Lifetime Review: 'Cheating for Your Life'

Synopsis:

Kaley Parker (Francesca Xuereb) is a star student and volleyball player at West Brook Hills Academy. But while she gets a strong score on her SATs, she's surprised to learn that several of her less academically inclined classmates have scored much higher. One such classmate is Kaley's former best friend Clea (Francesca Keller), and her suspicions about the scores are increased after Clea is found dead at a celebration party. While the death is ruled a tragic accident, Kaley isn't convinced and is certain that the bizarre SAT scores are connected. But as Kaley digs deeper to uncover the truth, she becomes a target of threatening texts and frightening attacks. If she's not careful, Kaley might not be alive when it comes time to graduate...

Story:

A Scooby-Doo shoutout is made at one point during this film, and it's an apt reference for Kaley to make. After all, Clea's death results in Kaley basically becoming a blonde Velma Dinkley as she works to solve the mystery of what happened to her former bestie. What follows is the usual collection of Lifetime whodunnit tropes: creepy text messages, hacked laptops, and hooded attackers. The mystery itself unfolds smoothly enough and the pacing stays relatively steady. While plenty of viewers are sure to decipher the culprit's identity before Kaley does, she figures it out early enough in the third act that you won't be too miffed if you beat her to it. It's far from perfect and you might find your focus drifting at times. But between Kaley's detective work, the bouts of teen drama, and the endearing relationships Kaley has with her friends and family (more on those down below), there's enough there to keep your mind from wandering too far.

Characters:

While Kaley Parker is an overall likable protagonist, there are moments when you'll be shaking your head at her actions. While she may be an academic wiz, Kaley struggles a bit with common sense throughout her investigation. Her reckless sleuthing is quick to put her in the villain's crosshairs, but despite having a supportive mother and competent detective on her side, Kaley keeps taking huge risks. Frequently, these risks involve refusing to go to the police for help, even when the culprit shows they're willing to hurt Kaley to shut her up. Plus, with the attitude she throws at the people who scored higher than her on the SATs, it's hard not to side with mean girl Millie when she accuses Kaley of being a conceited snob. In the end, though, it's clear that Kaley's investigation is driven by a desire to find out what was troubling Clea, not petty jealousy.

Kaley's associates are significantly less irksome. Fiona Parker is a thoroughly devoted mother whose relationship with her daughter is one of respect, love, and mutual support. This only becomes a problem when Fiona's devotion manifests in not objecting to Kaley's denser decisions. Kaley's boyfriend Jackson is just as lovable, being willing to put his own neck on the line to help Kaley find the answers she's looking for. Lastly, her best friend Monica is a quirky girl and hands down the most wholesome character in the movie. She has Kaley's back throughout her investigation, but still wants to believe that no one they know could be a violent criminal. These three are all much more helpful than Principal Wells, the most lukewarm of Kaley's allies. While she's ostensibly on her top student's side, she offers no assistance when it comes to exposing the academic dishonesty that's been going on right under her nose.

But it's especially nice to see that Cheating for Your Life's antagonists are given some depth. As rude and nasty as she is, Millie's attitude is eventually revealed to be a result of insecurities about her intelligence and her future. SPOILER ALERT The fact that Millie had no idea about the cheating scheme also makes it understandable why she gets so angry about Kaley's accusations. As for her father, Steve proves to have a Millie-shaped soft spot in his stony heart. While he does push his daughter to excel, it never comes across that he's doing so out of callous self-interest. Instead, his interactions with Millie give the impression that he genuinely loves his daughter and wants her to have a bright future and confidence in herself. This is what leads him to create Gevest Prep and go to such lengths to cover his tracks--for Millie's sake, as well as his own. Steve's climactic monologue (while chockful of villain clichés) only solidifies that his daughter's happiness was his primary concern this whole time. It obviously doesn't excuse anything, but it does make for a compelling motive. Spoilers Over

Acting:

Despite playing a character whose actions are sometimes frustrating, Francesca Xuereb does a great job in her Lifetime debut. When Kaley's not needlessly putting herself and her loved ones in danger, Xuereb allows you to see her as a kind and hard-working girl determined to expose the secrets that cost Clea her life. She's especially good whenever Kaley's at her most emotional, whether it be when she's grieving for Clea or when the pressure of being terrorized by a ruthless stalker overwhelms her. Heather McComb does just as well playing a loving mother who would do anything for her child, which helps to smooth over the moments when Fiona all too willingly goes along with Kaley's less-than-wise choices. Tori Keeth is an adorkable ball of energy as Monica while Daniel Grogan is full of charm as Jackson. Brian Ames is similarly appealing as Detective Baxter and Daniel Hall makes the most of his brief screentime as Clark. He might just make you feel a little bad for the nervous librarian.

Karalynn Dunton strikes a great balance in her portrayal of the layered Millie Gant while Shawn Christian joins Grogan and Ames in laying on the charisma. He certainly makes you believe that Steve Gant would be seen as a "cool dad" and respected pillar of the community. SPOILER ALERT Christian throws himself into his performance just as much when it comes time for Steve's villainous reveal. Much like Dunton, he powers through Steve's occasionally banal monologue to keep Steve from becoming a cartoony bad guy. Throughout the climax, you don't lose the sense that Steve is being truthful when he says that everything he did was because he loves Millie. Spoilers Over The only cast member to get shafted is Boti Bliss as Principal Wells. She gives a fine performance, but her character's role in the story is so slight and inconsequential that she doesn't get any chances to stand out.

Overall:

While both Cheating for Your Life and Dying For a Good Grade have a blonde protagonist who ends up entangled in an SAT scandal, this newer film outdoes its predecessor by having a better story and much more likable main characters. The plot, while reminiscent of other Lifetime mystery thrillers, is well-paced and engaging while the characters are all endearing in their own ways. The protagonists (while flawed) are otherwise likable and easy to root for while the antagonists are written with fleshed-out personalities and motivations. If Dying For a Good Grade was a D on the grading scale, Cheating for Your Life passes the test with a solid B-.

Score: 6.5 out of 10 napping nurses.