Lifetime Review: 'Most Likely to Murder'

Casey Paulson (Madison McLaughlin) has had it hard the past few years. While she used to be a popular member of the cheerleading squad, a house fire that killed her father and destroyed her hair took everything from her, leaving her as the target of bullying from her former friends Hailey (Ava Allan) and Clair (Ashlee Füss). On top of that, Casey deals with estrangement from her well-meaning but stressed mother Laura (Heather McComb) and verbal abuse from Laura's boyfriend Harlen (Brendan McCarthy).

Things look up for Casey, however, when sympathetic cheerleader Reagan (Bayley Corman) befriends the shy girl and takes her under her wing, leading to Casey's confidence rising as Reagan encourages her to put herself out there and go after what she wants in life--while ignoring warnings from Hailey and Clair that Casey is not who she thinks she is. But as Casey's popularity continues to climb and she becomes a contender for the title of "Most Inspirational Student", Casey proves that she's not as meek as she appears--and that she doesn't intend for anything or anyone to take her new life away from her.

With its high-octane teen drama and plot which--at least partially--focuses on cheerleading, Most Likely to Murder could have easily been premiered during Lifetime's "Cheer, Rally, Kill!" marathon right after The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders. Much like Secret Lives, Most Likely to Murder is elevated by its strong cast and a plot that remains consistently paced when it comes to the drama and mayhem that attracts so many people to Lifetime. What sets Most Likely to Murder apart from the other teen films in Lifetime's catalog, however, is how subversive it becomes with the conventions of the teen film genre.

The bulk of this subversion can be traced to Casey Paulson and her tormentors Hailey and Clair, who initially are set up to be standard characters found in high school films: the shy and awkward bullying victim, and the standard pair of mean girl queen bees. But as the film goes on and we get to learn more about Casey's past, we see that despite the trauma she's endured, Casey is far from an innocent victim. Instead, we learn that prior to her disfigurement, Casey was little better than her former friends when it came to being a catty and insulting bully, adding a disturbing layer to Casey's character as we see her transform into a completely different person once she regains her popularity. The film also takes the time to drop hints before Casey's transformation to act as foreshadowing, and includes some slivers of humanity to her afterwards that all mix to make for a memorably well-developed villainess who will have you on your toes.

As for Hailey and Clair, Casey's transformation and revealed history puts their actions and attempts at stopping her and Reagan's friendship in a different light. Are they simply cruel girls wanting to tear down Casey down--or are they giving their former friend a taste of her own medicine? (It certainly puts Clair snarling, "Karma's a bitch", to Casey during a particularly harsh prank in a new light). Ava Allan and Ashlee Füss --the latter of whom also appeared as a new take on the Queen Bee trope in Killer Under The Bed--strengthen their characters' morally ambiguous natures through their performances, and Madison McLaughlin truly throws herself into Casey as she goes from timid girl to unstable sociopath.

Even relatively straight-forward characters like Reagan and her friend Taylor (played by Kara Royster) are introduced with a bit of subversion attached to them; initially, one can get the sense that there's a bit of spoiled elitism to their efforts to befriend the unpopular girl from the wrong side of town. But as the film goes on, Reagan and Taylor's efforts are shown to be sincere, with Royster and Bayley Corman bringing a charming likability to their characters--which in turn brings a sense of tragedy to the revelation of Casey's true nature. Royster additionally emerges as a voice-of-reason/Audience Surrogate as the third act has her becoming suspicious of Casey's transformation, and while Reagan briefly becomes unlikably blind in regards to Casey's schemes, Corman keeps Reagan as an otherwise sympathetic protagonist.

In strong side performances, Heather McComb brings heart to Casey's troubled mother Laura--which proves helpful, given how her inaction against the verbal abuse Harlen (played with understated menace by Brendan McCarthy) throws her daughter's way is unlikely to endear her to the viewer. Trevor Stines and Peter Donahue also appear as Casey's old friend Sean and her crush Vance, with both bringing depth to what could've easily been cardboard archetypes.

Apart from some forgivable character botches as detailed above, Most Likely to Murder is as perfect as a Lifetime teen thriller can get. In addition to the unique sense of subversion of the tropes we've come to expect from Lifetime, there's also an excellent cast of performers that bring their well-rounded characters to life and a plot that keeps the tension packed. Most Likely to Murder can proudly join the ranks of such excellent Lifetime teen films as The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders and Deadly Exchange, and if you couldn't tell at this point, comes with my highest recommendation.

Score: 10 out of 10 fire extinguishers.