When Murder Calls or Radio Silence (2019 Lifetime)
Cast: Erica Deutschman, Jonathan Dubsky, Daphnée Férole
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Relationship Therapist Dr. Jill Peterman has the highest-rated call-in show in radio when her world is shattered following the on-air suicide of a female caller named Alexis. Shaken to her core, Dr. Jill walks away from radio vowing she would never go back. Though still haunted by what happened, after a year off, Jill finally agrees to reboot her show. As she starts to settle back in, a mysterious caller identifying herself as Alexis forces Jill to believe there could be a copy-cat out to get her. Jill begins to uncover a web of secrets and lies, with deadly consequences.
Thoughts
Dr. Jill works at a radio station (and thankfully not recording a podcast, because I’d feel personally attacked.) She gives advice to callers and is brutal and MEAN. Dr. Jill gives pretty reckless advice and basically tells someone to kill themself. (which they do on air.)
Flash to one year later, Jill has quit radio hosting and her friend Clare is begging her to come back to the radio. Jill feels guilty, as she should, but takes meetings with the radio station executives. (Stewart and Ron) They try to convince her to come back, while random people on the street tell Jill to start a Podcast… because no one listens to radio anymore. (haha, true.)
Jill agrees to return and is back on the air. She is honest and “tells her truth.” Rob is not please with Dr. Jill new approach and demands that she go back to her old mean host ways. They throw a welcome back party, and Clare has had a bit too much to drink. Jill gives her a ride home.
I forgot to mention there is a handsome young man lurking around with earbuds in… I guess he is Jill’s ex?
Back on the air, Jill is trying to help people but the executives are telling her to use some of her catch phrases. The bosses are thrilled, and even more show when Alexis (the girl who killed herself on air) calls in. Jill is pissed that they would put her through, but then realizes that it was all a prank? Angry and upset, Jill rushes out to her car and runs into… her ex, Brett. He asks for another chance and she says no. (What is with everyone begging this woman to come back?!)
Jill gets black roses delivered to her apartment. The card reads “How do you sleep?” Jill is convinced it is Alexis. There is also vandalism on her show posters around town.
Jill runs into a woman name Isabella on the street, who sounds familiar….
They go to the police and the police are like, “this is the homicide department, why are you here.” Then the police blame Jill for making enemies and tell her to get a bodyguard.
Reports get wind of the story, after a YEAR, and now Jill is more notorious than ever. Jill is getting harassing calls on her personal cell phone and on the air. Also, Claire gets stabbed to death in the parking garage. This, finally, get the attention of the police.
The police treat Jill like a suspect and we get an extended dramatic montage of Jill’s intake to the police office. (Including a completely unnecessary strip scene.) After collecting evidence from Jill they send her on her way. Her ex, Brett, is there to give her a ride home. (What a gentleman!) They go into her apartment and Jill cries while washing her hands. Brett comforts her, I’m beginning to think he is a nice guy. (But, what do I know, I’m single!)
Jill becomes the number one suspect and the movie dissolves into a boring episode of Law and Order? The police interrogate people and it is pretty dull. (Especially because the police were so laissez-faire about helping before.) The police aren’t good at their jobs and Jill (with help of the radio station) starts doing her own investigation. Jill is convinced that she was the intended target of the stabbing and it has something to do with Alexis.
The ratings are through the roof and the executives tell Jill that she has to go on air. Jill goes on the radio and talks about Clare’s murder and airs the Alexis prank. Jill talks about how she let them both down. She then appeals to Alexis to call into the station because they need to talk things out. The station gets flooded with calls from fake Alexis’.
The police notice differences in the audio files and bring in the sound engineer from the radio station. They also question Stewart, because apparently the calls came from his house. He and the sound engineer were responsible for everything. The black roses, the Alexis phone call, and everything. Jill is livid and can’t understand why he would do this to her. He asks her if she is going to quit the show, and she says no?!?!?!
Brett is also brought in by the police, because they don’t know what they are doing. After being questioned Brett goes to Jill’s apartment and is murdered in the hallway. Jill finds the body and has had it. Jill heads to the studio. as she walks the streets at night, clips of the conversation with Alexis play through her mind.
Jill goes on air and begins to talk to the listeners. She tells the murder to call in and settle things once and for all. The mother of Alexis calls in and tells Jill that Brett (her ex) was cheating with Alexis. (Whose real name was Haylee.) The mother turns out to be the woman who works in the cafe downstairs. The mother bust into the studio with a gun and is about to shoot Jill, but Jill shoots her instead. The police question Jill one last time. Wow this really messed up the landing, Complease waste of time.
Side Note
Movie is set in Minneapolis.
Minority Report: Detective Fiore
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Overall rating
🔪 (1 Knife)
🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 (5 glasses of wine required)
*Photo Credit: © 2019 Lifetime
What was the point of Isabella? Was she just a random girl they found on the street? Maybe a wanna-be-actress who was dating the producer at the time?
When I saw it had a different ending; I saw it outside the US; the original cut ends with a cut to black when a gun fires, leaving it to the viewer to decide who fired. I understand Lifetime doesn’t do ambiguity…