I AM WATCHING YOU (TV Movie 2016) 6 out of 10 ⭐

 Another Successful Outing For Brian Ames...

I AM WATCHING YOU (TV Movie 2016) 6 out of 10 ⭐

BASIC PLOT: 

Nora Nichols (Madeline Zima) is an old fashioned girl, who's trying to find her inner vixen. She's always been a homebody, which is why she broke up with her last boyfriend. She's decided to be more adventurous, maybe even sow some wild oats. Nora has had some success in her life, writing online romance novels, but now she needs inspiration. She's can see right into her hot neighbor's bedroom window, and she often fantasizes about what she sees. Her online books are popular, and have attracted the attention of a book publisher (Lesley-Anne Down). They agree to publish her book, if she can come up with new material, and fast. She agrees, but needs some titillation. One night, her neighbor gets "locked out" of his apartment, and the flirtation begins. His name is Lucas Wheeler (Brian Ames), he's a photographer, and even more gorgeous up close. Soon, Lucas is making every one of her fantasies come true. Her book is writing itself, and she's finally coming out of her shell. She's made it clear to Lucas, she's not looking for anything serious, and he says he understands. But he seems to becoming more and more possessive, as their relationship progresses. Then one night, Nora sees a photo of a missing woman in Lucas's dark room. She's probably just one of his models, but Nora decides to slow things down. She has a tight deadline, and Lucas can't seem to take no for an answer. After she's comes home one night and finds him in her apartment, she decides enough is enough. She realizes, maybe too late, the only thing she knows about him is his exquisite anatomy. Can Nora untangle herself from this dangerous and passionate affair, before it consumes them both?

WHAT WORKS: 

*WOMEN'S SEXUALITY IS WELL REPRESENTED, WHILE MEN'S IS TRODDEN ON. On the one hand, it's good to see an accurate portrayal of female sexuality, and everything Nora says about how we've modified female sexuality to be in line with men's wants and needs, is true. However, this movie is a good example, of women's preconceptions of what men's sexuality is supposed to be. Women tend to believe all men would be happy with a purely sexual relationship, and feelings wouldn't be involved. That's not true for men or women, who have a normal love map. If you spend lots of intimate time with another person, of either gender, you're likely to have some feelings, even if it's not love. No one should use anyone just for sex, it's wrong on a million levels, mostly to yourself.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: 

*WHY WOULD YOU PUT ON HEADPHONES, and leave your phone where you can't see it, when you're expecting company? That makes no sense, especially since she lives in a locked building.

*WHY DO WOMEN THROW AWAY FLOWERS FROM MEN THEY DON'T LIKE? Who cares!? It's not the flowers fault! They are still beautiful, so why not keep them? It's a stupid plot device, I think should be abandoned. It would have worked better if he'd given her a framed picture of the two of them, he is a photographer after all. She could have thrown that out, and made the same point.

*WHO IS THE GUY THEY ARE GETTING TO DO THE VOICE OVER ON THESE TRAILERS? Without his mismatched voice, this movie would have a decent trailer. But, unfortunately, he ruins it! He should be announcing cooking shows, NOT thrillers!

*STUPID COVER ART! Hard to read, the idea could have been rendered s-o-o-o-o much better! 

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: 

*I would definitely recommend this movie to fans of TV thrillers, and to women in general. It is a made-for-tv film, so it has limitations, but it is a fun ride. Brian Ames, who usually plays the good guy, stretches himself here, with fine results. Madeline Zima plays the sexually frustrated bookworm to perfection. However, I agree with Unobtainium13's review, in which she said about the character Nora's writing, "her writing sounded like second-rate 50 Shades of Grey fanfic". If your story is about a successful writer, and your going to read the audience her work, it needs to be just as believable as the rest of your story. If you're not comfortable with that genre, go find some of Anne Rice's erotica, and learn what real sensual writing should sound like. 

CLOSING NOTES: 

*THIS IS A MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE FILM, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.