Simply Perfect

Let's be realistic.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

****I REPEAT: THIS DOES CONTAIN A SPOILER****I don't have much of a review on this movie... Honestly I did get a little confused when I was watching this movie. I just find it odd that in the end of the movie when he is supposed to have handcuffs on... you can clearly see that he is holding the cuffs in his hands. One side of the handcuffs is closed in his left hand.. and the other side of them are laying open in his right. Yet, there are no goofs listed on here for this movie! I would say that it really isn't a big deal, but it's so obvious that everyone watching the movie with me saw it at the same time? For me, that's just a little too much of a goof.

he is consistently underrated. While this film is a bit choppy, and relevant themes within Smith's family are left unexplored; Arkin gives a believable, chilling and intriguing performance.He portrays John David Smith- the true story of an engineer who also happens to be a sociopath. We see him relocate to New Jersey, with his new wife, who is then disposed of. Her daughter and sister, portrayed by Kelli Williams and Amy Madigan, respectively, attempt to solve the mystery of John Smith. What happened and why? The writer may have included more history, especially regarding Smith's mother, the apparent dysfunctional family in Indiana, and some of Smith's other encounters with women.The last TV movie which had a good male performer in this type of role was Gary Cole, as Capt. Jeffrey MacDonald. (Another case of a sociopath responsible for his family's violent murder.) While this film was not a stand-out; Adam Arkin was excellent, and should be in more leading male roles (I confess I have liked him since Chicago Hope, as Dr. Aaron Shutt).At any rate, you will be interested in this story. Perhaps the director and writer can team up with Arkin once again, in a similar project. It is interesting to see older, intelligent and charismatic actors playing roles other than doctors, attorneys or principals.

Lifetime seriously hyped this movie for weeks prior to its premier. I persuaded myself that this thriller would be more than the patented, formulaic flick that is standard for a Lifetime thriller. And there have been excellent thrillers on this channel: Ladies Night is a good, if rare, example, and features a first rate performance by Paul Michael Glaser. Alas, my hopes were dashed. This film, about a sociopathic murderer of a succession of wives, lacks dynamics, tension and narrative flow. It is the visual equivalent of an essay outlining this (based-on-a-true) story. What we get is flat story telling, with no depth or energy.At the core of the film's many flaws is Adam Arkin's comatose performance as the sociopath. The character is described as lacking in conscience and emotion. He apparently suffers from a kind of Asperger's Syndrome, unable to experience or understand others' inner life. The character is thus without depth, a bit lifeless and, as is acknowledged in the film, therefore plain boring. But an actor playing a flat, shallow and boring character must not give a flat, shallow and boring performance. And there lies the challenge to the actor. Arkin sinks to the challenge. There is virtually no variation in his facial expressions, and he is vocally monotonous. Every actor knows that playing an intensely bad or evil character can be fun. Classic examples are Al Lettieri in the original The Getaway, and Christopher Plummer in The Silent Partner. You can't take your eyes off those villains. A serious baddie can be given both nuance and depth and texture by a skilled actor. Arkin seems to lack the chops of a good actor, and his performance is accordingly as dull as dishwater.In all fairness, I must admit that I have found all of Arkin's work similarly bland, energyless and lacking in range.This pic was a huge disappointment.

This film is highly predictable but is most interesting for the sullen performance by Adam Arkin. He is so glib that it's hard to believe that he is a sociopath and has killed his two wives.We know he is guilty but the plot here is how is going to be revealed as the killer?Unfortunately, for him, his second wife, Fran, came from a close tightly-knit family. Daughter Kelli Williams and sister, portrayed by Amy Madigan, team up to play sleuths. They do a completely thorough job in tracing phone bills made by John Smith. (Arkin) The bills reveal that he has a girlfriend in another state. Where were the police?Ladies, don't jump into marriage. Smith came from a purely dysfunctional family. Sadly, their inaction led to the second death.