This is a very interesting movie, especially if you don't
read first what it's about. It will kind of spoil it for you
if you know what the "subject" is. A young troubled teen,
Jillian (Camille Cregan) gets taken in by this family that
she knows. Her mom is a drug addict. One of the children in
the family, Melanie (Meaghan Martin) is very sick, and
Jillian helps the family take care of her. Then when the
girl dies, Jillian starts noticing some odd things. I don't
want to go into too much detail, but you will recognize the
main "illness" from watching many medical shows like ER or
House.
Helen Slater stars as the dying girl's mom, Cheryl, who
takes in the troubled teen. She is quite a good actress,
especially since she is not supposed to give too much away
at first. Let's just say, there are drastic changes and she
gets to show a lot of different sides. She is a far
under-rated actress and has come a long way since her days
in the 80's when she was a pretty young thing! :)
There are lots of great actors in the movie, many that I
recognize from the soaps. The actor who plays Scott, the dad
(Patrick Fabian), has been in tons of shows. The young girls
also do a great job. If you ever watched the soaps, you will
recognize Matthew Ashford, who played Jack on "Days of Our
Lives" until they killed him off last year (as well as many
other soaps) in a very small role. Also in that same scene
with him is Lesli Kay, who has been on many soaps as well.
Veteran actress Beverly D'Angelo also has a small role as a
judge. James Eckhouse is another veteran actor, and he plays
a larger role as the doctor. You will probably recognize him
from one of his dozens of roles, most notably from "Beverly
Hills 90210".
It's an intriguing movie, and unlike many Lifetime movies,
it doesn't drag. It moves along quite nicely and has many
surprises, including the ending. It is not predictable. I
enjoyed it a lot. It's a great thrill ride.
Read my interview
with star Helen Slater!
MORE INFORMATION:
The new Lifetime movie, The Good Mother, stars Helen Slater
("Supergirl," "The Lying Game,") former Disney star, Meaghan Murphy
("10 Things I Hate About You"), model and newcomer, Camille Cregan
with a cameo by Beverly D'Angelo. The Good Mother is a drama that
deals with a rare form of child abuse - Munchausen by proxy syndrome
(MBPS) and premieres on Saturday, June 8 at 8pm/ET/PT.
THE GOOD MOTHER STARRING HELEN SLATER PREMIERES
ON LIFETIME JUNE 8
Story deals with a woman suffering from MUNCHAUSEN BY PROXY SYNDROME
(MBPS) a relatively rare form of child abuse that involves the
fabrication of an illness or symptoms usually by a parent or
caregiver.
MBPS is a mental illness and requires treatment.
The Good Mother, a drama dealing with a woman suffering from
Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome (MBPS), stars Helen Slater, Meghan
Martin, Camille Cregan, Patrick Fabian and Beverly D´Angelo, will
premiere Saturday, June 8 at 8pm/ET/PT on Lifetime.
When a troubled teen, Jillian, (Cregan, model/newcomer) is arrested
for shoplifting and her mother is nowhere to be found, she is taken
in by the well respected family of her best friend Melanie, (Martin,
"10 Things I Hate About You," "Mean Girls 2") and starts to rebuild
her life. When Melanie dies after a long illness, Jillian discovers
that Melanie´s mother (Slater, "Supergirl," "The Lying Game") caused
the death by making her sick and now her younger sibling is starting
to have similar symptoms.
Jillian must fight to save the life of the young child and face the
fact that the only mother figure she has ever known in her life is a
murderer.
The Good Mother is a Check Entertainment Production produced by John
Constantine,
Michael Amato and Richard Gabai. The film was directed by Richard
Gabai.
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