His Double Life (TV Movie 2016) 3.7 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 3 min

 This SHOULD have been much better...

His Double Life (TV Movie 2016) 3.7 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 3 min

BASIC PLOT: 

A tragic accident stole Scarlett's (Cristine Prosperi) father, and the carefree happiness of her teenage years. She was still in high school when his brakes failed, one fateful evening. Now Scarlett's at Yale, and returning home for the first time since her mother's remarriage. Linda (Emmanuelle Vaugier), her mother, and Greg (Brian Krause), her father's business partner, became close after she left for college. Scarlett cares about her mother's happiness, but believes the pair rushed into things. Now, she's coming home for the first time since the marriage, and has mixed feelings about her return. Even though her mother's contentedness is important to her, there was always something about Greg she didn't trust. That hasn't changed, now that she's home, or rather at Greg's luxurious estate.

Scarlett notices Greg's odd comings and goings, at strange hours of the day and night. His business is preparing for a huge software launch, but that wouldn't account for his sneaking out at three in the morning. Scarlett decides to do some investigating on her own. She gets Greg's recent destinations from his car GPS, and she follows him to some strange woman's house. The news the next day, says the woman was found murdered, and is believed to be a Russian spy. Now, Scarlett is beginning to wonder if Greg is not only hiding something, but also dangerous. One discovery leads to another, and after finding a false wall in the garage, Scarlett learns "Greg" is a false name. She also discovers a flashdrive, with a code hidden on it. Can Scarlett uncover Greg's secret intentions in time to save her family, and her country?

WHAT WORKS: 

*THE ACTING IS DECENT Brian Krause, Emmanuelle Vaugierand Cristine Prosperi all do a decent job with what they have to work with. Unfortunately, Jeffrey Schenck and Peter Sullivan, the writers, didn't give them much.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: 

*WHY IS SCARLETT SUSPICIOUS OF HER NEW STEPDAD? It doesn't make any sense! He works in computers, it's eight days untill a big launch, I'd expect he'd be busy, and working late. So, why is Scarlett suspicious enough to go through his GPS? She keeps telling everyone she's not twelve, but then she acts like it, when her mother gets remarried.

*WHY DOES HER FRIEND CARE IS SHE SNOOPS? I don't get why Scarlett went snooping to begin with, but women tend to trust other women's intuition. I don't think her friend would try to dissuade her, maybe she'd be indifferent, maybe she'd encourage her, but I doubt she'd actively say, "I don't trust your judgment". As the movie goes on, she becomes more and more defensive, why? That just makes Darcy (Kati Salowsky) a terrible friend, and an unlikable character. No one wants to watch crappy, uninteresting friends, who don't help their "bestie", when she's in need.

*SHOULDN'T DARCY CARE IF SCARLETT'S UNCOVERED A SPY RING? I know kids these days don't know about much, (except their TikTok feeds), but shouldn't Darcy care about Scarlett's discoveries? The press has released the possiblity of a spy ring, discovered by the FBI, and this fits the bill. Don't they have a duty to their country, to report it?

*SCARLETT'S DAD ISN'T WEARING A SEATBELT He's driving down the road, not wearing a seatbelt, before he crashes. All modern cars have an alarm, that dings incessantly untill you put the seatbelt on, there's no alarm heard.

*HOW DOES SCARLETT GET INTO GREG'S PHONE? How does Scarlett get around the code or the biometrics on Greg's phone? Scarlett downloads a tracker on Greg's phone, how does she get into his phone to do this, and how does his high tech security, not catch it? He works in computers, on "sensitive" data, he'd catch a tracker on his phone.

*IF GREG IS AN INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY, HE'D FEEL THE TAIL Scarlett is tailing Greg too close, and with only one car. Anyone trained in counter-espionage tactics, would pick that up quickly.

*THE DIALOG AND DELIVERY IS LACKLUSTER AND PEDESTRIAN This reminds me of a high school play, and it would be good for a high school drama production. But this is not high school, this is national television, and Peter Sullivan, the writer and director, should have known better.

*SCARLETT BREAKS INTO A CRIME SCENE, AND ONCE AGAIN, ACCESSES A LOCKED PHONE Scarlett being able to go in through a window, at the location of a recent murder, is laughable. The fact that the police left a vital piece of evidence behind, like a phone, is also laughable. These are all ridiculous plot devices, and completely disdainful to the audience. However, having Scarlett be able to open a phone, belonging to a potential spy, by just swiping it, is INSULTING TO THE VIEWERS INTELLIGENCE! It also takes it down a full star, for the writer's (Jeffrey Schenck and Peter Sullivan) impudence.

*WHY IS SCARLETT EATING TOP RAMEN? No one eats Top Ramen if they don't have to, and people living in multi-million dollar houses, wouldn't even have it in the pantry. Also, she's a health nut, running everyday, that's not what you would eat if you were health conscience.

*HOW DOES GREG GET AWAY FROM HIS FAMILY TO GO BACK AND HANDLE BILLY? Greg is recognized, and called by another name, by a man named Billy. Greg and his family were leaving a restaurant, and going to get ice cream, as Billy and his date were going in. How does Greg get away from his family, and their ice cream plans, in time to go back and deal with Billy, by the time Billy and his date are leaving the restaurant (dinner usually takes about an hour)?

*SCARLETT FINDS BLOOD, LEFTOVER FROM BILLY'S ATTACK, IN GREG'S GARAGE It's been at least 12-16 hours, but the blood is still wet and fresh. Also, if I was Scarlett, and this suspicious, I wouldn't go stick my fingers in it, I'd collect it with a paper towel, and put it in a baggie. Doesn't she watch CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)?

*WHY DOES NO ONE CALL THE POLICE? Both Scarlett and Darcy have crucial information relating to the security of the United States, and NEITHER OF THEM CAN BE BOTHERED TO CALL THE FREAKING POLICE OR FBI?!?! WHY, THE HELL NOT?? Why doesn't Scarlett tell the police when they come to the house to tell her about Darcy?

*PHONE TRACKERS DON'T HAVE A BLINKING LIGHT UNDER THE CELL PHONE CASE Who does this writer (Peter Sullivan) think we are, octogenarians or luddites? Kids change, or mod their cell cases all the freaking time! Does it make sense she wouldn't ever take the case off of her phone, and put a new one on? How is a phone tracker hidden, when it has a big, blinking light? C'mon!

*WOULD A SPY KEEP HIS MULTIPLE PASSPORTS AND DOCUMENTS IN A FIREBOX, A TEENAGE GIRL COULD BREAK INTO WITH ONE HIT OF A HAMMER? I think not.

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

*It's hard to recommend a movie that insults the audience. I hate to bring this up, again, but it seems like these male writers (I'm talking to you Peter Sullivan), don't respect female driven melodramas. When they write them, they do the bare minimum, leaving plot holes big enough for the whole movie to fall into. That's the case here. He seems to think it's more important for no one in the movie to have a hair out of place, (making it less authentic) than to have believable plot devices. It's sad, because this movie HAD potential. It has good actors, and a decent plot, but it's ruined by unbelievability, and the dry delivery of dialog. If you're a fan of made-for-tv movies, there are certainly worse ones out there, but there are better ones too. If you're a fan of Emmanuelle Vaugier, Brian Krause, or Cristine Prosperi, or a fan of Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969), and you have an hour and a half to waste, then you could do worse. Understand, that's not a ringing endorsement, and you might want to just try Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969) instead.

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. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.