Every Woman's Dream (1996 TV Movie) User Reviews

An Inveterate Liar

[lavatch · 6/10 · 3 February 2021]

It is possible that the character Mitch Parker does not make a single truthful statement in the entire film. A bigamist and a con artist, Mitch lies his way through his failed professional career as a glad hander. And he constantly lies to his two devoted wives, Candace and Liz.

A legitimate question to raise about "Every Woman's Dream" is just what the two women saw in the first place that led them to marry a shallow and conceited loser. One of the most perceptive characters is Liz's father, who instantly recognizes the deceit of his smooth-talking son-in-law.

The filmmakers go out of their way to explore the psychological dimension of Mitch's character. Liz's best friend Laura indicates that Mitch needs "some serious shrinkage." Later, there is a detailed, ten-part psychological definition of the condition of "narcissistic personality disorder."

But the jury in the murder trial obviously did not buy the attempt at a psychological defense, rendering a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree after Mitch shot Liz.

While the performances were uniformly excellent, "Every Woman's Dream" made it a stretch to believe that both Candace and Liz would not have been able to figure out their worthless bum of a husband early on and avoid the sordid details of a long and tortured relationship. The film's title says it all about the inherent flaws of the women to judge human character.

One can't judge a man, any more than a book, by his cover

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 15 November 2021]

"Every Woman's Dream" is based on a true story from its account in a 1993 novel by Karen Kingsbury, "Deadly Pretender: The Double Life of David Miller." The TV movie closely follows the details of the book, and the true story as reported over time in newspaper accounts. So, with the exception of name changes, the characters, events and lies of the double life and bigamy of David Miller are mostly accurate.

In this movie, Miller's character is named Mitch Parker. His first wife is Candy and his second wife is Liz Wells. As the book explains and the film shows, Parker had the perfect ruse to be able to live two lives. He told his first wife that he was a CIA agent, so he would be gone for long spells and she couldn't question him about it. To his second wife, he worked for Disney in Orlando coordinating and planning projects, and that often took him away for long spells.

Jeff Fahey plays the Parker character well - at least as one might imagine a smooth, calm character. But that masked a drive for power, being the center of attention, and self-centeredness. He is a narcissist and master manipulator who lives in his own fantasy world. Eventually, his financial problems catch up with him and he can no longer manipulate his way out of that problem. When that happens, and both wives discover the sham, he finally flips out. In broad daylight and with people nearby he kills his second wife, shooting her seven times at point blank range.

Who can second guess either of these women falling for this guy? These weren't wild romances of young kids or crazy affairs. And both women seemed well-balanced themselves. Perhaps physical attractions outweighed all other matters. And, he appeared well-grounded himself. But there are some things in this movie that should normally be red flags. There's nothing in the story about his parents or family. Wouldn't the women ask about that and want to know about it? Or where he went to school and more of his background? None of that comes up in the film. Is that every woman's dream - to have an attractive man who seems to be on top of the world but with no background or relatives or information a woman can relate to or know?

I have a close male relative who resembles the narcissism of Mitch. His wife left him long ago. For many years he manipulated members of his family, but we soon discovered what he was doing, and he can no longer do that. No one has been in touch with him in a long time, and he's quite old now and not likely to be able to fool anyone for any personal benefit.

That old saying that one can't judge a book by its cover is as true for people as well. Just as one has to open the cover and read the book to know what it's about, so one has to look inside a person to get to know him or her. If someone doesn't let one do that, it should be a red flag to be wary and keep one's distance. The two women in this story liked the cover and seemed satisfied with what they saw and how they lived -- until it was too late for Liz.

In February 1993, David Russell Miller was sentenced to life in prison in Florida. Besides not being able to find out anything about his family, Miller's wives might have noticed some things about him that would send up red flags. At his trial, a doctor testified that Miller suffered from depression and narcissistic personality disorder. He then listed 10 signs of that disorder in a person. They are: (1) Reacts to criticism with feelings of rage; (2) Takes advantage of others to achieve his or her ends; (3) Has a grandiose sense of self-importance; (4) has fantasies of unlimited success and power; (5) Has a sense of entitlement; (6) Obsessions of wanting more and more; (7) Desires to be associated with people of power; (8) Lacks empathy; (9) Preoccupation with self-gratification; and (10) Requires constant attention and adoration.

The doctor at the trial said that Miller exhibited all 10 of these signs. In playing Mitch Parker, the character based on Miller, actor Jeff Fahey was calm and smooth, yet attentive viewers could clearly see several of the 10 signs in that character. While this movie at times has the feel of a daytime soap opera, it also can be educational for noting troubling character signs when one meets and becomes acquainted with someone new.

Too much pathological lying made me dizzy.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 21 April 2023]

Over the years, I've met my share of obsessive liars who just get their kicks making up ridiculous stories, and can never bounce back to the truth. It was difficult to get away from them thanks to the same group of friends (who didn't believe claims by others who clarified the constant lying), but nothing those people could make up could top what Jeff Fahey does in this mixture of crime and comedy, married to two different women (Kim Cattrall and DeLane Matthews), getting so deep in debt and his lies that the only way out seems to be an act of violence.

Maybe this seemed clever to the writers, but after a while, it became too messy to enjoy, making my brain spin out of control as Fahey's mental illness just goes overboard with his ridiculous claims. It isn't until half way through the film where it begins to calm itself down, and that's when Fahey's actions take bizarre twists and his world comes crashing down around him. I'll give Fahey credit for memorizing all the lines and keeping a straight face, but his character just was too out there to maintain an interest in him. The comic elements certainly didn't help. In trying for something unique, the writers just took things too far and I felt sick watching everything come to a head.

Educational for young women...

[gsaunders-2 · 24 February 2005]

I think every young woman looking for the "perfect man" should watch this movie and learn from it. I recorded it for my 2 daughters, both of whom have had their hearts brokens by a smooth-talking "Mitch." Jeff Fahey is the perfect antihero. He's got Mitch's charming, albeit narcissistic, personalty down so well that the viewer can easily get caught up in his lies. In a scene where he practices telling the truth, I found myself cheering him on, hoping he would ultimately fess up and redeem himself. The film is true to reality here... these types never do,even when confronted with the overwhelming evidence of their lies. Underscored by the use of a whimisal soundtrack throughout the first 3/4 of the film, men like Mitch are often perceived as harmless and entertaining. The startling end brings us to the reality that Liz (wonderfully played by Kim Cattrall)never quite gets until its too late, reminding us how dangerous these seductive types really are.

not very good

[wingfoot2388 · 4/10 · 27 June 2005]

I found it kind of boring...then narration...and in the beginning especially, the filming wasn't all that great. It's the type of movie that you could probably watch when you're at home, and there's nothing great on TV. It's about this man, Mitch Parker, who's leading a double life. He married a woman (with two children from a previous relationship), and marries another woman (whom he has met on a plane, played by Kim Cattrall from "Sex and the City"). He lies, cheats and cons people. The reason the movie was boring was because the filming was dull. For a movie made in 1997, it looked like something made in the early 90's (to me, anyway). I got so bored with it that near the end, I didn't really want to watch it anymore.

Very good!

[annemarie-1 · 8/10 · 24 June 2001]

I just saw this movie for the first time and I thought it was very good. I am a big Kim Cattrall fan who plays (Liz) in this movie.Overall it was very dramatic, it is based on a true story about a man who cons his way into having being married to two different women. This was an excellent movie see it when you get a chance you won't regret it.

When the dream becomes a nightmare...

[silverauk · 8/10 · 5 July 2002]

Steven Schachter knows how to tell a story and keep up the appearances of a rich, good-looking man who surprisingly develops into a criminal. Step by step you discover the real Mitch Parker (Jeff Fahey) behind the curtain. Not only he deceives his second wife Liz Wells (Kim Cattrall) by being at the same time in the same town (!) with two women, but also his friends among whom there is a senator (Bob Belding played by John Sumner). The movie keeps up the realistic touch until the end and you feel that the script-writer (Martin Davidson and others based on a novel by Karen Kingsbury) and the director want to deliver us a message: never trust people who talk too well and too much.

I knew someone like this man

[WVfilmfem · 10/10 · 30 August 2018]

This is a very good film, and one with which I can identify totally. The man I met, shortly after my 20 year unhappy marriage, was much like the man portrayed in this film, based upon true story. Mine ended with trying to extricate myself from him, calling police numerous times about stalking, ending in him breaking into my house trying to shoot me. The gun jammed, otherwise I'd be dead. After this episode, I educated myself about narcissistic personality disorder. The man I knew fit ALL the characteristics.

Every woman's nightmare

[count-11 · 8/10 · 8 November 2005]

Every Woman's Dream is a very interesting story. If it were true, who were the characters upon whom it was based. Would love to know more about what happened to the character of Mitch - is he still on death row? What happened to his first wife, Candy? Does anyone know? Did this story take place in Florida and California? There are probably thousands of self-centered narcissists like Mitch and it is an important movie for all women to watch. No man is that perfect and it is surprising that his first wife took so long to figure out that he was such a liar. The movie starts out by claiming it is a true story, but I don't recall ever hearing anything about this. What about the senators and congressmen with whom Mitch had dealings? What happened to them?

Starts off as amusing, ends up tragic

[sbarr10 · 7 October 2002]

OK, so a guy ends up married to two women. The women, who are both smart, attractive, and successful, are utterly clueless about his double life. He practically does handstands and jumps through hoops to keep up the deception. A potentially amusing situation in other stories. But in this case, the rapid turn of events crescendoes to such a tragic outcome that the viewer feels slammed by a jolting deceleration, from any humor, to horror.

Good Movie - introducing Narcissistic people/behavior

[klewis822 · 8/10 · 13 February 2006]

I recently watched this movie on cable a few months ago, and I could not stop crying. I initially thought it was a typical drama movie, however, there was more to it. I am divorcée of a NPD and I did not realize this or ever heard of people with NPD, until I saw the movie. The commentary helped me to understand the concepts of people with NPD. This movie opened doors for me that I did not know how to close. Again, Thank you for making such a good and important film. The actors depicted real life situations and how woman can be naive. It is most definitely a wakeup call for people to see. As I look back and relate some instances of my life with this movie, I can say that it captured a lot of close issues that I endured during my marriage. I have since been diligent in learning more about people with NPD.

Superb true life crime story

[phd_travel · 10/10 · 6 November 2019]

What a gem of a true crime story. A bigamist and con man. The first part has an exciting catch me if you can fraudster con man thing going on with a satirical tone. Then things get more serious and it's quite a gripping movie. Written clearly and with wit.

Jeff Fahey is in his element here and acts well slimy smooth and tortured. Kim Cattrall acts very well and is really beautiful here.

Worth watching.