‘She’s Obsessed With My Husband’ Review: A Campy And Predictable Lifetime Thriller
Like the SyFy Network, Lifetime has long embraced its reputation as a purveyor of campy schlock. Both networks are notorious for putting out ridiculous films with outrageous setups, campy acting, and predictable storylines. In the network’s defense, Lifetime has made strides toward harder-hitting programming in the last 15 years. But the network executives still know on which side their bread is buttered. And She’s Obsessed With My Husband is proof positive of exactly that. This outrageous made-for-TV chiller leans into campy melodrama while embroiling its cast in outlandish situations sure to induce a chorus of groans and eye rolls.
She’s Obsessed With My Husband follows Daisy (Aryè Campos) and her husband, Garrett (Matthew Pohlkamp). The pair have been together since high school and are now living their best California lives. After roughly 20 years together, their bond appears stronger than ever. That is, until one of their former classmates, Violet (Alissa Filoramo), moves in next door. Violet and Garrett dated briefly in high school, and while Garrett hadn’t thought of her in years, Violet never forgot her first love. In fact, her feelings for him have only grown stronger (and more dangerous) in the time since they graduated.
I don’t think anyone will be shocked to hear me say that She’s Obsessed with My Husband is not necessarily a good movie in the conventional sense. It’s very formulaic and clearly pandering to fans of campy melodrama. But within those confines, I have to give the film credit for managing to be surprisingly enjoyable.
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Writer David Chester scripts a teleplay that hits all the right notes for this sort of affair. In fact, he serves up a number of my favorite tropes and some I didn’t even know I needed. For reference, you can look forward to the following: Unrequited love, poisoned pie, an imaginary boyfriend, attempted murder with a necktie, wire fraud, longing glances, amateur sleuthing by a minor, automotive tampering, a secret makeover, aggressive pot-stirring with criminal intent, violent outbursts, wrongful imprisonment, gratuitous vomiting, drugged coffee, falsified claims of infertility, and several instances of awkward eye contact.
Like his screenwriter counterpart, director Doug Campbell clearly understands his audience. On that basis, he seems to be encouraging the core cast to revel in the ridiculous. That is especially true for Alissa Filoramo. She is delightfully unhinged in her portrayal of Violet. Filoramo has some of the best lines in the film and seems to be enjoying the chance to play a delightfully disturbed character. In one exceptionally dramatic sequence, she sits by her window with a glass of wine and watches the aftermath of her handiwork play out next door.
Although Filoramo steals the show, the rest of the cast isn’t too shabby. Matthew Pohlkamp is a smart choice to play chiseled zaddy Garrett. He gifts viewers with multiple shirtless sequences, including one where he aggressively dumps water over his head like an MTV video vixen from the ‘80s. And did I mention he has a shirtless car-washing montage? Swoon. Stellar performance. Maybe that’s an overstatement. But I was impressed, nonetheless.
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My one complaint is that it takes Daisy and Garrett far too long to question Violet’s intentions. Sure, we can play along and suspend our disbelief in the name of fun. But it’s insane for no one to truly start to consider that Violet is the common denominator until two-thirds of the way through the film. That leaves a lot of opportunities for tension building on the table and serves as a potential point of audience frustration. But then again, no one watches these movies for the tight scripts and realistic scenarios.
On the whole, She’s Obsessed with My Husband is campy fun. It’s certainly not a great movie. But it delivers almost everything a person could want from a Lifetime original. Anyone looking for a schlocky and melodramatic affair that eagerly leans into well-worn tropes is sure to find something to enjoy here.
If you’re curious to check the flick out, you’re in luck. She’s Obsessed with My Husband is now available on demand for Lifetime subscribers.
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‘She’s Obsessed With My Husband’
Summary
‘She’s Obsessed With my Husband’ will appeal to lovers of nonsensical schlock.
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