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Lifetime Review: 'The Secret Lives of College Freshmen'

Thanks to its decent pacing and overall solid casting, this Lifetime college thriller avoids flunking out.

By Trevor WellsPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
7

Synopsis:

Hannah Marks (Sarah Grey) has just started college with her best friend Jodie Mays (Raylene Harewood) and their first few days are great. Not only do they score a luxurious dorm room, but Hannah is eager to have her favorite author Andrew Hampton (Oliver Rice) as her English professor. But it's not long into the semester before they learn something horrifying: the last resident of their dorm was Amy Hines (Kimi Alexander), a student who fell out the window to her death. While it was initially ruled a tragic suicide, a video circulated around campus suggests Amy was actually murdered. When Hannah discovers Amy's diary and learns more about the events surrounding her death, she begins to wonder if Andrew--who she has become romantically entangled with--knows more about what happened than he claims. Once things go from bad to worse on campus, it's up to Hannah to uncover the truth before her freshman year comes to an untimely end.

Story:

It's a Lifetime murder mystery, and if you know enough about the genre, you should be able to piece it all together halfway through. The motivation behind Amy's murder and the other crimes that transpire might not be what you expect and the pace is steady enough to keep your interest. That being said, it doesn't completely make up for how by-the-book the movie's events are. You have the plucky protagonist who gets involved in the mystery by pure happenstance, the cryptic clues left behind by the victim, the pool of shady figures who act as suspects/red herrings, and a climax that sees the main character being chased around an isolated house by the knife-wielding villain. You've seen it all on Lifetime before and there's not enough flavor here to cover up how routine it all feels.

There's also an issue that arises from Hannah and her mother Nancy's third-act sleuthing. After Hannah's journalist mother finds out what's going on, she convinces Hannah that they need to figure out the truth themselves, on the grounds that Hannah would get in trouble with the police for withholding evidence. Considering Detective Phillips is shown to be compassionate and relatively on the ball as an investigator, it's perplexing as to how Nancy came to this line of thinking. You get the impression from Phillips that if Hannah just come clean about the evidence she found, he would've been understanding as to why it took her so long to come forward. Instead, by the time Hannah and Nancy do decide to go to the police, it's too little too late as the climax (which, while predictable, is still entertainingly intense) kicks in before that can happen.

Characters:

While some of them are still interesting in their own ways, the characters of The Secret Lives of College Freshmen are about as familiar as the story itself. In addition to inquisitive heroine Hannah, you have: her loving mother, her high-spirited best friend, her charming professor turned enigmatic lover, a tiny collection of suspects, and a few other bit characters involved with the college and/or the police investigation. Apart from the person who turns out to be the antagonist and Detective Phillips, none of the characters in those last two categories are all that noteworthy. Phillips is a refreshingly level-headed and competent detective while SPOILER ALERT Daisy is a deliciously deranged villainess. She's convincingly innocuous before her reveal as a scorned psychopath, and afterward, she revels in terrorizing Hannah as she uses Andrew's teachings and words of praise to taunt her. Considering Daisy hated Andrew for overlooking her (professionally, not romantically), this perfectly aligns with Daisy's characterization. Spoilers Over

As for the other high-profile roles, it's a mixed bag. While she's certainly a supportive mother, Nancy Marks doesn't make nearly as much of an impression as Hannah does. The same can be said for Andrew Hampton, whose eloquent charm semi-frequently dips into pompous posturing. And considering how the script can't seem to decide whether Hampton's an inspirational visionary or a sleazy predator, it's hard to tell whether or not this is the reaction the writers were going for. On the other hand, Hannah (in addition to being a realistic depiction of an aspiring writer) is a genuinely charming protagonist who you'll sympathize with more and more as the film goes on. Lastly, there's Hannah's childhood friend Jodie, a girl as lovable as she is energetic. As such, she'll grow on you as quickly as Hannah does.

Acting:

The cast is where The Secret Lives of College Freshman truly shines, as most of the primary characters are played by actors who know how to give them personality. Incredibly emotive and able to effortlessly make you like and empathize with Hannah, Sarah Grey is an excellent lead. Raylene Harewood matches wits with Grey as Hannah's sidekick Jodie, with the two actresses sharing authentic best friend chemistry. Oliver Rice more times than not sells Andrew Hampton as the kind of professor capable of attracting student admirers and Abby Ross gives Daisy the same kind of endearing energy that Harewood gives Jodie. SPOILER ALERT Ross uses that enthusiasm to effectively mask her character's true nature, and when it comes time for Daisy's venomous claws to come out, Ross is clearly having a blast putting them to use. Spoilers Over Lastly, we have Kendall Cross and John Cassini, both of whom give hit-or-miss performances as Nancy Marks and Detective Phillips respectively. They aren't bad per se, but they also don't breathe much life into their characters.

Overall:

If I were a professor, I'd give The Secret Lives of College Freshmen a solid C+. The story doesn't stray too far from the Lifetime murder mystery playbook and some other aspects of the movie are also left underdeveloped. But there are a few small but interesting deviations to be found and the action progresses at a speed that keeps things from growing too dull. The talents of Sarah Grey and some of her co-stars further make up for where this film's script falters. While this college thriller may not be top of the class, it has just enough appeal to make it a worthwhile watch if you don't have homework to do or papers to grade.

Score: 6 out of 10 gold-filtered cigarettes.

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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 (2)

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  • Mike Singleton - Mikeydred2 years ago

    I may get round to seeing it , love your reviews though I miss so many , and your scoring system is brilliant

  • Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago

    Great review of an amazing movie!

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