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Lifetime Review: 'Secret Lives of College Escorts'

A serviceable but not terribly original Lifetime movie about a college student, a tragic loss, and a new job that isn't what it seems to be.

By Trevor WellsPublished 2 years ago 7 min read
6

Synopsis:

One night out changed everything for college student Eve Baker (Pilot Paisley-Rose). The night ended with her best friend Monica (Emily Ram) being killed in a hit-and-run, and the incident resulted in her being cut from the school volleyball team and having her athletic scholarship revoked. In desperate need of another way to pay her tuition fees, a great opportunity falls in Eve's lap: a job working for the college attracting donors. The position is a dream come true for Eve, as not only is the pay great, but she gets to work under Carla Preston (Laurie Fortier), a well-known businesswoman and Eve's long-time inspiration. But what Eve doesn't know is that her dream job is actually a front for an escort service--one which Carla has gone to extremes to keep from being exposed. Will figuring out the truth cost Eve more than just a lucrative job?

Story:

Women being lured into deadly escort rings has happened so much on Lifetime, it could qualify for its own subgenre. In terms of writing and plot structure, Secret Lives of College Escorts is very similar to 2019's The Cheerleader Escort. Much like that film, Secret Lives of College Escorts suffers from some mediocre pacing that exacerbates its barebones story. It takes until the final act for Eve to realize the nature of her job, and after that, it's the standard sequence of tracking down leads and setting up a scheme to expose the well-connected villain for who they are. It's not painfully dull, as there is fun to be had watching Carla go about her illicit business and the subplot involving her VP Isabella is good for some juicy drama. But as it goes on, the entertainment factor diminishes and you're left with what's essentially a carbon copy of a lackluster Lifetime movie from three years ago.

Characters:

Eve Baker is a quintessential wide-eyed ingenue with all that implies, meaning there's a good chance viewers will get annoyed with her. Her naivete is divisive enough, but the way she becomes increasingly dismissive of her mother's warranted concerns is even more frustrating. Eve's attitude becomes egregious in the third act when she throws a diva tantrum at Debra for "meddling in her life." While Eve not telling Debra about what she's found out by that point makes some sense (she doesn't want her mother to stop her investigation), her hostility comes clear out of nowhere. At least she makes up for it by being sympathetic most of the time. She may be über-gullible about her new job at first, but it can't be said Eve doesn't go through some devastating events over the course of the film. Whenever the weight of it all hits Eve, it's hard not to feel bad for the girl.

Of Eve's friends and family, her roommate Shiann stands out as the most appealing. While Monica may've been Eve's best friend, Shiann proves that she cares just as much about Eve as Monica did and does what she can to support her throughout her dilemma. She certainly does more to help Eve than Debra. For all her talk of wanting to protect her daughter in the wake of Monica's death, she hardly lifts a finger to do so when Eve gets wrapped up in Carla's shady dealings. She does research Carla's company and tries to warn Eve that her lucrative position is too good to be true, but she still sticks to the sidelines the entire film and contributes next to nothing to the story. Her sister Melanie does even less, basically just existing to give comforting words to Debra and Eve. Her character could easily be erased from the script without any major changes needing to be made.

Eve's newer associates are more consistently intriguing. Carla Preston is a perfectly diabolical villain. In addition to the lengths she'll go to for the sake of her business empire, Carla is also as smug and self-assured as they come. During the first two acts, she doesn't even break a sweat over any of the threats that come her way. SPOILER ALERT That makes it all the sweeter when Eve (someone Carla regarded as a mere pawn) manages to expose all her secrets, driving Carla into becoming a stammering mess before committing suicide to avoid prison--a horrific decision that aligns with Carla's "must be in control of everything 24/7" personality. Spoilers Over Carla's VP Isabella sits on the fence between good and evil. On one hand, she goes along with Carla's plan to exploit college students for money and willfully pursues a relationship with a married man. On the other, it would appear Isabella grows to really care about Eve after a while and it's hard not to feel bad for the woman as she reveals she was once one of Carla's "girls" and learns the hard way that her lover just sees her as another cheap fling.

As for Carla's "business partners," they're a standard array of sleazy men. Carla's violent henchman Liam stands out as the most memorable for how vicious he is and how SPOILER ALERT when the chips are down, Liam (unlike Carla's clients Antonio and Warren) doesn't pathetically spill his guts. Spoilers Over The only pure-hearted individual here is Jax, who quickly shows he's not like Carla's other clients and is instrumental in helping Eve uncover the truth. In noteworthy minor characters, we have Detective Wilde and Serena. They're both character types seen in about 95% of all Lifetime movies: the snarky cop and the person with ties to the villain who the protagonist seeks out for help. But both are given likable personalities that keep them from feeling like cardboard cutout characters. Detective Wilde is fierce and on the ball while Serena is sympathetic in how scared she is that what she knows could get her killed. SPOILER ALERT When the climax sees Serena finally stand up to Carla, you'll definitely share in her satisfaction. Spoilers Over

Acting:

While the plot may be on the drab side of things, the main cast puts forth their best efforts. Pilot Paisley-Rose does well in her first Lifetime movie, as her endearing performance and emotive delivery during Eve's sadder moments are what keep her character from becoming insufferable. Laurie Fortier makes effortless work of portraying the cold-blooded Carla Preston while Chasty Ballesteros will quickly have you feeling pity for her partner-in-crime Isabella. Shannon Timberlake is charming as supportive roommate Shiann, as are Briana Cuoco and Tonya Kay as Serena and Detective Wilde. Secret Lives of College Escorts' director Ashley Jones makes use of Aunt Melanie's meager screentime to bring some sisterly/auntly warmth to her role while Matt Magnusson injects henchman Liam with a bit of a sadistic streak. While his performance isn't perfect, DJames Jones does solid enough work making Jax Thomas charming and shares easygoing chemistry with Paisley-Rose as Jax and Eve form a surprisingly wholesome bond.

This leaves Alex McKenna to join the rest of the unmemorable side players at the back of the class. Her acting isn't bad, but between Debra being such an inactive character whose few actions/lines of dialogue are incredibly generic, McKenna is given almost nothing to work with. And of those unmemorable side players, the only one who makes an impression is Phil Buckman (Isabella's married lover Antonio)--and that's just because of how notably robotic his delivery is.

Overall:

Much like the similarly titled The Secret Lives of College Freshmen, Secret Lives of College Escorts has a mostly solid cast whose efforts are confined within a formulaically written script. That being said, the story has enough drama to keep you invested from start to finish and the characters have enough flavor that they don't feel like a bunch of blank slates. There's even a surprise near the end of the film that just might make a few viewers gasp. Just don't go in expecting something that would make the Dean's List of Lifetime college thrillers.

Score: 6 out of 10 indefinite integrals.

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About the Creator

Trevor Wells

Aspiring writer and film lover: Lifetime, Hallmark, indie, and anything else that strikes my interest. He/him.

Link to Facebook

Twitter: @TrevorWells98

Instagram: @trevorwells_16

Email: [email protected]

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Comments (4)

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  • Canuck Scriber L.Lachapelle Author2 years ago

    Nice review again! I have so much movie watching catching up, glad for these reviews

  • Another home run! Seriously, you're really good at the reviews. Keep it up. This was great and you didn't give too much away.

  • I always enjoy reading your reviews as you put a good amount of detail and thought into what you are writing. You give a great details on the characters personalities.

  • Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago

    Awesome review, man!

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