Lifetime Review: 'Identity Theft of a Cheerleader'

High school was rough for Vicky Patterson (Maiara Walsh), as her rejection from the cheerleading squad not only destroyed her already fragile self-esteem, but earned the scrutiny of her demanding mother Angie (Gail O'Grady). Years later, having dropped out of high school her senior year, Vicky finds herself slaving away as a cashier, still contending with her mother's disappointment and living with her unmotivated boyfriend Darren (Matty Finochio).

After yet another setback comes Vicky's way, she finds an unconventional way of turning her life around: taking over the identity of a teenage co-worker preparing to drop out of her senior year. After successfully deceiving her way into Glendale High, Vicky quickly integrates herself into the lives of Heather (Karis Cameron) and her friends, determined to finally have the high school experience she never got to have—which includes finally getting on the cheer squad. But when complications threaten to put an end to her plans, Vicky proves that she will do anything—even kill—to have her second chance at life.

Given the film that comes before it in Lifetime's "Cheer, Rally, Kill" lineup, Identity Theft of a Cheerleader came into the arena with an automatic disadvantage due to its structural difference from The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders. While Secret Lives went full-out with its drama and mayhem, Identity Theft takes a more story and character-driven tone that leaves much of the Lifetime-ian drama for its final act. Coming off the high of Secret Lives into the more subdued drama of Identity Theft is sure to be jarring for some viewers, and may leave them viewing this film as something of a snoozer.

In spite of the tonal shift, however, Identity Theft of a Cheerleader offers a solid character-driven story to make up for its change of pace, as well as a strong lead performance from Maiara Walsh (whose youthful appearance makes the ridiculous-on-paper premise work). Following in the footsteps of Allie DeBerry in Secret Lives, Walsh brings everything into her performance as psychotic perfectionist Vicky Patterson, selling Walsh as a deluded and violent psychopath with gusto, while the script gives her some comedic moments to have fun with (her scene of testing out various "teen" phrases, the fact that her mispronunciation of the word "meme" is played for dramatic shock, etc.).

And for all of her sick and deranged actions, Walsh's portrayal of Vicky allows her to emerge as the character I found myself rooting for in spite of myself. Vicky's scheme of returning to high school is morally thorny, as are many of her actions once she schemes her way into Glendale. But as explained during the film's opening act and in moments throughout the film, Vicky is ultimately a broken girl dragged down her path of insanity by her callous and emotionally abusive mother. After her first time in high school left her with nothing but pain and rejection and her attempts to move past her high school pitfalls are mocked by her mother, all Vicky wants is the happy life she never got the chance to have and the acceptance she was starved of all her life—a sentiment Walsh's performance allows to resonate with the viewer. The film's climax displays in poignancy that Vicky's desires are simply to be happy, making Vicky a villain you can't help but feel for.

Additionally, for all the morally questionable decisions Vicky makes, the film shows that Vicky's second chance at high school does, in a way, do her well. Throughout the film, as Vicky becomes more immersed in her new identity, you can see a self-confidence rise up from the once meek girl that allows her to stand up to both her mother and her deadbeat boyfriend. These cathartic moments, as well as Vicky's unapologetic sense of ruthlessness in her pursuit of the life she wants, makes for a fun watch as well as a villain you'll love, sympathize with, and abhor all at the same time.

But Vicky's strength as a character does have the downside of putting a focus on Identity Theft of a Cheerleader's biggest weak point: unlike Secret Lives, Heather doesn't rise to Vicky's level the same was Ava did with Katrina. While Karis Cameron gives a likable performance, the script never seems to give her much chance to develop beyond "Pretty Heroine with a Troubled Past." The rest of Heather's friends also don't leave much of an impression, apart from Bzhaun Rhoden as Heather's over-the-top goofball friend Craig. Like Cameron, neither Jesse Irving or Naika Toussaint (who play school athlete Liam and Heather's best friend Maddy, respectively) give bad performances, but neither get much chance to exert a personality outside of their formulaic character molds.

WARNING: Mild Spoilers Below

There's also two other matters regarding Heather that serve to grind my gears a bit: her "troubled" past and her dynamic with Liam. Regarding the first, Heather is established as being the sister of a recovering alcoholic, whose addiction has left considerable damage on her family. Unlike most troubled teen Lifetime protagonists with this sort of past, Heather's history never indicates any negative behavior, making the ease at which her parents (played by Ashley Alexander and Ben Wilkinson) believe she's followed in her sister's footsteps abrupt and rather callous.

As for her dynamic with Liam, it's a fairly standard setup: despite proclaiming to be simply platonic friends, Heather and Liam are meant to be built up as being interested in each other, but are afraid to admit it. In addition to Heather and Liam's blandness as characters, this arc is diminished by the fact that for much of the film, neither Heather or Liam give the impression that they feel anything deeper for each other than friendship until it becomes necessary for the plot. Karis Cameron and Jesse Irving play well off each other when their friendship is initially built as completely platonic, so as such, their arc would've worked better (and been more original) had Heather's feelings for Liam remained platonic and her desire to find out the truth about Vicky been solved based off the concerns of a friend.

Spoilers Over

In side performances, Gail O'Grady and Matty Finochio each bring a palpable bite to their cruel and haughty characters, with the script providing the two with moments of depth to integrate into their roles. Chris Shields also makes an impression as Coach Dunn, with his speech to his basketball team serving as a parallel to the "Winning is Everything" dogma that Vicky had drilled into her by her mother.

While it's not the thrill ride that Secret Lives of Cheerleaders was and suffers from moments of plodding action, Identity Theft of a Cheerleader balances out its weaker elements enough to make for an entertaining watch. With Maiara Walsh's excellent performance and a well-written story making up for not-as-compelling protagonists and underbaked plot aspects, Identity Theft of a Cheerleader is a fun Lifetime drama in its own right once you recover from the whiplash.

Score: 8 out of 10 greasy bleachers.