Stranger Next Door (2023 Lifetime)
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Cast: Vicky Jeudy, Skyh Black, Tyra Tucker Haag, Tim Reid
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Medically retired law enforcement officer, Rochelle Sellers, secluded after a highly publicized trial where she identified a law enforcement officer in a crime, spends most of her time working from home, consulting, in hopes for a new start. After being ostracized by her former department, she lost everything, and now she resides with her father where she is his primary caretaker. It’s a lonely life, but Rochelle accepts it. As she settles into her normalcy, Rochelle’s world is turned around, when a new neighbor moves in next door. She is instantly fascinated by him. He looks like something straight out of her dreams. One night she unintentionally gets his attention, and something happens. The mysterious, sexy, and edgy stranger becomes interested in her, obsessively so. What started as a fantasy crush elevates into a dangerous game that risks far more than heartbreak. This stranger is much more than he seems. Stars Vicky Jeudy, Skyh Alvester Black, Tim Reid, and Tyra Tucker (2023).
Recap/Wine Thoughts
Side Note
The movie begins at the Lakeview Motel; Our protagonist, Rochelle, trails someone named Tyler for a sting operation. (I admire her snack and Britney Mic game.) The informant fails to get the video, but he does blow their cover.
Rochelle loses her job, which is surprising because her husband, Michael, is the DA. Rochelle drinks wine in the middle of the day (no judgment!) and moves in with her father, who suffers from dementia. When her father, Earnest, goes missing, Rochelle calls the police, who aren’t helpful. (They judge her for being bad at her job.)
Tim Reid, plays Ernest, and it is so good to see him on Lifetime. What a freaking legend. Ernest wasn’t far. He was talking to a sexy neighbor named Jesse. Ernest encourages Rochelle to move on with her life and not stay cooped up with him. He promises things will get better.
Rochelle does have a few friends, her neighbor Keele and an old co-worker Terry—potentially the new hunk neighbor, Jesse.
Keele is the neighborhood gossip and wants to know everything about Jesse. Keele invites him out for drinks and insists that Rochelle come out to a bar.
The bar is a DIVE. Jesse doesn’t know about Rochelle’s detective past and her professional failures. She also shares ex-husband is a crooked cop and was cheating on her. Like, what the hell kind of town is this? Jesse is from New York and SEXY. That is all he gives up. When he walks Rochelle home, he lays on the charm and goes in for a kiss. Rochelle chickens out at first, but then invites him inside for some sexy time. (Ooooooooooo! She did the thing!)
Rochelle and Jesse spend more time together. They text and flirt. She opens up to him about her divorce and starts to ask him questions about his recent move. Jesse, again, doesn’t reveal much. He even has a secret room that he won’t let Rochelle see.
Finally, putting her detective skillz to work, Rochelle does some online research and calls her friend Terry to run a criminal record on Jesse. There is a security breach and the location is Jesse’s house. Rochelle rushes over to get her father out of the house. She pulls a gun on him and tells Jese it is over.
Jese calls the police on Rochelle, and Terry tells her friend to leave him alone. Rochelle’s evidence against Jesse is wiped out, but her trust in him is broken.
Keele doesn’t get the memo about Jesse and invites herself over to his house for some sexy time too. Rochelle tries to warn her friend, but Keele doesn’t care. The sexy time goes well until Keele spills wine on a laptop, and Jesse freaks out on her. Keele goes into the room she isn’t supposed to see and is horrified to find pictures of Rochelle everywhere. She tries to run away, but Jesse stops her. He ties her up in the basement and tortures her while eating the cake she made. (Ugh! It is pretty gross!) Then he kills her and chops her up into little pieces.
Earnest, who is a veteran, looks into Jess’s story of serving in the airforce and he finds the name, but it belongs to a soldier who died in combat.
Rochelle is concerned after she hasn’t heard from Keele in a few days. She also gets spammed with footage of her and Jesse having sex on the kitchen counter. Rochelle learns that Jesse grew up in the foster care system and targets single women.
The police do not take Rochelle seriously and think she is a jealous schoolgirl. (Which is rude! Terry is supposed to be on her side.) Terry calls Rochelle a pariah!!!!
Jesse hits Rochelle where it hurts and calls social services on her, claiming elderly abuse. Rochelle calls their care takes and instructs her to keep Earnest away from home, so she can get their lives back.
Rochelle dresses up in all black and slinks through the backyard to Jesse’s house. She breaks in with a flashlight and a gun. (Even holding it the COOL way, where they crisscross! We love an empowered woman, ok!) Rochelle finds very disturbing things in Jesse’s house, including the room filled with her pictures. Jesse syringes her and throws Rochelle in the basement.
When she wakes up, Rochelle is tied to a gurney and gagged, just like Kelee. Jesse stands over her shirtless, and even though he is a Dexter Style killer, he has a great bod!
Jesse tells Rochelle that he plans to make it look like a suicide and then kill her father too. He was the man who shot her the first time and ruined her career. He explains his motives, and it is something about the police department, FBI, and Tyler Price, the man Rochelle was surveilling.
I’m distracted by his pecs and broad shoulders! I’m sorry!
Ernest comes to the door to ask if Jesse has seen his daughter, and Rochelle is left alone in the basement. She tries to free herself while they talk.
When Jesse returns downstairs, Rochelle stabs him and runs for it. (Well, more like a crawl for it.) Ernest shows up with his gun and demands Jesse get away from his daughter. Rochelle says her dad is her hero before shooting Jesse. The police and medical arrive on the scene.
Rochelle is back on the force and still lives with her dad. Love their relationship! One of the best father/daughter portrayals in a while. Lifetime doesn’t usually have nice fathers.
Minority Report: Rochelle, Ernest, Jesse, Emma, Mikey, Terry, Jerry, Tyler,
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Overall rating
Number of Kills:
🔪 🔪 (2 knives)
Enjoyment Level (1-5 scale)
🍷🍷🍷
Should you watch it?
Pour it up! (Give it a shot)
Put a Cork in It (Skip It)
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