ThiefHott Too much of everything

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

twofortulip My take on this movie is not that of an Atwood fan. I never read the book. As to the movie, I missed the first part of it, but, unlike others, had no trouble following the plot. I liked the twists and turns.Zenia is a total user; so resentful of the "happy" lives of others that she enters a life, like that of Roz or Tony or Charis, and takes over an aspect: husband, child, or career. If it doesn't work for her she moves on leaving a mess behind. Along the way she makes herself unforgettable but unforgivable, apparently not. Here comes in the notion that the three women friends, for various reasons, will help Zenia despite her actions. As Zenia puts it she helped Roz's business, Charis' daughter, and Tony's career which flourished when her husband was lured away by Zenia. Why not help her, after all Zenia was the potential victim of a violent boyfriend who threatened murder and Zenia gave him a taste of the punishment had he actually killed her (though he never learns she is alive until she actually isn't.) Pretty cool idea.I really liked Shawn Doyle in the role of ex-cop John working to clear the accused boyfriend-cop, Henry. You're sure he is too strong to be over-powered by Zenia until he meets her. Then, he too nearly becomes a victim. But, in the end they all get their revenge. Roz asks: "Are we like her?" John's reply: "No, we're good." They became the only people who could stop her wickedness without adding John to her list of victims. Not perfect, (What movie is?) but I enjoyed it.

john_cberry Margaret Atwood novels have not fared well as movies because she is far more interested in ideas than stories. The Handmaid's Tale had such powerful ideas it wasn't surprising the movie version disappointed. I'm not sure if Atwood was trying to write a comic novel when she wrote Robber Bride or trying to get as close as she could to a mystery novel. As with so many of her efforts, she wasn't successful at either, but the quality of her work makes reading her worthwhile anyway. CBC was pretty daring even to try to turn the novel into a TV movie. They chose the easy way out and turned it into a comic thriller. It works as well as other comic thrillers, better than the recent CTV adaptations of detective novels. It is the acting by Mary-Louise Parker, Amanda Root and others which earned it an above-average rating for me. Maybe with more money they could have turned it into a good cinema film.

tkoriordan I have to admit, it is a little confusing at points and a little dumb at other points. Nevertheless, I though that it was a good little TV movie. I liked the suspense and the misdirection, and I liked how it was ambiguous at the end. It was well worth a Sunday evening.My only major criticism is that I don't think Mary-Louise Parker was that good. She coasted through the bulk of the movie, only to come out at the end as a brilliant mastermind. I didn't really buy it. The other actors were quite capable, and they managed to pull their parts together quite well. It is likely the supporting cast is not as good as Parker, which would make the acting quality unequal, but she really stuck out in this – and not in a good way.

eefrost It took a long time for me to get into this movie. But I stuck with it because there was nothing else on. I am glad I did, because after about 45 minutes I was intrigued, and then I found myself wanting to know what would happen next. Parts of the movie were predictable, even the ending was in a way. But there was a nice twist when something I expected to happen didn't happen. I still don't understand why the women did what they did, and we will be talking about it for a while. Which makes a good movie in the long run. That said, I doubt I will watch it again. I found the acting wooden in places, the direction rather staid, and the cinematography uninspired. But then, as a made for TV movie, it won't be expected to win any awards.