountains with an elaborate treehouse. Fay has to get back to work and makes an online post for a nanny. (As she is typing the job posting, Fay reads it out loud, and I’m wondering: who is the psychopath now.) Tim and Fay conduct interviews and meet Jen. (The blonde who burned down the house earlier.) Jen, of course, gets the job because her fake references are glowing.

Jen moves into the house and falls in love with the place. (Even though her room is dated as hell. Jen likes the fact that they gave old things a second chance.) The nannying goes well, and Jen is a hit with the kids. Fay watches the babysitter on a nannycam app on her phone while she is at work to calm her nerves.

While out shopping, Jen gets recognized as “Alexis” by her old sister/BFF, who sadly isn’t horribly scarred from the fire. (That would have been a nice touch.) Jen threatens her, saying, “Accidents can happen.” The confusion causes Fay to start to doubt Jen.

Jen’s actions start to show that she is not the world’s best nanny. She rearranges things in the house to her liking and starts to party recklessly. After one party, Jen is too hungover to take care of the kids and neglects them. When Fay sees Jen passed out in her bed and the kids playing unsupervised in the bathtub, she rushes home. Jen and Tim fire her and as her to leave her home. Jen begs for one more night in the house.

The next morning when Fay checks in on Jen, she finds the door to her room is locked, and Jen starts inviting men over to the house. Tim goes down next and asks Jen to leave. She sees the neighbors through the window and makes it look like he tears off her towel. When Jen leaves for the night, Fay and Tim change the locks.

Changing the locks won’t keep Jen out. She calls the cops and shows them a letter she received proving residence. Then Jen claims that Tim is sexually harassing her, and the neighbors corroborate the story. Jen is admitted back into the house, where she blasts heavy metal music all night long. Tim and Fay come to an understanding and vow to get Jen out of their home.

Fay and Tim put an eviction notice on Jen’s door, and she starts packing things up. Alan, the kid, is furious at his parents for getting rid of his nanny. A moving truck arrives, and the couple is very relieved until they realize that Jen isn’t moving out; she is redecorating!!!!

They are served with a lawsuit for $20,000 and lawyer up. The lawyer tells them that the state’s resident laws are very tenet friendly, and he wouldn’t even let someone crash on his couch. The lawyer estimates that they will get a hearing in a month and advises them that they can’t coerce her out of the house, or they will lose their house.

Jen continues to party with her boyfriend and trash the place, while Fay and Tim watch on surveillance cameras in their underwear. Fay begins to think the food in the kitchen is poisoned and removes the kids from the house. Jen learns about the camera from the neighbor boy, Kyle. He hacked into their system and shows Jen the footage.

For revenge, Jen makes a ton of noise downstairs, turns on all the lights, and runs the hot water. (Which is pretty lame for a Lifetime movie. Where is my chloroform or roofies?!?)

The court date arrives, and the couple’s lawyer makes his case. Jen’s lawyer is better and finds a typo on the eviction letter misspelling Jen’s (fake) last name. The eviction process with have to be started over, AND Fay/Tim will have to pay her legal fees.

Fay loses her job, and Tim has a terrible pitch at work. They don’t have money to pay for any of this and are stuck with Jen for a lot longer unless they find an illegal activity, which they do. Tim films Jen doing heroin and calls the cops. Jen claims it is insulin and shows the police the receipt for her medication. The cops arrest Tim for filming Jen in her underwear, and she asks them to help get a restraining order.

Back at court, Fay and Tim are almost rid of Jen, but she finds a loophole. Jen files for bankruptcy and will be given an additional two months’ stay in the couple’s household. Fay sobs in her husband’s arms, feeling hopeless.

Fay goes back to the store and talks to the store clerk, who called Jen Alexa. Fay asks about the matching tattoos but gets nowhere. Meanwhile, Jen stabs Kyle and steals his car. She throws him in the trunk and kidnaps the store clerk before Fay can ask any more questions. Instead, Fay asks the store manager and finds out she is from a nearby town.

At the town library, Fay learns about the fire that Jen started at the wayward school for girls. Alexa Dodge is Jen’s real name. Fay goes to the police. They believe her ONLY after dusting the room for prints.

Jen/Alexa drives Kyle’s car erratically and crashes the car with the store clerk inside. The police find “Jen’s body,” and Kyle survives to verify she was driving the vehicle. Of course, Jen made it look like to store clerk was her, with their matching tattoos and hitchhikes back to Tim and Fay’s house.

The family is relaxing with a giant tub of ice cream when the lights suddenly go out. Tim checks the fuse box and is beat down by Jen’s boyfriend. Fay realizes that Jen/Alexa is in the house when Alan says he was talking to her a few minutes ago. Fay rounds up her children and hides.

A bloody Jen/Alexa holds them at knifepoint while her boyfriend ransacks the place. She tells Fay that life isn’t fair and elaborates on her rough upbringing. Tim wakes up and struggles with Jen’s boyfriend as police arrive on the scene. Jen/Alexa takes Alan as a hostage and rushes out of the house and into the woods.

Jen/Alexa and Alan end up in the treehouse. (I’ve been waiting for it to come back.) Fay begs for her son to be released safely and promises to get Jen/Alexa help. Jen/Alexa sees no way out and attempts to jump off the treehouse, but is saved by Fay. Fay sends Alexa an article about her mother, who didn’t abandon her.

Side Note

Minority Report: Kayla, Kyle, Jen’s boyfriend, cop, lawyer, bailiff, judge.

The depiction of Jen’s boyfriend as a drug dealer felt icky to me.

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Overall rating

🔪🔪 (2 Knives)

🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required.)