The Hand That Robs the Cradle (2023 Lifetime)
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Cast: Emily Miceli, Sallie Glaner, Lesa Wilson, Matthew O’Donnell
Director: Damián Romay, Bruno Hernández
Writer: Scotty Mullen
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DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearlySynopsis (via Lifetime)
A nanny discovers the little boy she’s caring for was kidnapped and the couple who claim to be his parents are actually his captors. Stars Emily Miceli, Lesa Wilson, and Sallie Glaner (2023).
Recap/Wine Thoughts
A woman is walking in the park when a man playing basketball suddenly throws the ball at her and steals the baby from its crib! The mother screams out for help!
College student, DeLondra, moves into a small attic studio apartment with the help of her boyfriend, Rob. Then she gets the news that she has lost her nanny job and worries about making her rent. DeLondra gives her landlord, Mrs. Tubb, her first rent check and asks for help finding a nannying job. As luck would have it, Mrs. Tubbs watches a boy from church named Danny and asks DeLondra to help her.
At the park, Melody thinks DeLondra kidnapped her son and is VERY upset. Melody doesn’t want her son to talk to strangers and scolds him. She tells DeLondra that his son was kidnapped from the park as a baby, and his captors were never found. Mrs. Tubbs explains the mixup and suggests DeLondra Nanny for Melody and Joel.
Danny gets along with DeLondra well, which seems too good to be true! Melody and Joel are ecstatic they have someone they can trust.
Too bad DeLondra doesn’t notice a Meth/Crack head who takes Danny and pushes him on a large swing. The woman grabs Danny when he tries to leave and then follows them home to his house. DeLondra finds her in the study rummaging through files, defends Danny, and tells his parents.
The police are called, and Office Mustasch could be more helpful! Melody thinks it is the original kidnapper coming back to steal Danny. The family moves every two years and doesn’t post on social media, so they are surprised she found them. Then DeLondra admits she posted a picture on social media. It breaks trust with Melody, and she fires DeLondra!
After a good night’s rest and a commercial break, Melody hires DeLondra back and apologizes with a basket of tea. They invite her to lay low for the summer at Mrs. Tubb’s cabin. DeLondra tells Roy that she can’t give him the address, and he is impressed with her dedication to her nannying job. He gives her a goodbye kiss and a knife for “bears.”
While she packs, the scary woman screams in DeLondra’s bedroom and freaks DeLondra out. Detective Mustache is back, but not for long because of an incident at the mall; after looking into the woman’s background, Detective Mustache sees that the woman has been following the family around for a while.
The family and DeLondra arrive at the cabin and meet the neighbors, Babs, and her father. There is also a hot guy with a beard lurking in the bushes. He introduces himself by grabbing DeLondra while she is literally picking flowers. His name is Caleb, and he promises not to kill her. Caleb tells DeLondra that Melody and Joel aren’t Danny’s real parents. Danny is his nephew, and his real name is Aspen. (Which is a dog’s name TBH!)
DeLondra pulls a knife on Caleb and follows him to his Jeep to see “Proof.” He has a picture of the Meth/Crack head holding a baby. Her name is Carla, and she has had a nervous breakdown since her son was kidnapped.
Then he shows DeLondra a sketch that looks like Danny. That is enough to convince DeLondra to gather DNA evidence secretly.
Melody follows DeLondra and sees her meeting up with Caleb. Later, while Caleb is setting up camp, he is attacked. (Impailled actually, it was gross!)
Rob looks into the couple and learns that they had a son who died in a boating accident and their real names. He tells her to call the police, but DeLondra wants to keep Danny safe. DeLondra tries to sneak Danny out of the house by piggyback.
They bang on the neighbor’s door and ask for help. Babs and her father need clarification on WTF is going on. Babs takes Danny to a room full of teddy bears so the adults can talk, which is normal!! They spend the night and wake up to Melody and Joel standing over them.
Melody tells DeLondra she is wrong and fires her for real this time. Danny doesn’t want DeLondra to go away and throws a temper tantrum. DeLondra agrees to return with Joel but looks for her phone before leaving. Instead of finding the phone, she finds Caleb’s body stuffed in a freezer.
Melody tries to take DeLondra out with a rolling pin and poison her. Joel tries to call the police, but Melody takes him out with a teapot. Joel has a change of heart and asks Melody to stop the madness! Melody tells him that they are protecting their family.
While the couple argues, DeLondra throws Danny in the car and runs Melody to get away. Danny asks if his parents were bad, and DeLondra admits they were.
Karla and her husband Todd are reunited with Danny at the police station. DeLondra explains to Danny that his birth parents are his new family now. He doesn’t want to go, but Detective Mustache says Danny should go with his new parents.
Detective Mustache stations outside Mrs. Tubbs’s house since Melody is still at large. Mrs. Tubbs invites Rob and DeLondra to stay in her guest room “for safety.” Then she bakes and makes them hot chocolate.
Meanwhile, Detective Mustache surveys the perimeter but neglects to check his car backseat. Melody pops up and strangles him to death.
Mrs. Tubbs shows her true feelings while Rob and DeLondra drink coca. Mrs. Tubbs blames them for taking Danny from her and thinks he would have been better off with Melody and Joel. Then she grabs a butter knife, and DeLondra runs for it, leaving a passed-out Rob on the couch.
Melody and Mrs. Tubbs blame DeLondra for everything and calls her a “twit.” Mrs. Tubbs stole the baby, and the kidnapping had nothing to do with the basketball guy! She did it for her daughter because she was devastated when her son died.
DeLondra runs down to the basement, maybe because that is where the tools are! DeLondra takes Melody down with a shovel and locks. Mrs. Tubbs in the basement, so she can try to wake Rob up.
Cut to DeLondra at Danny’s birthday party with his new family. He thanks her for the best present ever, his birth parents. (Awww! This may be the first kid in a TV movie that I actually think is a good actor.)
Side Note
Minority Report: Rob,
Also Known as Nanny Beware
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Overall rating
Number of Kills:
🔪🔪🔪 (3 knives)
Enjoyment Level (1-5 scale)
🍷🍷🍷
Should you watch it?
Pour it up! (Give it a shot)
Put a Cork in It (Skip It)
What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments or on social media @LifetimeUncorked & @patrickmiguel
*Photo Credit: © 2023 Lifetime® | A+E Networks®
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Tweet
TV Movie Expert? You NEVER post reviews, just what industry sends out. And you want me to make a donation? LMAO. Write some actual good reviews and I might consider it. But just IMDB clickbait? NFW bud. Put the cork back in.
Hi Harold! Thanks for the feedback, I love your writing style! Pour it up for you. I post recaps/reviews after airing unless I get screeners, then I will post the night of. Not a professional critic, but a side hobby. Thanks again for commenting!
I think your reviews are great!!! I love reading them!
Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate the encouragement.
You’re right, that kid is a pretty good little actor.
As soon as Detective Mustache got into his car, I already knew what was about to happen.
I love your reviews, recaps and thoughts!!! Pour more up!