Lifetime Review: 'Remember Me, Mommy?'

Creative writing teacher Rebecca Barton (Natalie Brown) has been working at the prestigious Clark Academy for years, and has grown accustomed to the snide behavior of the school's rich and entitled students. Having been a scholarship student there herself, Rebecca finds herself growing especially close to new student Elena Johns (Sydney Meyer), who she sees as an introverted young girl struggling to fit in at the preppy Clark Academy--and already finding herself on the receiving end of harassment from queen bee Janie Wade (Amalia Williamson).

But as the school year goes on and Rebecca continues to grow close to Elena, it becomes clear that something sinister lurks beneath Elena's demure appearance. Because as it turns out, Elena has left a dark past behind her--and is hiding a secret connection with Rebecca. Now that she's at Clark and has wormed her way into Rebecca's life, she won't stop until she gets what she's wanted from Rebecca for so long: revenge.

Given my fairly recent scathing review of Revenge for Daddy, someone who saw the promotional material and title for Remember Me, Mommy? could think I would have similar thoughts on this more recent Lifetime premiere. The similarities in advertising aren't missed by me, as both films are given a title that reveals the vengeful motivation of its main villain while the movie itself holds off on revealing that information until later. But unlike Revenge for Daddy, Remember Me, Mommy? works well with the fact that its antagonist's motivation is revealed before the film even begins, and additionally has the advantage of a more balanced script and a cast that seems more at ease with their material than the largely stiff and awkward players of Revenge for Daddy.

By doing more to acknowledge the identity of its not-so-hidden villainess and her motivation, Remember Me, Mommy? takes on a ticking bomb-esque mood: we know who the threat is and what's motivating them, but all we can do is watch and wait to see when Elena will crack and how far she'll go to have her revenge (as opposed to Revenge for Daddy, where it almost felt like the early scenes of the villain being revealed were meant to be cut, but they ended up in the final product by mistake). While they are definite moments when the film drags its feet in terms of setting up its plot and characters, the movie is quick to recover and hits a stride that's maintained until the very end.

The cast proves to be most essential to spicing up what could've segued into a dully predictable thriller, with Sydney Meyer's performance bringing a lot to a character who could've proven as flat as Revenge for Daddy's antagonist. Thanks to the script and Meyer's performance, Elena isn't just another revenge-seeking psychopath. Instead, before and even while Elena is on her villainous warpath, we're given glimpses of humanity that lurk beneath Elena's sinister stares and murderous threats. Meyer allows for the trauma of Elena's past to manifest in the way she interacts with Rebecca and her roommate Grace (played charmingly by Taveeta Szymanowicz, last seen on Lifetime as genre savvy friend Karli in Dating a Sociopath), allowing us to feel for Elena and almost wish to see how things would turn out if she gave up her villainous scheme and accepted Rebecca and Grace's compassion and friendship.

Even as Elena begins to show her psychotic colors and plotting to destroy Rebecca and anyone who gets in her way, Meyer doesn't let the sympathetic side to Elena die when it comes to the surprisingly emotional climax. The script even allows a brief but strong moment for the audience to actively cheer for Elena, as we see her give a cathartic tell-off to snobby bully Janie Wade that leaves the queen bee unnerved. All of this, on top of Meyer playing Elena with a subdued but effectively chilling malice rather than going for an over-the-top portrayal, makes Elena an entertaining and intriguing Lifetime villain that sticks out from the fray of Lifetime's villain catalog.

The rest of the cast happily rises to Meyer's level, with Natalie Brown making for a sincere and likable protagonist as we see Rebecca go from standing up to her elitist workplace and working to be a supportive mentor to a new student to coming face to face with a mistake from her past. Brown and Meyer play well of each other as Rebecca works to forge a bond with this troubled new student, and the climax is amplified in terms of emotion thanks to their performances. Amalia Williamson does the same as we see Janie transform from standard high school bully to unexpected ally, and while his character is somewhat strapped for time, Kristopher Turner is charismatic as Rebecca's fellow professor boyfriend Jason and strikes some solid chemistry with Brown.

WARNING: Spoilers Below

Remember Me, Mommy? is also notable for having a conclusion that deviates from the usual formula. In addition to Meyer's subdued take on Elena's psychosis, the climax ends on an emotionally heavy note, with Elena and Rebecca having their first--and last--moment of mother/daughter love before Elena's death. It makes for a tearjerking end to a well-humanized villainess, and that somber mood continues into the film's final moments. Rather than the usual flash-forward to where the protagonists are happy and thriving again, Rebecca and company take a moment to reflect on the fallout of the film's events and are still visibly shaken by what's happened. In addition to Williamson giving her best performance of the film as Janie expresses guilt over Grace's death and is comforted by Rebecca, the film's conclusion proves to be a perfect way to close things out.

Remember Me, Mommy? is far from an original film, and there's a fair amount of places where a viewer's patience might be tested. But thanks to a solid script and a stellar cast that brings a sense of sincerity to their characters, the predictability proves forgivable. And if you ever have to choose between watching this or Revenge for Daddy, you will definitely be better off going with Mommy.

Score: 7 out of 10 worm-infested candy boxes.