Killer Rivalry (2022 Lifetime)
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Cast: Anna Marie Dobbins, Nzingha Ashford, Logan Rudolph
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Charly (Nzingha Milu-Beatris Ashford) and Anika (Shantelle Lee Cuevas) are volleyball rivals from opposing teams. Every year, the two teams pull pranks on each other, but things start to get out of hand when Anika’s volleyball partner is found dead. As the season moves forward, Charly becomes the target of some extreme pranks with all signs pointing to Anika as the culprit. But Charly’s own teammates seem suspicious too. Charly only trusts her new friend, Becky (Anna Marie Dobbins), the team’s intern. When Anika and Charly find themselves tied up in a cabin together, the two rivals must figure out who exactly has been coming for them. (2022)
Recap/Wine Thoughts
The movie begins on a volleyball (field? Court?) at night where a girl, Hilary Horn, is murdered. Her body is found the next day buried in the sand during volleyball practice at Southwestern College. (Who will not be referred to as the Red team) Poor Hilary Horn!
A cheesy news segment lays out all the exposition. The Red and Green teams are both successful college volleyball teams. They are heated crosstown rivals.
The Green Team captain, Charly, isn’t letting the scandal affect her game. Becky joins the team as a replacement equipment manager for Hilary Horn. She receives a lukewarm welcome, especially when she tries to participate in the locker room gossip.
Detectives interview the players in an extended scene, where we learn that a handful of girls (Charly, Anika, Kiki, and formerly Hilary.) are up for a single remaining Olympic spot. (We also learn that Lynn is a lesbian! It so a matter of fact and not dwell on, which is great.)
The green team hazes Becky (with a bloody volleyball), and she is so embarrassed that she runs into the men’s locker room. Charly feels bad and invites Becky over to her house for wine and backstory. They also talk about an ancient volleyball pledge invented by William Morgan.
“Bide within the laws we must. Perfect Love and Perfect Trust. Swear with your life, and I swear to you with loyalty and love forever. ” They drink wine instead of blood.
After practice, Charly receives threatening text messages, and her car is sabotaged. Becky suggests that Kiki has something to do with it turning the teammates against one another.
Speaking of Becky, she tracks down Anika’s boyfriend, Jeff. He is young and dumb, so she offers to help tutor him. (She ends up sleeping with him instead. Where she steals his slides for some reason.)
Kiki is hip to Becky’s schemes and confronts her in the locker room while in a towel. Becky isn’t intimidated and promises to “show Kiki scary.” (The next day, tanning oil shows up on the locker room floor, taking out Gloria for the season.)
Anika breaks up with Jeff and files for a restraining order against him because he spills a glass of water on him.
More news segments happen intercut with some actual volleyball! Yay! Sportz!
Becky takes Charly out for drinks to celebrate a win taking her and Kiki closer to the Olympics. Jeff shows up and orders a beer while Becky is in the bathroom. (Not sure if it matters, but I’m writing it down.) Charly comes home and finds someone has broken into her home and finds a dead rat with a note that reads “Princess Charly” in blood.
Kiki warns Charly about Becky and decides to investigate her background by going through the coach’s files. She doesn’t get the chance because Becky smashes her face in with a hammer.
The detective questions all the girls and lands on Lynn, having the most motive. (since she is the next to move up a spot closer to the Olympics.)
Kiki plants the murder weapon in Jeff’s dorm room and returns the flip-flops she wore during the murder. Then she invites Charly to the bar for a shot that is roofied and throws her “friend” into a car with Anika, who is tied up in the backseat.
Becky lures Jeff to an abandoned barn and takes pictures of him as he finds their bodies. She uses the photos as blackmail. Jeff is too dumb even to know what that means.
Becky takes out the coach, so she can delete some school records.
Meanwhile, Anika and Charly get themselves untied, convinced that Jeff has abducted them. They outsmart him, which isn’t hard to do, and run into the woods.) Jeff chases after them with an ax and tries to explain.
Becky has been working with Anika all along. She starts swinging the ax and admits to killing Kiki and injuring Jeff. Charly records the whole confession with her phone and asks Becky why she did it. Becky simply says because she is a fan and runs off into the woods. She throws off her wig and reveals another bad BLACK wig. She is captured by the police, and somehow there are 8 mins left.
In jail now, Becky with the black wig talks with Anika and promises not to rat her out. Jeff is in a coma; I’m not sure his brain can take much more injury, TBH.
The police find a shrine dedicated to taking out Charly and everyone else. Charly notices that Anika isn’t on the hit list.
It is time (or long past time) for the final Green Team/Red Team showdown, which includes a lot of slow-mo. The scene continues with the Green Team winning and Anika unceremoniously getting arrested. The end!
Side Note
Minority Report: Charly, Anika, Coach Megan, Lynn,
Jeff was really hot, but really dumb.
I learned a lot about volleyball! Here is what I learned.
- It is a two-man sport. You are only as good as your partner.
- 1985 William G Morgan invented the sport at a YMCA in Massachusetts because basketball was too vigorous.
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*** I’ve updated the rating system moving forward. Knives represent # of kills. Wine is over enjoyment (NOT a value judgment) on a 1-5 scale.
I will use the following tags for those who want to know whether to watch or skip: Pour it Up (Would Recommend) or Put A Cork In It (Would Not Recommend).
Overall rating
Number of Kills:
🔪🔪 (2 Knives)
Enjoyment Level: 🍷🍷 (2 glasses of wine.)
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*Photo Credit: © 2022 Lifetime® | A+E Networks®
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