The Wrong Teacher (2018 Lifetime)

The Wrong Teacher (2018 Lifetime)

Stars: Jessica Morris, Jason-Shane Scott, Philip McElroy, Vivica A. Fox, Eric Roberts, Dominique Swain, Dee Wallace

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Synopsis (via Lifetime)

Successful teacher and author, Charlotte Hansen, has a passionate, one night stand with a younger man, Chris Williams. She finds out later he is 18-years-old and a new transfer student at her high school. Now, he will not let go of her. While Principal Burns and Vice-Principal Clark discover there is something going on between teacher and student, Chris will stop at nothing to have her for himself. Just how far will he go to get what he wants?

Thoughts

The whole “wrong” movie crew is back together for another installment. Here we go! Get em’ Miss Vivica A. Fox!

The movie starts with a sleepy Dominique Swain drinking wine. Just in case you didn’t know she was tired, she announces to herself that it is bedtime. While she heads to bed, Dominique Swain gets a text from a boy who wants to come over. She shuts that down but then hears a noise in the house. Dominique Swain slowly walks around the house, locking the doors while the texts start to get more threatening. Think Drew Berrymore in Scream with worse hair. (If that is even possible.) She announces she is tired one more time and then is murdered or kidnapped. IDK.

Charlotte Hansen is a successful romance writer/ English teacher. She meets a handsome man in a bookstore, in the romance section. (Is this a Hallmark movie?) His name is Chris, and he charms Charlotte despite being a poor man’s Ben Platt. They exchange numbers and make causal plans to meet up. When Charlotte recaps the encounter with her BFF/Roommate Maddie, the friend encourages Charlotte to go for it.

They go to a bar and the bartender Paul is wayyyy hotter than Chris, in my opinion. Chris speaks in double entendres about “unblocking.” things like writer’s block and Charlottle’s inhibitions. They go to Charlotte’s school and have sex on her desk. For some reason, Christ isn’t shirtless in this scene. After they hook up, Charlotte makes it clear it was a one night stand.

The next morning, Charlotte gets a call from her ex-boyfriend Scott. They are taking a break because Scott can’t commit to Charlotte. Even a call from her ex can’t ruin her post one night stand glow. Charlotte sits down to write, and the sentences start flowing.

At school, it is the first day since the summer break. Ms. Vivica A. Fox is playing a principal or maybe a guidance counselor, and Eric Roberts is the Vice Principal whose wife recently died. Charlotte is teaching her class and is confused to see Chris is one of her students. She welcomes him to her class and is realizing that she slept with a student. Chris eye fucks her the whole class, and she tells him that he needs to cool it and shouldn’t have withheld that he was in high school. (He makes it very clear that he is 18.) While they are talking, Eric Roberts is watching from behind a tree; he hears the whole conversation. Later, he threatens to remove Chris from Charlotte’s class. Chris overhears the conversation. (So Eric Roberts is probs gonna die.)

Now shirtless Chris doesn’t cool it and calls Charlotte to asks her to read her book to him. She promises to send him the chapters if he promises to leave her alone. Then she goes out to da club with Maddie. They drink red wine, and Charlotte has flashbacks to hooking up with Chris. Then she rushed off when she gets a phone call leaving Maddie alone to get hit on but… CHRIS! He pretends to be a named Frank and gets intel on Charlotte and Scott’s relationship.

Meanwhile, Charlotte and Scott rekindle their relationship and have a steamy sex scene. (Lots of shots of strong male backs and thrusting happens.) Scott tells Charlotte that he misses her, and his photo studio has been struggling creatively without her inspiration. Charlotte leaves the studio, and Chris shows up. He tells Scott his name is Jeremy and is looking to buy some art for his apartment.

In a parking lot, the most dangerous place in a Lifetime movie, Eric Roberts, is confronted by Chris. He tells Eric Roberts to back the hell off and then pulls a gun on him. I guess he shot him; we don’t see.

The next day, Ms. Vivica A. Fox (who is criminally underused in this movie.) breaks the news to Charlotte that Eric Roberts killed himself in his car. (I guess Chris did shoot him.)

Things are going so well for Charlotte and Scott that he proposes. Maddie is very happy for her friend until she learns about the situation with Chris. Maddie is maybe the most supportive friend ever in a Lifetime movie. She gives sound advice and tells Charlotte that Chris seems like he is going to be a problem.

Chris is a problem because he keeps spending time with Scott pretending to be interested in his photographs. They even become friends and go out for beers. They talk about dating, and Chris sets up Scott by sending a lady over to make out with him while he takes photos to show to Charlotte. Scott goes over to Charlotte’s place to tell her about the weird encounter. Not the one you’d think. He tells her about Chris and not the woman. As they are talking the photos, come in, and Charlotte shuts the relationship down, for good this time.

Charlotte starts to piece things together and realizes that the man hanging out with Scott is Chris. She comes clean about going on a date with him, unknowingly has sex with a student, and that Chris is obsessed with her. It is Scott’s turn to be upset. Charlotte promises to make things right. She sets up a meeting with Chris in a park and calls him a “Freak-O-Maniac?!?!?!?”

Chris posts a video to the school twitter page of him and Charlotte doing it on the school desk. Ms. Vivica A. Fox reprimands Charlotte for the sex tape and has to get the police involved. Charlotte gets suspended without pay while Ms. Vivica A. Fox tries to set things right. Instead of trusting he co-worker, Charlotte steals information from the school computer and goes to investigate herself.

The information leads Charlotte to Chris’ house. It seems to be a coach house filled with photos of Charlotte and Dominique Swain. Chris almost catches her, but she gets out just in time and heads to Chris’s old high school.

At the old high school, the administrator is a total bitch. Charlotte connects with a former teacher of Chris’s. She tells Charlotte about Dominique Swain sleeping with her student and was murdered. Another administrator points out the similarities between Charlotte and Dominique Swain.

Meanwhile, Chris is rounding up all of Charlotte’s loved ones. He knocks Scott out in his photo studio and then roofies Maddie at the bar. Then he takes Maddie to the school and facetimes Charlotte to lure her to him.

Charlotte takes the bait and rushes over in her stupid yellow VW Bug. Chris wants more time with Charlotte before they poison themselves, just like Romeo and Juliet. Charlotte agrees and pretends to sympathize with Chris’s struggles, then she pistol whips him and tells him to shut up! (You go, gurl!) Charlotte drags Maddie to safety and goes back to finish things with Chris.

Maddie has a gun and is running around the school. (Not the best imagery, Lifetime.) Charlotte ties her hair back and talks with a southern accent pretending to be one of Chris’s former teachers to distract him long enough for Maddie to sneak up behind him and knock him out. Charlotte shoots him and tells him he messed with… THE WRONG TEACHER. (The title of the film.)

Charlotte’s book is a hit, and her teaching career is probably over. Dee Wallace makes a cameo appearance as Chris’s psychiatrist, who is helping Chris recover with therapy and medication. Too bad Chris isn’t taking his medication and drawing pictures of Charlotte.

Side Note

Minority Report: Ms. Vivica A. Fox, Maddie, Judy,

This storyline is super played out. Not into it.

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Overall rating

🔪🔪🔪 (3 Knives)

🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required.)