Stalked at 17 (2012)

For the first time, I agree with the current rating of which I gave a 7 mainly because of the lead actor(Chuck Hittinger) in the role of Chad. I felt despite the poor casting of Jamie Luner & Linda Purl, two of the finest actresses in Hollywood, Hittinger's performance "saved" what otherwise is weak writing and casting, especially Taylor Spreitler. Hittinger, one of the best young actors, as with "Bad Tutor", again was worth watching. His acting skills shine through and was well cast in the role, the type of which he's best suited. I always enjoy watching his movies, most of which tend to be full of suspense and thrilling! He is very capable of "carrying" any movie as a lead!!

If you are a fan of a good Lifetime thriller, then this is the movie for you. It is filled to the brim with enough paternity drama, kidnapping, unexpected pregnancy, mother/daughter bonding, and adoption issues to keep you thoroughly entertained for it's brief 90 minutes. Stalked At 17, naturally based on true events, tells the story of high school student Angela who falls for 21-year-old Chad. Chad, abandoned by his drug-addict mother, when he was four years old, has a great deal of family issues to sort out, and is clearly in no position to be starting a family of his own. When Angela becomes pregnant with Chad's child, all hell breaks loose, as Chad's aggression begins to show. Angela's parents naturally pull her away from him, only making matters worse. Will Angela and her infant son survive this disturbing affair? You'll have to check out Stalked At 17 to find out. While the film may not be perfect in every regard, it is certainly an entertaining hour and a half, with very good performances throughout. Taylor Spreitler, who plays Angela, gives a very authentic feel to her adolescent angst, and is a very likable heroine. My favorite characters in the film however were Angela's mom, played by Amy Pietz, and Chad's adopted mom, played by Linda Purl. The films best moments are shared between these two women interacting in the hopes of protecting their children. Chuck Hittinger plays Chad's level of crazy obsession very well, although occasionally he goes a bit overboard. But this certainly does not take away from the enjoyment of the film. Overall, Stalked At 17, is an engaging tale of regret, obsession, and deceit, with Angela and Chad both playing for keeps. If you're a fan of suspenseful Lifetime movies, you will definitely enjoy this one.

There's a lot of fluff in the media right now, stuff which is just meant to entertain and nothing more. Is there anything wrong with that? No. But we often lose sight of what the media, film in this case, can do -- be entertaining and provide a good, strong message to a relevant audience. Stalked at 17 does a fantastic job of driving home very important points and relevant subject matter to its target audience. The actors' portrayals of their characters (Taylor Spreitler and Chuck Hittinger, who you'll recognize from Melissa & Joey and Pretty Little Liars, respectively) are spot on, something young women and men can identify with. The actors' who played the parents are also fantastic, driving home just how much turmoil can be stirred up in the situations of teenage pregnancy and, in a case such as this, a crazy boyfriend. Speaking of which -- crazy he is. Really crazy. But the interesting aspect of the character as written in this script, and as portrayed by Mr. Hittinger, is that he is also relatable. Relatable in kidnapping and stalking? Not to a majority of the audience, of course. Relatable in that he is obsessive? Yes. Relatable in that he had a bad childhood and desperately wants to make up for it? Yes. Relatable that he is going about everything all wrong? Yes. A lot of young men do. There is a reason for his madness, one many people have dealt with in their own ways. And for this reason, he stays away from the moustache-twirling douche bag one might expect. The ending of the movie leaves a little to be desired, but one of the last scenes if of the girl holding her baby, who will now grow up without its real father in most of its life. Sad. But not exactly fantasy.

She just turned 17 and after a brief encounter with a 21 year old, she finds herself pregnant, but certainly not alone.The oddity of this story is that the father of the baby persists that he wants to handle everything. The problems begin when her parents totally reject him and he begins stalking our young lady.His real mother, a convicted felon, adds plenty to the story with those evil eyes that she possesses. She is very scary and intimidating. However, she does know the score. A sidebar to this story is that when she went to prison, the woman whose house she cleaned, a councilwoman who went on to divorce, adopted the young boy as her own.It just shows you the heredity factor here in that the young man is so emotionally unbalanced to say the least.