Lifetime Review: 'Killer Design'

Synopsis:

Soon after landing a new client, interior designer Jodi Shaw (Sarah Armstrong) gets a much less welcome surprise when she's held at knifepoint by a mugger. It's thanks to a passing stranger named Wendy Richards (Chelsea Gilson) that Jodi escapes unharmed, and wishing to express her gratitude to the woman who saved her life, Jodi invites Wendy to join her for coffee sometime. When she learns that Wendy is looking for a job and has experience in interior design, Jodi decides the perfect way to "pay it forward" is to hire Wendy to be her assistant. But as Wendy becomes further immersed into Jodi's life, Jodi has no idea that her chance encounter with this good Samaritan wasn't random--and that Wendy will do whatever she has to in order to remain a part of Jodi's life.

Story:

Killer Design may not be a part of David DeCoteau's "Wrong" franchise, but it easily could've been. In a similar vein to The Wrong Crush and The Wrong Blind Date, Killer Design follows a woman as she meets and bonds with a seemingly kind stranger, unaware that they have dark ulterior motives. Like with the villains of those movies, it's no secret to the audience that Wendy is up to no good. As such, you'll spend much of the film watching Wendy grow dangerously fixated on "protecting" her new friend while waiting for Jodi to realize she's invited a lunatic into her life. While the reason for Wendy's obsession is refreshingly not obvious from the start, her schemes to get Jodi all to herself don't hold any surprises. It's the usual array of lies, manipulations, and attacks on people who threaten to ruin her plans. It's a good thing Wendy makes for such an appealing villainess because otherwise, Killer Design's plot might've become unbearably by-the-book.

Characters:

If that last sentence didn't make it clear, Wendy Richards is hands down Killer Design's most interesting character. Even when she's attacking people and shrewdly trying to usurp Monica's position as Jodi's best friend, Wendy never loses her creepily soothing child-like demeanor. As vicious as some of her actions are, you believe Wendy is sincere in her admittedly unhinged desire to protect Jodi and their newfound friendship. Once her backstory is revealed, it becomes all too clear how Wendy turned out the way she did. Between that, the unexpectedly poignant climax, and the fact that most of Wendy's victims aren't particularly sympathetic, you might find yourself wanting to hug Wendy once all is said and done.

Before the third act, you might even feel tempted to root for Wendy over Jodi. While she's not unlikable by any stretch of imagination, Jodi's overly trusting nature is almost certain to get on some viewers' nerves. It doesn't help that, for a main character, Jodi is pretty generic and inactive. She spends most of the film just going about her average life, completely unaware of all the scheming Wendy is doing right under her nose. By the time she finally starts connecting the dots, the movie's almost over and there's not much left for her to do. There are two things I enjoy about Jodi's characterization: SPOILER ALERT 1. The fact that her naivete is an intentional and subtly developed part of her character. In addition to the whole Wendy situation, Jodi was also being duped by her boyfriend long before Wendy came into the picture. 2. the compassion Jodi shows Wendy in the climax despite everything she'd done. Spoilers Over

As for the four noteworthy side characters, it's a lukewarm group. Wendy's therapist Dr. Farber and Jodi's client Roy occupy the shallower end of the pool. Dr. Farber is basically only there to provide Wendy's history while Roy is semi-charming, but nonetheless bland. It would seem Roy's primary role is to SPOILER ALERT be Jodi's replacement love interest after Eric is exposed as a cheater and put in a coma by Wendy. Speaking of Eric, he makes for a convincingly deceptive two-timer who turns especially cold once Wendy confronts him about his affair. It's also pretty ironic how Eric objects to Jodi trusting Wendy when he's just as much of a liar as Wendy. Spoilers Over The best of the bunch is Jodi's best friend Monica, who isn't afraid to tell Wendy exactly what she thinks of her and her games. Monica also proves that, beneath her snarky attitude and antics, she's a truly loyal and protective best friend.

Acting:

Chelsea Gilson is the most consistently entertaining of the cast, bringing equal portions of sugar and ice to Wendy's personality. She fully takes on her character's fractured mind and stunted emotional growth, making Wendy a villain more worthy of pity than disdain. Sarah Armstrong is put at a disadvantage against Gilson by playing the less dynamic Jodi, with her collection of stilted acting moments not helping her case. But on the whole, Armstrong does well enough to keep Jodi's excessive trustingness from getting too aggravating. Jackée Harry is guilty of stiff acting as well, though it can't be said her flat role as Dr. Exposition Farber gives her anything to work with. The same can be said about Jeronimo Henao, but at least the material he's given allows him to squeeze a little bit of charisma out of Roy. Travis Bravo-Thomas does a fine job selling both sides of Eric Thompson, Jodi's boyfriend, while Amanda Viola leads the supporting cast pack as Monica. Viola brings the perfect blend of sarcasm, feistiness, and lovability needed to make a good Heroine's Best Friend character.

Overall:

In addition to its formulaic story and uninspired protagonists, Killer Design also has subpar special effects. Even accounting for the low budget, the lengths the editors go to in order to keep Wendy's more violent acts off-screen are laughable. But for all its faults, Killer Design doesn't sink too far down the scoring rubric because of them. The adequate pacing and Chelsea Gilson's stellar performance as a compelling villainess should be enough to keep you watching from beginning to end. Plus, the climax throws a dash of heart into the mix to give the film something special to end on. It's nothing spectacular, but Killer Design still pulls itself together enough to make for a good leisure-time watch.

Score: 6 out of 10 ceiling fan sales quotes.