Lifetime Review: 'Lies My Sister Told Me'

Synopsis:

Jennifer and Tracy Wrey (Nicole Marie Johnson) are twin sisters whose lives were changed forever by the tragic loss of their father. Years later, while Jennifer has become a famed romance novelist, Tracy is confined to a psychiatric facility. That is, until the day Jennifer visits Tracy on the anniversary of their father's death. After drugging Jennifer and swapping clothes with her, Tracy escapes the institution posing as Jennifer and leaves Jennifer to be mistaken for Tracy. Tracy thinks taking over her sister's life will allow her to have the freedom and adventure she's always craved. But once Tracy steps into Jennifer's life, she finds it's not as wonderful as she thought it would be. From Jennifer's strained relationship with her daughter Layla (Kate Edmonds) to her messy romantic entanglements, it becomes clear that Tracy's "new life" isn't one that her psyche is ready for. As Tracy struggles to keep her façade intact, Jennifer fights to escape the facility and reclaim the life that her sister stole.

Story:

Strap in, because Lies My Sister Told Me is a wild ride of a film. The sister swap takes place only a few minutes into the movie, leaving the rest of the runtime to be dedicated to Tracy's downward spiral as her efforts to impersonate Jennifer start to fall apart on her. The mayhem gradually goes from 0 to 100 over the course of the film and ends on a plot twist that'll have your head spinning (in a good way). While it'll take some suspension of disbelief to believe that Tracy's scheme could last as long as it does, the intense and emotionally-charged plot is well worth it. There are also some nice bits of foreshadowing and dramatic irony to be found within David Chester's script that allow the third-act revelation to make sense once the initial astonishment has subsided. My only complaint is that the ending feels too neatly wrapped up for my taste. After all that goes down in this movie, a more bittersweet conclusion would've been more appropriate.

Characters:

Characterization is another area where the script stumbles a little bit. It's nothing too egregious, but a few characters don't get the development they need. Jennifer is the bigger victim of this, namely because she spends most of the movie confined to the mental hospital. We see her act brusque and rather cold towards Tracy during their visit and the circumstances of her life allude to a whole host of other flaws that could've been explored. But given the state she's in throughout most of the film, Jennifer's troubles aren't explored with as much depth as Tracy's are. SPOILER ALERT At least we get to see "Jennifer" admit to the mistakes she made regarding her sister's mental health and later give "Tracy" the comfort she needs by telling her the truth about who they are and what caused her instability. Spoilers Over

Layla's boyfriend Rob also gets stiffed when it comes to development. A few scenes seem to imply Jennifer was right to disapprove of Rob, with Rob coming across as irresponsible, harsh, and (in one instance) manipulative towards Layla. But after that, such implications are completely forgotten about and the movie portrays Rob as a flawed but loving boyfriend. With everyone else, though, characterizations are consistent. Layla is an angsty young woman whose frustration with her mother doesn't change the fact that she loves her. Jennifer's publisher/married lover Chad is unexpectedly sincere in his devotion to her, in stark contrast to her greedy and short-tempered "boy toy" Peter. Jennifer's assistant Karen is shrill and in-your-face enough to where you might understand why Tracy is so aggravated by her. Speaking of Tracy, she's hands down the most compellingly written character in Lies My Sister Told Me. While her actions against Jennifer are definitely reprehensible, watching Tracy slowly succumb to her mental illness while struggling to keep it all together is surprisingly upsetting.

Acting:

Nicole Marie Johnson is largely responsible for how emotional Tracy's character arc is. Johnson takes on the doubly daunting task of not only playing twins, but the central characters of the film, with impressive aptitude. She gives Jennifer and Tracy distinct personalities and takes on both characters' emotions with ferocity. As such, you'll feel for both sisters as they wind up in situations that are unsettling in their own ways. Kate Edmonds does just as great a job selling Layla as a somewhat bratty but overall good-natured daughter, having more than enough chemistry with Johnson to depict Layla and Jennifer's frayed bond. Jonathan Stoddard is immensely charming as Chad while Emerson Niemchick brings a certain allure to Jennifer's more vicious lover Peter. As obviously scummy as he is, you can still see what drew Jennifer to him.

Lastly, Dominick Ficco and Scout Smith take on the roles of lesser involved characters Rob and Karen. Despite this and Rob's haphazard development, Ficco and Smith still give solid performances. Ficco shares good chemistry with Edmonds while Smith projects the perfect energy needed to play an annoyingly high-strung assistant. SPOILER ALERT She exudes this energy best in her final scene, which goes a long way toward preserving Tracy's status as a semi-sympathetic antagonist. Between her overbearing demeanor and idiotic decision to confront Tracy alone after figuring out who she was, you're not likely to feel too bad when Karen winds up dead. Spoilers Over

Overall:

Its incredibly well-written story, well-rounded main characters, and exceptional acting are the key elements that make Lies My Sister Told Me such a remarkable Lifetime thriller. The great cinematography and music are added bonuses that further maintain the film's taut atmosphere. Just like 2021's A Party Gone Wrong (another Lifetime thriller directed by Dylan Vox), Lies My Sister Told Me has equal amounts of delicious Lifetimey mayhem and sincere emotional depth. So if you're a Lifetime fanatic in need of your daily dose of drama, look no further than this gold star addition to the network's "Evil Twin" subgenre.

Score: 9 out of 10 summer rings.