The Perfect Wife (2001)

In THE PERFECT WIFE, Lesley Anne Down stars as a divorcée whose ex-husband has married a gal half his age and with something more in mind than matrimony. Turns out the new wife is seeking revenge in the death of her brother, and she believes the doctor had something to do with his death. Down starts to figure things out about halfway through, but no one will listen to her. Perry King plays the doctor, and Shannon Sturges is the new wife. No one exactly knocks themselves out in the acting department, and the plot tends to drag. Save this one for a rainy night. If you're me, you sometimes watch these things to see how much a given actor has aged.

Although this film wasn't too bad, i must admit that it was too predictable for my liking. The only actor i liked was Lesley-Anne Down, but her character was a little too bland and her outfits terrible. Still, without her in it i would not have watched it. Shannon Sturgess gives and okay performance, although i think Perry King could have been twenty times better. I think the directors attempts to create atmosphere fell slightly flat. If i could change on thing it would be that the ending of the movie is more eventful, have more action or emotion in it. Overall i;d give it a 5 as i didn't turn it off halfway through. The plot was mildly entertaining.

Seems some made for TV movies are enjoyable. Yes, the husband is a bit of a dim bulb but Perry King doesn't overplay his naivete. In fact, that's a large part of the movie's appeal. No one overacts. Music is kept to a minimum. The plot is driven by competent acting on all parts. Good mystery. Will have you rooting for the good guy to win.

THE PERFECT WIFE was pretty suspenseful for a television movie. Shannon Sturges made one bitchy psycho, and Perry King was good as her husband. It had a lot of tension, but it was sometimes hard to watch because the husband was so oblivious to what she was doing. At times I just couldn't believe he was missing things and would yell things out to him, as if it would help. But that's what a good thriller does, making us care about the person who's the victim even though they themselves don't know they are. A tad slow at times, but the final hour was pretty tense, and the performances helped sell the standard revenge plot. Not bad for a TV movie.