Jaclyn Smith, arguably the most beautiful of Charlie's Angels--though not especially the best actress of the bunch--goes the 'abused wife' route in this undernourished made-for-TV movie. She's a young woman who, after two dates with a single dad/narcotics officer/ex-bodybuilder, decides to move into his house and act as best friend to his miserable daughter. Brad Johnson is the widower who is described as sweet and gentle, yet we can see from the get-go that he's overly-intense and a little dangerous. One comment from a friend about his shrinking muscles has Johnson injecting himself in the bathroom and popping pills, all of which hopes to explain his violent behavior towards Smith, but I didn't buy it. As presented, this telefilm is lopsided and badly handled. Johnson's character is clearly a handful even before Jaclyn marries him, and her character's stupidity in falling for his little-boy tricks is a turn-off for the audience. Although based on a true story, this tale of possible vengeance follows a tried-and-true pattern; nothing which comes out of it is remotely surprising or enlightening. It exists only to exploit the problem of spousal abuse--and to give Smith a meaty acting role.
Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story
(1994 TV Movie)
Grueling "based on a true story" garbage...
5 March 2009