Simply Perfect

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Struggling single mom who has nightmares of a past abusive relationship starts dating a guy who's too good to be true. I normally don't watch these types of made-for-TV movies. I prefer the lighter ones, like romantic comedies and Christmas movies. But I like Sarah Lancaster so I decided to give this a shot. As I feared, it's not very good. All of the twists are telegraphed far in advance. I mean, the promos for this and every synopsis you find online gives out major plot elements anyway but assuming you went into this completely oblivious to all of that, I still think you'll figure everything in this movie out at least 20 minutes before the main character does. Also they hammered home how hard up she is financially to the point that it became kind of annoying. In the first half-hour they couldn't go a full scene without this chick reminding someone that she's broke as a joke. And yet she lives in a nice house, drives a nice car, wears nice clothes, etc. It was unbelievable. Oh and the Value Mart conversation between her and her friend was hilarious to me. I think this was supposed to make us relate to Sarah's character and think "Wow, this woman has to shop at discount stores! She's like people!" It's pretty funny. The acting by all involved ranges from terrible to adequate. It's not like the material is challenging but I guess people strike out in softball, too. On a superficial note, Sarah is stunningly beautiful and Natalia Cigliuti is pretty easy on the eyes, too. So there's that.

Beautifully-figured insurance agent Sarah Lancaster (as Gwendolyn "Gwen" Griffith) suffers from nightmares due to abusive old relationship. A single mom, she lives in Houston, Texas with outspoken six-year-old son Logan Lindholm (as Alec). Felled by a flat tire, Ms. Lancaster receives help from preachy passerby Drew Waters (as Ed Baker). The two begin a whirlwind romance, but Mr. Waters withholds some information...Also involved is sneaky co-worker Natalia Cigliuti (as Sidney) and agile private investigator Bryan Mitchell (as David Wyatt)...Since there is a high level of implausibility, they should have gone all he way and had mother Eleese Lester (as Ellen) uncover a secret, and pay with her life. She could have been given a health ailment, like a weak heart. "The Preacher's Mistress" is a perfectly cast, nicely directed (by Michelle Mower) and engaging TV movie. Alas, this one seems to have been rushed through post-production without ironing out some problems.***** The Preacher's Mistress (11/2.13) Michelle Mower ~ Sarah Lancaster, Drew Waters, Natalia Cigliuti, Bryan Mitchell

This movie is a delightful addition to my favorite Lifetime category which I lovingly call "Get The Bitch." It's when the lead actress finally does something so stupid that you're compelled to start rooting for the villain. This time it's when our lonely lovely is distraught enough to confront her bad-beau at his church - an idea so terrible that she then deserves everything that happens afterward - as well as before.To be clear, this movie was quite enjoyable overall as a good many of the movies in the "genre" are. A woman with a young boy becomes a damsel in slight distress and is befriended by a a man who, quite naturally, becomes her boyfriend. Of course, nothing is what it seems to her, even though we know exactly what's happening. If the title itself doesn't offer enough of a clue, "The Preacher's Mistress" is soon over her head with enough problems to last a lifetime - possibly quite literally.But while her naiveté and stupidity are actually very believable, the ending isn't, and as a viewer, that's distressing because the final scene of endangerment could have easily been done, say, as an attempt to stage suicide, with our poor mistress being saved in a nick of time by the private investigator her mother had hired to follow the no-good boyfriend.Instead, we got a preposterous denouement in which the investigator had to be idiotic enough, not to mention close enough, to allow it all to happen before our drugged heroine saves both herself and P.I. guy. Then, throw in an instant romance and roll credits.

I don't think I really have any major spoilers in this review, but to be on the safe side I have given a warning--as perhaps someone who has not seen the film might not want to know even this much in advance.This film is definitely a modern day tale--with a single, unmarried mother with a young son, struggling to try to meet the bills.The story actually starts out pretty good.Gwen works for an ins. agency, she has a mother she considers too controlling, a best female friend at the office, and she's trying to better herself by taking an on-line real estate course. In the meantime, she can't meet her mortgage. However, she refuses to consider selling the house and moving into something she could actually afford. How she was ever able to afford such an affluent house in the first place remains a mystery.Then one day, out of the blue, she has a flat tire and this nice looking man happens along and changes the tire for her. Soon they're involved in a romance. Only he isn't who he seems, neither is another character in the storyline.The problem is the writer gets a little too clever with the tale and it ends up being rather unbelievable. We also have no way out for the heroine beyond the villain spilling their guts--which I've always considered to be weak writing.We also conveniently manage to come up with a new, albeit sudden romance for the heroine by the end of the film.4 stars