Lifetime Review: 'Desperate Widows'

Paige Judson (Justine Eyre) is looking for a fresh start in Hicksley, Iowa. With her husband's sudden death leaving her overwhelmed and struggling to connect with her daughter Allie (Olivia Stuck), Paige hopes that new surroundings will help them heal. It's through a grief support group that Paige ends up meeting Dianne (Allison McAtee), the leader of a commune dedicated to helping women in need. Trusting Dianne and believing it's just what she and Allie need, Paige decides to give commune life a try. But it's not long into their stay that Paige begins to wonder if she's made a serious mistake.

Fortified by an alarm fence and other high-tech security, Dianne's farm more closely resembles a prison than a warm community. Between the extensive chores and suspicious set of rules, Paige begins to doubt Dianne's genial demeanor and wants to get Allie off the farm as soon as possible. But as Paige will soon learn, this seemingly idyllic commune has a dark secret--one Dianne will do anything to keep hidden. After uncovering the truth, it's up to Paige to find a way for her and Allie to escape before their "fresh start" costs them their lives.

Having recently checked out two Lifetime movies where Allison McAtee played a troubled protagonist, it's only natural that my next review is of a movie where she plays a calculating antagonist. Unfortunately, Desperate Widows isn't much of a showcase of McAtee's abilities. Don't be mistaken, McAtee does a good job of portraying an outwardly friendly but covertly ruthless leader. From their first meeting, you can feel Dianne drawing Paige into her clutches through subtle manipulations. But apart from a handful of scenes, Dianne is a rather inactive villain. Instead, she and her threatening presence linger in the background as the movie focuses on Paige's efforts to learn the truth about Dianne's farm and escape. McAtee does what she can, but in the end, Dianne is an underdeveloped and underutilized villain who doesn't even get to shine for the grand finale.

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

Speaking of that finale, it reeks of missed opportunity. After Jon's true identity/nature is revealed, it would've been cool if his attempted kidnapping and Dianne's human trafficking plan ended up intersecting somehow. It would allow for a much more explosive conclusion, with Dianne and Greyson's plans interfering with each other while Paige and Elizabeth fight to rescue their daughters from them. Instead, we get a lukewarm catfight between Paige and Dianne before the FBI suddenly shows up to save the day Deus ex Machina style. When the lead agent awkwardly mentions how long they've been trying to take down the human trafficking ring, it feels like he's saying it solely for the audience's benefit and to try and smooth over the glaring copout. It doesn't work.

At least this untapped potential gives McAtee some company in the Underused Actors Club. Jake B. Miller is stellar as mute handyman Jon, using body language alone to make him sympathetic. Even before you learn about his supposed backstory about losing his daughter to parental kidnapping, his nervous demeanor will have you wanting to comfort the guy. That's why it's such a surprise when "Jon" turns out to be Greyson, the abusive husband/father to farm captives Elizabeth and Melissa (played by Sarah J. Cornelius and Tabitha Petrini respectively). Miller is just as effective in his performance as Greyson shows that he's despicable enough to strike and abduct his already traumatized daughter and leave his ex-wife and Paige at the mercy of Dianne. But while this twist provides a bit of story deviation, it doesn't last long and Greyson is just as quickly dealt with. As I said, it would've been more interesting if Greyson and Dianne--two villains who hurt women they claim to care about--were simultaneous threats to Paige and Allie. It could've led to a more riveting climax and given McAtee and Miller more screentime to work with.

Spoilers Over

Desperate Widows' wasted story opportunities go hand in hand with its mundane pace, making for a movie that only becomes truly intense during the final act. Even then, all the buildup around Dianne and what she plans to do to stop Paige from exposing her ends up being for naught when it doesn't go anywhere. In less egregious stumbles, Justine Eyre and Olivia Stuck (both new faces to Lifetime) give so-so performances. You're sure to sympathize with Paige and Allie, but Eyre and Stuck still accumulate plenty of lackluster acting moments between themselves. The forced funeral argument between Paige and Allie is a perfect example, with the exchange cheaply establishing them as your standard estranged mother-daughter Lifetime duo.

Once they reach the farm, though, Paige and Allie spend a lot of time apart thanks to Dianne's rules and are thus able to develop as individuals. Paige starts investigating to find out what's going on at the farm, Allie shows her gentler side through her fast friendship with Samantha (Elyssa Joy makes Allie's more reserved friend easy to like and she plays well off of Stuck), and both are fairly quick to realize there's something amiss about their new "community." Paige even starts mentally kicking herself for being so gullible with Dianne. On the downside, both mother and daughter have moments of backsliding in their character growth. Allie goes from realizing something terrible has happened at the farm to acting confused when her mother suggests they leave while Paige forgoes calling the police when the opportunity to do so is available. She claims she can't because she doesn't have any proof, but alerting the authorities would still allow her and Allie to get away from Dianne and her lackeys and (at the very least) put the farm on the FBI's radar.

The last of the notable characters are fellow "Farmies" Kianna and Tessa. To complement the farm's prison-like atmosphere, Dianne's interactions with Kianna and Tessa are reminiscent of how cults operate. Dianne acts as the domineering leader, Kianna is her fiercely loyal second-in-command, and Tessa is the meek follower who obeys the leader's every word out of fear. Geri-Nikole Love (Kianna) and Kate Bond (Tessa) play their parts with great realism. Bond will definitely have you feeling for Tessa, whose troubled past and easily frazzled nature make her an easy target for people like Dianne and Kianna. The toxic power structure also illustrates how empty Dianne's claims of wanting to help women in crisis are, making it ironic that the people who become a danger to Dianne's livelihood are women who actually help other women.

While Desperate Widows remains an enjoyable enough Lifetime thriller, there are so many times when it misses the mark and loses its chance to tell a stronger story. After the excellent job she did playing Lifetimey psychopath Tanya Jackson, it's baffling to see Allison McAtee relegated to such an idle villainess. The actors playing the main protagonists struggle to find their footing in the spotlight and the story's attempt at being slow-boiled falters when it doesn't lead to anything substantial. Desperate Widows is still entertaining enough to warrant a watch, but it's not the kind of movie one should be desperate (*rimshot*) to clear time in their schedule for.

Score: 6 out of 10 lock pick sets.