Lifetime Review: 'Dying for Motherhood'

Waitress Tracy McCann (Hannah Bamberg) is in a tough spot: pregnant and trapped in an abusive marriage to violent ex-cop Bobby (Daniel Contois). Desperate to escape him and build a new life for herself, Tracy packs up her belongings and flees to a hotel, while also making plans to give her baby up for adoption. It's through an adoption service that she meets wealthy couple Genevieve and Patrick Parker (Emmanuelle Vaugier and Josh Ventura), whose beautiful home and cordial welcome ultimately convince her they're the ideal couple to adopt her baby.

But after accepting the Parkers' offer to move in with them until the baby's born, Tracy begins to see that beneath their perfect exterior, Genevieve and Patrick are far from it. Soon, it becomes clear to Tracy that the Parkers are far more dangerous than she could've imagined--and that she's in for a fight if she wants to escape their clutches and save both herself and her unborn child.

Well-versed Lifetime viewers are likely shaking their heads in sympathy for Tracy McCann, as the synopsis above shows that in Dying for Motherhood (previously under the less eye-catching title Expectant), our main heroine finds herself in a "from the frying pan into the fire" situation. In her case, Tracy goes from one harrowing Lifetime scenario (trying to escape an abusive husband) to another (unknowingly inviting a psychotic couple into her life). While the film takes a more subdued pace in comparison to other Lifetime movies, Dying for Motherhood rarely feels boring, as the chilling opening and hints throughout the film of the danger surrounding Tracy--both within and outside of the Parker household--keep us watching until the third act when everything comes to the surface and kicks the film's energy into high gear.

While the film's first acts at times prove overly sluggish, Dying for Motherhood's third act takes the tension those acts kept restricted to short bursts and cranks it up to eleven. By the third act, the film makes sure to have you at rapt attention as you fear for Tracy's safety and root for her to escape. The movie also boasts a third-act plot twist that is not only a genuine surprise, but also helps make what previously appeared to be inconsistencies make sense in hindsight.

Another big selling point for Dying for Motherhood would definitely be the main trio of actors, who play well off each other well as the film shows Tracy's friendship with the Parkers turn into a captor-captive relationship. Apart from moments of awkward delivery that are few and far between, Hannah Bamberg makes for a sympathetic heroine, allowing you to feel Tracy's desperation to first escape her abusive husband and then to escape from the couple she once saw as her salvation.

Tracy's desperation also makes it understandable why she would initially be willing to brush off some of Genevieve and Patrick's odd behaviors, only turning against them once it becomes clear something is amiss. SPOILER ALERT The final minutes of the film have Tracy at her best, expertly faking a miscarriage in order to escape the Parker house before revealing herself as a friend of Genevieve and Patrick's first victim, indicating that she stayed with them to get justice for her murdered friend and set Genevieve up to seal her own fate. It makes for an incredibly powerful finale that Bamberg delivers exceptionally well, as we see Tracy orchestrate her escape while at the same time punishing the woman who killed the friend who was willing to help Tracy find a better life for herself and her baby. Spoilers Over

Lifetime regular Emmanuelle Vaugier and Josh Ventura, meanwhile, make for an equally strong villainous couple, with Genevieve and Patrick acting as yin and yang to each other. In the beginning, the Parkers appear to be the perfect couple, with Vaugier and Ventura playing up this image in Genevieve and Patrick's first scenes without going too far and making it feel forced. As the film goes on and we see glimpses of the truth behind the Parkers' pristine house and genial smiles, Vaugier transforms Genevieve into a terrifying villainess, using little more than sharp eyes and a commanding tone to strike fear into both Tracy and the audience. The third act has Genevieve at her most ruthless and frightening, with the conclusion even allowing Vaugier to briefly dip into "over-the-top psycho" territory before going back to her own style of villainy (with the deviation being brief enough to not feel out-of-character).

In addition to her knockout solo performance, Vaugier plays well off of Josh Ventura as we see the toxic nature of Genevieve and Patrick's marriage. As we learn more about Patrick's dark past and how he and Genevieve came to be together, Ventura allows us to see Patrick as a troubled man stuck under the thumb of a psychotic but manipulative spouse. Even as he allows for Genevieve resort to violent methods to get what she wants and hold Tracy captive in their home, Ventura and Vaugier work in tandem to show that Patrick is stuck in a tough position: wanting to stop Genevieve, while at the same time, feeling like he needs her to survive.

The final major player of the film is Daniel Contois as Tracy's dangerous ex Bobby, with Contois doing well at portraying both extremes of domestic abuse. In the beginning, we see Bobby as he manhandles Tracy and threaten her co-workers in an attempt to find her once she runs away, with Contois making Bobby effectively scary as he proves willing to hurt innocent people to get Tracy back. SPOILER ALERT It's after Bobby winds up being held captive in the Parker house that a more underhandedly twisted side of Bobby emerges: the side that seamlessly tries to manipulate Tracy into believing he loves her as a means of making her release him, almost as if he himself believes he's done nothing wrong. As he's professing his love for Tracy and how he would never hurt her baby, we never hear any remorse for his previous abuse. After he's shot dead by Genevieve, you might find yourself wondering afterwards: had his abduction really changed his heart, or was it all just an effort to lure the vulnerable Tracy back into his arms? Spoilers Over

(Between Bobby and the Parker marriage, Dying for Motherhood does well at painting realistic depictions of two very different but no less toxic and abusive relationships)

While baby obsession dramas are a common plot thread on Lifetime, Dying for Motherhood infuses the familiar concept with its own twists and turns that give it an identity of its own. Add to that an engaging story, excellent main cast, and an exhilarating third act that will hit with you an unexpected revelation, and Dying for Motherhood successfully makes its mark amidst Lifetime's vast catalog.

Score: 8 out of 10 father-made shoes.