Lifetime Review: 'Lust: A Seven Deadly Sins Story'

Tiffanie Cooper (Keri Hilson) seems to have the life other women dream about. A budding entrepreneur on the verge of opening her dream spa business, Tiffanie is also about to marry her equally successful fiancé Damon King (Tobias Truvillion). But while things should be smooth sailing for the blushing bride-to-be, Tiffanie can't help but feel something is not right about her relationship with Damon. Their sex life has grown stale, and there are times when she feels like Damon neglects her and tries to take over her business plans. With all these doubts about her upcoming nuptials brewing, Tiffanie finds herself fighting back the temptation to stray...

And that temptation is made stronger by the arrival of Trey Taylor (Durrell "Tank" Babs), Damon's best friend who has recently been released from prison and is set to be the best man at their wedding. Instantly taken by Trey's good looks and charisma, Tiffanie tries all she can to resist him. But eventually, Tiffanie's desires drive her into Trey's arms--and onto a path that threatens to destroy everything she has.

Adapted from the first book in Victoria Christopher Murray's Seven Deadly Sins series, Lust starts off the film adaptation series with a loaded premise. It's essentially a powder keg of drama and mayhem: relationship troubles, sexual dissatisfaction, infidelity, and toxic friendship. It also shares a lot in common with Netflix's Fatal Affair: both are films with predominantly Black casts where the plot catalyst is a romantically frustrated wife giving in to the seductive charm of another man--to disastrous results. As you might recall from my review, I felt Fatal Affair was a bone-dry obsession drama that did little (if anything) to stand out from the sea of similar Fatal Attraction-esque thrillers. Meanwhile, Lust (while having its own deep flaws) adds a pinch of spice to its familiar premise and has just enough action to keep the viewer tuned in for the illicit goings-on.

Though a word of warning: don't go into Lust expecting anything too sensual or kinky. While it does get a little steamier than Lifetime usually gets, the TV-14 rating keeps things from going any further. Plus, given the film's status as a moral tale about relationships and the perils of reckless passion, explicit sex scenes would've felt contradictory to the movie's message. What's not as understandable is the static pace Lust takes as it follows Tiffanie and her forbidden attraction. Tiffanie is shown going through the usual beats of trying to deny her feelings for Trey, only to end up surrendering to them despite herself. In the midst of Tiffanie's internal conflicts, we also learn some vague information about Damon and Trey's criminal history together and the "unfinished business" Trey wants to revisit. But despite all that drama buildup seemingly promising an explosive climax, it's actually relatively subdued apart from a pair of fiery confrontations--which aren't enough to justify the über-deliberate pacing.

WARNING: Spoilers Below

Then there's the matter of the story itself, which while mostly well-constructed with an authentic atmosphere, falls hard in the final stretch. Following the reveal that Trey was pursuing Tiffanie solely as a means of getting back at Damon for "abandoning" him, Trey's characterization goes through a confusing spell. After her wedding ends in disaster and forces her to confront her inner demons, Tiffanie goes to Trey and says a prayer for him, asking God to heal him. Trey's reaction seems to suggest that there's some truth to Tiffanie's belief that he's broken inside because of his past and is more than just a ruthlessly vengeful manipulator. But after that scene, Trey suddenly goes right back to being heartless, blaming Damon for his arrest and unrepentantly boasting about seducing Tiffanie. It's an odd final scene for Trey after the movie seemed to be building a redemption arc for him, which would've felt more at home with Lust's themes of love and forgiveness. Plus, with that potential arc abandoned, Tiffanie's prayer stands out as the one awkward religious moment in a movie that otherwise weaves its Christian undertones into the story naturally.

(There's also the more minor issue regarding Damon and Trey's criminal past and the "unfinished business" Trey wanted Damon's help finishing. We never get any further detail about what that "business" might've been, and it's ultimately forgotten about entirely.)

Lust's conclusion similarly doesn't fit with what the story looked to be building up to. Beforehand, Tiffanie and Damon's relationship breakdown is treated with surprising realism and balance, with neither side of the couple being fully blamed for the collapse. While Damon could've easily been written as a straightforward selfish and controlling workaholic, the movie and Tobias Truvillion take care to develop Damon into more than a cardboard cutout. It becomes clear Damon does love Tiffanie, but inadvertently ends up drifting from her emotionally. Tiffanie likewise makes the mistake of not being honest with Damon about how she feels, further compounding her dissatisfaction. Both Tiffanie and Damon's shared character arc is coming to realize how broken their relationship has become and mutually put in the effort needed to repair it.

So with all that in mind, it's baffling that Lifetime still decided to pull out the classic "Flashforward to a Happy Ending" card when bringing Lust to the big screen. Even if this is how the book ended, it comes off as jarring to see Tiffanie and Damon go from "let's start over and see if we can fix us" to getting married and going off to start a family together. After an hour and fifty minutes of realistic relationship fallout, seeing the last ten or so minutes devolve into a fairytale Happily Ever After ending is tonal dissonance incarnate. It doesn't erase the emotional impact of Tiffanie and Damon's development as characters, but it is a shame to see those authentic developments not get the conclusion they deserve.

Spoilers Over

The cast proves steadier than the story, as the main players work with the script's stronger aspects to great effect. They create engaging interactions and characters that make the sluggish plot progression worth enduring. While arguably more well-known as a musician than as an actress, Keri Hilson gives a strong performance as a romantically/morally conflicted woman, especially during Tiffanie's darker moments. While Lust has a bit of the Sympathetic Adulterer trope going on for it (the third-act revelation about Trey could be interpreted as the film trying to mitigate Tiffanie's culpability in her unfaithfulness), Hilson and Tiffanie's overall characterization keep it reined in. Throughout the movie, Tiffanie never blames Damon or even Trey for her actions and ultimately holds herself accountable for playing a part in damaging her relationship.

Tobias Truvillion gives the same stellar delivery as the flawed but good-hearted Damon, with him and Hilson sharing chemistry as a troubled couple whose love for each other is buried under their individual problems. Rounding out the main cast trio, Durrell "Tank" Babs (another cast member better known for their musical career) gives Trey Taylor a compellingly icy charm. While his introduction has Babs overselling the effect and coming across as creepy rather than alluring, he's otherwise believable as he goes about romancing Tiffanie.

SPOILER ALERT Babs is at his best, though, after Trey reveals that he only seduced Tiffanie as revenge against Damon. As Trey rubs his apparent "victory" in Tiffanie's face and leaves her in tears, Babs sells the well-executed twist for all the cruelty it's worth and dives right into Trey's heartless side. Had Trey gotten the redemption arc that Tiffanie's prayer for him seemed to be setting up, I believe Babs would've been just as effective at portraying it. Spoilers Over In notable supporting roles, Perri Camper's Sonia makes an impression among Tiffanie's non-descript friend group for her consistent air of supportiveness. The same can be said about Tiffanie's grandparents, with Andrea Frye and Clifton Powell beautifully depicting the elder Coopers' compassion and love for their granddaughter as they each try to guide her through her dilemma. Powell is also memorable for his impassioned delivery when Pastor Cooper takes to the pulpit.

As the first film in a presumed 4-part saga (to match the four currently published installments of Victoria Christopher Murray's book series), Lust is a halfway good opener. The acting and writing draw you into Tiffanie and Damon's story and paint a realistic picture of a relationship falling victim to insecurity and communication breakdown. But the slow pacing is sure to leave some disappointed, especially when it leads to a conclusion that tears a hole in that aforementioned picture. If you're in the mood for a Lifetime movie with more of an emphasis on personal conflict than dramatic action, Lust definitely has that going for it. Just don't be surprised if the clunky concluding act leaves you feeling a little unsatisfied.

Score: 6 out of 10 unsalvageable patios.