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Lifetime Mini-Movie Review: 'A Recipe for Seduction'

Lots of humor and Lifetimey goodness to savor in this deep-fried mini-thriller.

By Trevor WellsPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Christmas may be just around the corner, but it's not much of a festive time for Jessica Mancera (Justene Alpert). While her mother Bunny (Tessa Munro) would be thrilled for her daughter to marry the wealthy Billy Garibaldi III (Chad Doreck), Jessica knows Billy is far from the man she wants as her husband. Facing Billy's unwanted advances on top of her mother's pressure, Jessica finds salvation in Harland Sanders (Mario Lopez), the recently hired cook.

As Jessica and Harland forge a fast friendship, Jessica is just as quickly taken by Harland's gorgeous looks and ambition to change the world with his secret recipe. But standing in the way of Jessica's chance at true love are Billy and Bunny, who are willing to resort to whatever dirty tricks are necessary to stop Harland from destroying their plans. Is this savory love story about to come to a bitter end?

Just when you thought 2020 couldn't get crazier, Lifetime decided they'd go way outside the box with this mini-movie. It doesn't get much wilder than a love triangle drama where one of the players is a fictionalized version of a real-life restaurant icon, as played by a Saved by The Bell alum. In the same vein as A Deadly Adoption and the Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? remake, A Recipe for Seduction is clearly meant to be an off-the-wall parody of the Lifetime brand. While Lifetime's previous attempts at lampooning itself were a bit on the hit-or-miss side, their latest effort is much more consistently entertaining in how the film embraces its thoroughly bonkers premise.

A Recipe for Seduction does a much better job of clearly establishing the film's satirizing intentions than the aforementioned 2016 remake. Jay Lifton's histrionic background music perfectly complements the over-the-top storyline--whether it be underscoring moments of Lifetimey madness or highlighting how absurdly fast-paced Jessica and Harland's romance is. The cast similarly brings the right amount of self-conscious humor to the proceedings. Tessa Munro and Chad Doreck are both deliciously melodramatic as the film's certifiable antagonists. Between them, though, Doreck definitely steals the show as Jessica's hilariously arrogant and psychotic suitor. Martin Morrow also gets in on the fun as Jessica's gay best friend Lee (whose name I'm 100% sure isn't coincidental), playing Lee's flamboyant snark for all its worth.

The film's main stars, however, bring comedy to their performances in a different way. While Mario Lopez gets a few overly comedic moments as the Lifetime Universe version of Harland Sanders, he and Justene Alpert give outwardly serious performances for most of the movie. But working alongside the atmosphere cultivated by director Eric Eckelman and company, Lopez and Alpert's performances come with a healthy dose of self-awareness. While they may say their "serious" dialogue with straight faces, Lopez and Alpert's deliveries clue you in on the fact that they know what kind of movie they're in. With their previously discussed co-stars hamming it up, it only makes sense to have Lopez and Alpert take on a more subdued brand of comedy. Even more so in Alpert's case, given Jessica's status as the film's Only Sane Woman.

Because of the action-packed promo, I initially thought A Recipe for Seduction was going to be a full-length affair. But after watching, I can see how such an out-there premise is best suited for short film length. Any longer and the joke would've run the risk of wearing thin. While it's unlikely to change the opinion of anyone who doesn't already like Lifetime (in fact, it might just add fuel to the fire), A Recipe for Seduction does a lot for the fans in its 15-minute runtime. If you already love Lifetime when it's at its most dramatic or are willing to momentarily turn off your brain and just enjoy the crazy ride, this mini-movie is bound to entertain you. And with a sequel bait ending, I have my fingers crossed that A Recipe for Seduction is just the beginning of Lifetime's construction of a restaurant-themed cinematic universe. Whether or not it can hold a candle to the Stalked by My Doctor saga, only time will tell.

Score: 8 out of 10 weekends in the vineyard.

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About the Creator

Trevor Wells

Aspiring writer and film lover: Lifetime, Hallmark, indie, and anything else that strikes my interest. He/him.

Link to Facebook

Twitter: @TrevorWells98

Instagram: @trevorwells_16

Email: [email protected]

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