Life has been busy lately and I'm afraid I haven't been able to watch many movies, which means I've also been neglecting this blog a bit. But tonight I had a chance to light some candles, draw a nice hot bath, and watch some Lifetime (aka television for women.) Just kidding about the first two, but I did watch a Lifetime movie (hanging head in shame.) As much as it pains me to admit it, this was not my first, or my second, or third -- I pretty much lost count a long time ago. Lifetime is a guilty pleasure of mine, and even better is its sister station, the Lifetime Movie Network, where it's all made-for-tv movies all the time. Now, in my defense, it's not as if I go out of my way to watch these films. It's usually a situation where a) There's nothing better to do or b) I start watching and then can't seem to bring myself to change the channel. Anyone who's ever watched a Lifetime movie can back me up here -- they do seem to suck you in. There seem to be three formulas at work: the true-life drama, the false-life drama, or the completely ridiculous comedy. My favorites are the comedies, because sometimes the plots just get so nuts, you have to admire them for going there. You know how all the great Oscar-worthy films get released around Christmas? Well, if there were an awards show coming up for silly Lifetime movies, here are a few doozies I saw back in December that would be up for the honors:
1. Eve's Christmas: A few days before Christmas, a young woman, played by Elisa Donovan, makes a wish and wakes up 8 years in the past to rethink the decision she made when she left her fiance on Christmas Eve to follow her career in New York City. (I liked this movie better the first time I saw it, when it was called "The Family Man" with Nicholas Cage.)
2. Road to Christmas: Jennifer Grey stars as a woman who hitches a ride across the country to get to her Christmas Eve wedding in Aspen. In a fully predictable twist, she ends up falling for the guy driving her, but it all works out because her fiance turns out to be gay. (Sure ladies, hitch-hiking with strangers could be dangerous...or you could live happily ever after. Worth the gamble?)
3. Secret Santa: A newspaper reporter, played by Jennie Garth, tries to uncover the identity of "Secret Santa" a kind soul who grants a Christmas wish to one lucky person in need every year. As the tagline says, she discovers that "the best gift to open is your heart." (Such a lame movie, but I did find myself sticking it out to the end because I wanted to find out who Secret Santa was.)
4. 12 Men of Christmas: Kristen Chenoweth plays a New York City publicist who ends up in Montana helping some lumberjack-types make a shirtless hunk calendar to raise money for their emergency rescue program. No really, that's the actual plot. (Shameless Lifetime, absolutely shameless.)
That's just to name a few. There are countless Lifetime movies out there that are equally groan-inducing. Anyone want to share one of their favorites?
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