The Wrong Mommy (2019 Lifetime)
Cast: Vivica A. Fox, Eric Roberts, Jessica Morris, Ashlynn Yennie, Dee Wallace
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
After receiving a promotion and more responsibility at work, Melanie decides to hire Phoebe as her personal assistant. Smart and cunning, Phoebe has an ulterior motive for taking the job and a twisted plan for revenge involving Melanie’s mother
Thoughts
Creepy music plays while a hooded person walks VERY slowly around a house. The person (who is female.) puts nanny cams in plants around the home and then stands over a little girl and watches her sleep. The hooded person then goes to the parents’ room and watches them sleep too. I can’t express how slowly this hooded person is walking. She turns around, and we see it is a brown haired lady.
The next morning, Melanie is getting her family ready for the day ahead. Her sassy daughter, Tina, doesn’t care about school. Husband, Alex (played by our guy, Jason-Shane Scott!) is a busy man, and they are having problems figuring out who is going to pick Tina up from school. Melanie calls her mom, Dee Wallace, who is not having any of that. She is off on a ten-day cruise, HENNY! (Dee Wallace looks so cute, love her!)
The brown-haired lady who was sneaking around the house follows Melanie to work. Speaking of work, Ms. Vivica A Fox is Melanie’s no-nonsense boss. Ms. Vivica A. Fox calls Melanie to her office and tells her that she is getting promoted. Melanie gets her own office, a raise, and to hire her own assistant. (The brown-haired lady overhears the whole conversation and heads straight to HR.)
The brown-haired lady, her name is Phoebe, shows up for her interview and tells the receptionist lies about the other applicants to jump the line. (Lies like, “that girl in on drugs.”) Phoebe really calls out Mel for being new in her position and is faking knowing what is going on. Phoebe then goes into a women empowerment speech. She tells Mel to think of her as a sister.
Mel loves Phoebe and tells Ms. Vivica A. Fox that she wants to hire her for the job. Ms. Vivica A. Fox asks if she checked her references, Mel lies and says she has. (You don’t lie to Ms. Vivica A Fox.) Mel then calls Phoebe’s reference, and it is Dominique Swain pretending to Phoebe’s boss. Phoebe is sitting right next to her and seems to be forcing her to do this favor.
Phoebe gets the job and their first big client, Eric Roberts. (Maybe playing his Stalked by my Doctor character? The acting was precisely the same.) Phoebe aggressively flirts with Eric Robert and makes everyone in the office is uncomfortable. Mel pulls Phoebe aside and tells her to cool it with the flirting; otherwise, co-workers may get the wrong idea. Phoebe gets angry with Mel but catches herself before popping off. Phoebe overcorrects and invites Mel to grab a drink.
At drinks, Mel overshares about her friend from college, Barbera. Mel actually made out with her boyfriend in college, and it never got out. For some reason, Mel shares this with Phoebe? Barbera is a significant potential client, and Mel is working their friendship to land the account. Phoebe promises to let happened in college stay in college. (She is totally going to tell Barbera.) While they are leaving, Phoebe takes Mel’s phone, so she has a reason to follow her home and meet her family. Phoebe is flirty again, this time with Alex. (Mel’s husband.)
Mel and Alex are celebrating their anniversary, and Phoebe talks Mel into letting her babysit. When she arrives to babysit, Phoebe ties Alex’s tie and massages his neck. Mel comes downstairs and is upset but trying to be professional. Mel tries to brush it off but brings it up to Alex and calls him stupid. Phoebe watches a movie with Tina and calls herself mommy… THE WRONG MOMMY! (She then goes into Mel and Alex’s closest and caresses the clothing.)
Eric Roberts sends a dic pic to Phoebe and invites her over to his office. Phoebe puts on some black leather gloves and asks him to pull up his dic pics on his computer. While pretending to be into the pics, Phoebe gets behind Eric Roberts and strangles him with a red ribbon.
Phoebe invites herself to Tina’s birthday party the next day. Mel is pissed and doesn’t trust her husband around Phoebe. While wearing a birthday hat, Phoebe sets up Tina up with another boy at the party. She sets up a birthday kiss between them, and Mel thinks it is bizarre. Phoebe tells Mel that she wants to keep their relationship strictly 9 to 5. As Phoebe is leaving, two other assistants show up at the party. They tell Mel that Eric Roberts died of Auto Asphyxiation. Then the male assistant goes into extensive detail about it.
Mel is late for a company meeting and gets reamed out by Ms. Vivica A. Fox. Phoebe gets praise for working hard (She really stole the work from Laura, another assistant.) Mel calls Phoebe into her office and learns that Phoebe intentionally made her late and also took Laura’s work. Mel fires Phoebe, who tells Mel that she is only doing it because she is jealous. Phoebe could steal Alex from Mel and her daughter like her more than her mom. Mel tells her to leave before she calls the cops.
Mel finds the camera in be bedroom plant; she can’t deal with that now she has the big meeting with Barbera! Barbera isn’t into the meeting because she is upset about Mel kissing her college boyfriend… KISSING. Get over yourself, Barbera. Ms. Vivica A. Fox hears from Barbera, who tells her about the meeting and wants Phoebe to work on her account. Ms. Vivica A. Fox rehires Phoebe and tells Mel that she is acting inappropriately and shouldn’t have fired Phoebe. Mel cries and tries to explain herself but ends up looking hysterical.
In the parking lot, Mel and Phoebe get into it. Phoebe tells Mel to screw her husband some time, someone should, and if she isn’t careful, it will be Phoebe. Phoebe tells Mel that she will take away her life. Mel slaps her and leaves work, but not before telling Laura and the Auto Asphyxiation Guy to watch their backs.
Which, they do! Auto Asphyxiation Guy knows computers and does an image search on Phoebe. He learns her real name is Lisa Nolan and she was committed to a treatment center. Auto Asphyxiation Guy calls Laura, tells her what he found out, and then strips down to take a shower. We get an extended shower scene with Auto Asphyxiation Guy, who I wasn’t into until he took his shirt off. He walks around in a towel and is stabbed in the back by Phoebe. (Missed opportunity! Auto Asphyxiation Guy should have been Auto Asphyxiated!!!!)
The next day at work, Laura tells Mel about Lisa Nolan and the treatment center. Mel decides to take matters into her own hands and calls Dominique Swain. (Who hangs up on her.) Then Mel goes to the treatment center and learns that Dominique Swain is staying there. They talk but don’t get anywhere. Dominique Swain DOES speak to Phoebe later and then gets stabbed in the back. Poor Dominique Swain!
Mel gets kicked out of the center due to doctor-patient confidentiality. Good thing, parole officers don’t have that! Mel goes to talk to Phoebe/Lisa’s parole officer and learns that Phoebe/Lisa was arrested for assault. Without any hard evidence, the parole officer advises Mel to be careful and come back when she has more.
Dee Wallace, who turns out to be Phoebe/Lisa’s stepmom, comes home from her vacation and finds Phoebe and is then knocked out with chloroform. Phoebe calls Mel, her stepsister apparently, and tells her that she is taking over her life now. Mel drives home to save her family.
Mel comes home and sees Phoebe/Lisa sitting with Tina and Alex playing a board game. Mel and Phoebe/Lisa talk in coded aggression and send Tina and Alex to get ice cream. Once they are gone, Phoebe/Lisa tells Mel that she got dealt the wrong cards in life. Phoebe/Lisa is going to take over Mel’s place. Phoebe/Lisa takes out a gun and plots to say she shot Mel in self-defense. Before she pulls the trigger, Phoebe/Lisa tells Mel that she killed Mel’s Mommy. She hasn’t though because Dee Wallace wakes up and hits Phoebe/Lisa with a bat while yelling, “MORE LIKE THE WRONG MOMMY!!!!”
The police arrive. Dee Wallace and Mel hash out what exactly happened to make Mel and Phoebe/Lisa’s stepsisters. I couldn’t tell you the situation, I have no idea, and I don’t care.
Side Note
Second “Wrong” movie to feature Dominique Swain in a small role. She should be in more significant parts!
Minority Report: Ms. Vivica A Fox, Barbera, Laura, parole officer
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Overall rating
🔪🔪🔪 (3 Knives)
🍷🍷🍷🍷 (4 glasses of wine required)
*Photo Credit: © 2019 Lifetime
