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"Tallhotblond" review by Suzanne
Premieres Saturday, June 23 8/7c on Lifetime

This is a really sleazy story, but unfortunately it's pretty much all true. The performances are great, and the story moves along well. My only criticism would be that they sort of give away the ending at the very beginning. I guess they think it's kind of foreshadowing or a tease, but I think it would have been better if they had left it until the end. It would have been more of a shocker.

Garrett Dillahunt ("Raising Hope") stars as this creepy middle-aged guy, Thomas, who works at some plant in the midwest. His best friend is this younger guy, Brian, who is taking classes and hopes to leave the plant for a better life. Thomas' wife is Carol (Laura San Giacomo, whom they had to make look frumpy). They have two beautiful daughters, and from all accounts, they are a typical midwestern family.

Thomas is a good dad and is very involved in his daughters' activities, even coaching their swim team.  He and his wife seem to work hard and love each other, but they are getting older and more tired, and they don't have much sex any more.  Thomas goes out to play poker with Brian and some other guys at the plant one night a week. Then they invite him to play online poker with him. This is where it starts to get interesting. I thought maybe we would see that Thomas got a gambling addiction or something, but instead he meets up with this girl, Katie, online. She is young and pretty, so he lies that he is, too. He tells her that he's a soldier headed to Afghanistan. They start up an online romance.

This happens in real life a lot. I know a married couple that this happened to, in fact. What makes this story worse than your average martial affair, online or otherwise, is that Thomas has a screw loose and does some terrible things, and Katie is also not normal, either.

The actors do a fantastic job. The story has some good twists in it. Courtney Cox directs the movie and also has a small part as Carol's work friend.  I didn't know it was her for sure at first because she, too, looks "normal", is not wearing much make-up.

You can read about the real story here. I would suggest you watch the movie first, though. It's very good, and chilling.

More Information:

COURTENEY COX DIRECTS AND PRODUCES LIFETIME ORIGINAL MOVIE TALL HOT BLONDE

Film Starring GARRET DILLAHUNT and LAURA SAN GIACOMO in

Tantalizing True Story about the Dangers of Online Affairs to Premiere June 23

LOS ANGELES, CA (May 29, 2012) – Golden Globe® nominee Courteney Cox (Cougar Town, Friends) goes behind the camera and into the director’s chair, marking her longform directorial debut, in the Lifetime Original Movie Tall Hot Blonde, premiering Saturday, June 23, 2012, at 8:00PM ET/PT. Distributed by Sony Pictures Television and based on a true story, Tall Hot Blonde follows the life of Thomas Montgomery (Garret Dillahunt, Raising Hope, No Country for Old Men), a married father of two young daughters who gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man. Cox also appears in the original movie.

Thomas Montgomery, a middle-aged, hard-working family man, finds reprieve from his humdrum life by playing online poker with his buddies. During one of his poker games, he receives an invitation to chat with an 18-year-old girl with the screen name, “Talhotblond.” Introducing himself as a younger U.S. Marine “Tommy,” they begin an online relationship that quickly develops into a sexual obsession. Sensing Thomas’ emotional distance and detachment, his wife Carol (Laura San Giacomo, Just Shoot Me, Pretty Woman) unearths her husband’s cyber affair and puts an end to it by revealing to “Talhotblond” that he is not who claims to be, but in reality a married father of two. Infuriated and betrayed by his lies, “Talhotblond” begins to flirt online with Thomas’ co-worker, Brian (Brando Eaton, Dexter, The Secret Life of the American Teenager), leading to jealousy and, ultimately, murder. This shocking true story reveals how easily the line between virtual reality and the truth can be blurred when hiding behind a keyboard online.

Tall Hot Blonde is produced by Motion Picture Corporation of America in association with Silver Screen Pictures and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. It is executive produced by Brad Krevoy (Emmy and Golden Globe-winning Taking Chance) Alexandre Coscas and Francisco Gonzalez and is directed by Courteney Cox. Trent Haaga (Damage Control) wrote the screenplay which is based on the documentary "talhotblond" by Barbara Schroeder.

ABOUT LIFETIME

Lifetime Television is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. The network posted major growth in viewership among the key demographics in First Quarter 2012 versus First Quarter 2011, including a 9% jump in Adults 25-54, +12% with Women 25-54, +14% with Adults 18-49 and +18% with Women 18-49. In addition, the quarter marks the first time Lifetime has posted First Quarter year-on-year growth for Adults 25-54, Women 25-54 and Women 18-49 in seven years. Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime Digital™ are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group, Hearst Corporation and NBC Universal.

Interview with Laura San Giacomo

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