Lifetime Review: 'Mommy's Deadly Con Artist'

Last we saw con artist "Maggie" (Dey Young), she was fleeing the scene of a heist gone awry. Now a year later, she's going by the name Christine and has a new scheme planned with a new accomplice. That accomplice goes by the name Stephanie (Chelsea Gilson) and has gone about seducing Landon Rudolph (Andrew Rogers), the son of wealthy steel mogul George Rudolph (John Colton). Like before, "Christine" is having her partner-in-crime pose as her child, allowing her and Stephanie to maneuver their way into the Rudolph family's swanky home. Laying on the charm with Landon and George and helping Stephanie manipulate the former into marriage by faking a pregnancy, Christine is certain this plan will go off without a hitch.

But no nefarious plot is without complications. In addition to Landon's suspicious sister Alice (Sophia Katarina), Christine/Maggie's old partner James (Rib Hillis) is back in the picture. He ended up getting shot by Christine after their botched scam, and now he's back and wants a cut of the Rudolph fortune. All the while, Denise Lewis (Jackée Harry) is searching for Christine and Stephanie. Her ex-husband was killed while investigating the elder grifter and she won't rest until Christine is brought to justice. Will the long arm of the law stop Christine and her cohorts in time to save the Rudolph clan?

Don't let the cover art pictured above fool you. While it and the IMDB plot synopsis make it sound like Denise Lewis is the main protagonist of this Deceived by My Mother-in-Law sequel, it's far from the truth. In fact, Denise hardly factors into the movie at all, only popping in for a handful of scenes. As a result, her subplot about taking down her ex-husband's killers doesn't amount to anything, and Jackée Harry doesn't get much chance to make an impression outside of an occasional fit of overexaggerated acting. She gives a solid enough performance, but she's still stuck playing a woefully underutilized character. Mommy's Deadly Con Artist hits another snag right out of the gates by following in its predecessor's footsteps by having an awkward opening scene. Anyone coming into the movie blind is bound to get confused by the Deceived by My Mother-in-Law scenes that get thrown at them before the title screen. The movie eventually explains everything, but in the meantime, viewers who haven't seen the first movie are left to piece it together on their own.

But after that perplexing start, Mommy's Deadly Con Artist settles into its groove as it takes a different route than Deceived by My Mother-in-Law. While the first movie split its time evenly between the con artists and their victims, this movie puts more focus on the cons. As such, the antagonists are given more time to shine as they go about manipulating their hapless targets. Dey Young and Rib Hillis are just as good as they were in the first movie and Chelsea Gilson plays well with them as Stephanie. While she previously put on the persona of a nagging shrew, Christine's new ploy has her pretending to be a sweet old lady. Young sells the manipulative act while letting Christine's vicious claws come out when the time comes for it. With her last plan having gone awry, Christine is determined as hell to make off with the Rudolph family's riches--and she's ready and willing to do anything to ensure it happens. Rib Hillis also makes a worthwhile comeback as the dashingly deceptive James, having gained some ruthlessness while retaining his loose ethical code. He's still not a fan of killing people, but now he's more willing to do it if it means finally getting his payday.

Acting as James's polar opposite is Christine's new cohort Stephanie, the comparative white sheep of this conning triumvirate. While she's certainly devilish to be willing to seduce a man for money, Stephanie makes it clear she didn't sign up for murder and has formed some real feelings for Landon. And unlike the overtly greedy Christine and James, it appears Stephanie only joined the Rudolph con job out of financial desperation. Chelsea Gilson depicts Stephanie's moral conflict nicely and works even better with the vastly differing dynamics her character shares with Christine and James. The last person involved in the scam is Dr. McCarthy, ironically played by Stalked by My Doctor's Eric Roberts. It's a brief cameo and one where Roberts doesn't get to ham it up Albert Beck-style, but it's a fun cameo nonetheless. The same can be said for the cameo performances provided by David DeCoteau regulars Carmel Fisher (as the snarky Detective Jane) and Hilary Shepard (as the Rudolphs' sassy maid Bridget).

Getting to spend more time with Christine and company isn't the only thing setting this movie apart from Deceived by My Mother-in-Law. The dialogue is significantly better in Mommy's Deadly Con Artist. The patches of awkward lines aren't as plentiful and the one exposition dump is more justified than the instance from the first film. The pacing keeps things moving steadily and, apart from an egregious plot hole regarding one of the villains' more brazen acts of trickery, the story remains consistently engaging. SPOILER ALERT What's less forgivable is the insanely bizarre climax. It's weird enough that Denise waits until the last few minutes of the movie to try and warn the Rudolphs about Christine and Stephanie. But when Alice subsequently warns Landon, he instantaneously believes her and the siblings effortlessly subdue James without any kind of game plan. While the climax for Deceived by My Mother-in-Law wasn't exactly a fireworks show, it was still leagues better than this rush job. At least the ending leaves behind a lot of ambiguity for a possible threequel to work with. Spoilers Over

The rest of the noteworthy cast members make up the Rudolph family. The Rudolphs aren't as developed as Kristen and Mara Walker, but they're still fairly likable and their performers do a fine job playing them. While he has some weaker moments in the role, Andrew Rogers is mostly solid as Landon Rudolph. While he definitely beats out Kristen when it comes to being gullible, Rogers gives Landon enough charm to keep him likable. His best moments are whenever Landon shows off his softer side, from romancing Stephanie to sharing a heart-to-heart with his father. My personal favorite, however, would have to be Landon's adorable reaction to finding out about Stephanie's "pregnancy." John Colton is just as charming as Rudolph patriarch George. After his needlessly shrewd reaction to Stephanie's "pregnancy," George shows that he really does love his son and wants him to be happy and successful. George also makes it clear that, despite his reservations about Landon having a child out of wedlock, he's proud of his son for wanting to step up and do right by his baby. That and the sweet side of George that Christine coaxes out of him help make up for his moment of judgmental nastiness.

Budding Lifetime regular Sophia Katarina rounds out the household as sharp-tongued daughter/sister Alice. Of the underexposed Rudolphs, Alice gets the least amount of attention--and thus spends most of the movie just snarking and sulking. But whenever Alice drops the attitude and reveals how much she cares about her family, Katarina allows you to see the heart hiding beneath her character's icy exterior. So while the Rudolphs don't have any powerful emotional arcs like the one Kristen and Mara went on together, they're just as amiable as the Walkers and just as undeserving of being swindled by Christine and her lackeys. Similarly, Mommy's Deadly Con Artist still manages to gain an edge over its precursor despite copying some of its flaws. The compelling villains and the increased attention given to them and their antics compensate for the script issues and half-baked ending. So if you liked Deceived by My Mother-in-Law, you're sure to enjoy this follow-up just as much, if not more so.

Score: 8 out of 10 smitten kittens.