Backstabbed (2016 TV Movie) User Reviews

The Queen's of Melodrama...

[vnssyndrome89 · 5/10 · 21 August 2023]

BACKSTABBED (TV Movie 2016)

BASIC PLOT: Shelby (Brittany Underwood) and Grant Wilson (Micah Alberti) have been struggling financially. They both have student loans, but Grant can't seem to get anything but temp work, and Shelby is still working on her real estate license. After hearing a talk by a real estate broker, Paulette Bolton (Josie Davis), Shelby offers her services as an unpaid intern. She soon realizes Paulette doesn't always play fair, and sometimes crosses the line into illegality. Grant is against Shelby working with Paulette any further, but Paulette's not the type to take no for an answer. Can the Wilson's untangle themselves from Paulette's web, in time to save their future?

WHAT WORKS: *This is a perfect melodrama! Over the top characters and motivations, with a good vs evil plot, what more could you ask for?

*Kevin Spirtas as Max Rhymer, the sleezy investor, is played to perfection! His Scotch drinking, hipster clothing and bad come-on's are spot on for the type of tool he is portraying. Even his choice of hot-tubbing, for the "business meeting," is right.

*Finally a decent trailer, with no silly voiceover!

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *I know this is a melodrama, which means there are lots of stereotypes, but this husband is too goody-goody. People who are hurting, even good people, don't tend to stick to their principals this much. Grant's (Micah Alberti) moral outrage over the cheating, just doesn't play. He might be worried she'd get caught, but not that she passed. He'd be relieved Shelby got her license, and could bring in a paycheck. Grant's been the sole breadwinner, and he's working as a temp receptionist. He'd be mollified she's employable, not that she cheated, especially since she didn't know ahead of time.

*The setup of the bar scene, with the high class hooker Charlotte (Amanda Musso) is terrible! She's a beautiful woman, but they way it's shot, makes her look like she has a double chin, and hawk nose. This is a prime example of bad blocking. Eric Anderson, the cinematographer, and Doug Campbell, the director, should be ashamed of what they did to that poor girl.

*Why, if you're Grant, would you not record the conversation with the hooker, as she confesses? In world of ubiquitous cell phones, this plot device IS NO LONGER VIABLE! Bryan Dick and Raul Inglis, who wrote this, should know everybody records everything! You guys put a cell phone in his hand, but we are supposed to believe Grant wouldn't record the confession that would save his marriage? Really?

*The cover art could use some work, it's not the worst, but definitely not the best either.

*What is with Josie Davis's walk? I've noticed this before on other movies, it's like she stomping everywhere she goes.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *If you like made-for-tv melodramas, you'll like this. It's a fun ride, sit back, make the popcorn, and enjoy the hilarity! NOT TOO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a Made-For-TV movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.

The Steal of the Century

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 19 November 2016]

***SPOILERS**** Rotten to the core and murderous as well real estate agent Paulette Bolton, Josie Davis, uses her both charms and talents to manipulate naive Shelby Wilson, Brittany Underwood,to get her hands on some property in Southern California that will end up making her millions in the real estate market. With all these millions flying around, in Paulette's head, she's too cheap or in the hole to pay mob-connected Walter, Brad Lee Wind, the 17 big ones-Grand-that he lent her in a failed real estate deal that went bust! It's Walter who's now facing the mob collector or leg and arm breakers if he doesn't come up with the cash!

It's Shelby's husband Grant, Micah Alberti, who smells a rat in all this and tries to keep her out of this deal but is compromised by the sneaky Paulette. It's when she gets this bimbo Amanda, Janna VanHeertum, to strike up a conversation with Grant at a local bar and get real friendly with him. It's there that Amanda spiked Grant's drink and after kidnapping the poor and confused guy has him photographed in the all together-or with only his shorts on- dead asleep and in bed with him nibbling on her body. There's also the over sexed and hot in the pants Max Rhymer, Kevin Spirtas,who's just dying to get into Shelby's panties. It's the millionaire Max who's also working with Paulette in her latest real estate scam-that will make the two over 50 million dollars-who ends up getting iced by her who had just about all, in his making a total jackass of himself, she could take from him.

****SPOILERS**** It seems that Paulette had developed a lesbian crush on Shelby and when she decided to walk out on her as well as the big money real estate deal Paulette just lost it. Having already murdered three people in the movie Paulette had no difficulty in trying to murder Shelby as well. This time around her plan fell flat on it's face by trying to get-with a gun pointed to her head-Shelby to overdose on a bottle of sleeping pills to make her murder look like a suicide. It was Shelby who by not swallowing all the pills that Paulette handed her and getting on her cell phone calling 911 that ended up not only saving her life but getting the local police to come to her rescue and put the cuffs on the by now out of her freakin! skull Paulette.

Holds your interest

[mary-179-677383 · 6/10 · 19 May 2020]

Good actors, well filmed and holds your interest for the whole movie. The reason for the 5 is the script needed more tweaking and the story is lacking a lot of depth.

Spoiler alert: the psycho realtor who seems to teach (income) and sell houses (income), even offering her "assistant" Shelby the commission of 12k despite the fact she lives next to her office, struggles to pay rent and the assistant is just newly qualified (unbelievable). Where does she shower? Why is living in an office? Why can't she afford the rent despite having successful sales and a job? You don't see her using drugs or gambling so it's just unanswered.

So Shelby randomly opens the door for a room next to the office, discovers the realtor is living there. When a complaint is made against Shelby, Shelby reports that the realtor is living in the office and then backstabs her to take millions from the woman by stealing her 'deal'. Bc living in a windowless room isn't punishment enough. Shelby thinks she's amazing with all 2 mins of experience, completely unaware as to why she "backstabbed" the realtor even though the buyer confirms that she did backstab. However the deal itself is too vague. The whole deal is based on Shelby having a better idea for the property but is she developing the entire land? Or just selling the property on behalf of someone else. The idea one real estate agent is some how a developer and the buyer is investing in one single agent is just not realistic. But if you ignore the unrealistic elements then it's quite a good film.

Cliche upon cliche upon cliche ...

[kosmasp · 2/10 · 2 November 2018]

From the beginning you may be in shock and disbelieve. Once you start shaking your head, you won't stop shaking it. I'm still giving it a 2, because it tries and I've literally seen worse. Believe me - in this case you can, even though that phrase might have been ruined by a different individual, using it but not meaning it - or rather lying nonetheless.

But I got off point. Not that it matters really. If this would be your first movie, you would know what's going to happen. Calling the main character gullible would be an insult to gullible people. This is way beyond that. Maybe you like one of the actors, but if not there is almost no saving grace and no reason to watch this. You surely have better things to do

Unusually good for Lifetime

[mgconlan-1 · 7/10 · 4 September 2016]

The Lifetime "world premiere" movie last night was "Backstabbed," which proved to be surprisingly good. It begins on a hilltop overlooking a gorgeous and pristine valley, where a woman is standing and talking on a cell phone to the owner of the land. She's a real estate agent who's promising the old woman that she'll only consider offers for the land that will essentially preserve its rural character. Then another person — whom we don't see except as an arm holding a baseball bat — comes up behind her and cracks her over the head with it as if swinging for the home-run fences. After that the movie cuts abruptly to a real estate seminar being attended by Shelby Wilson (Brittany Underwood), at which they're featuring guest lecturer Paulette Bolton (Josie Davis, top-billed), who comes across as a better-looking Donald Trump in drag and decides that, unlike the other students in the class, Shelby has the "right stuff" and offers her an internship with her one-woman real estate firm.

Of course, this being a Lifetime movie — frequent Christine Conradt collaborator Doug Campbell directed and, while la Conradt didn't write the script for this one, the people who did, Bryan Dick (who's worked on the Whittendale University universe movies for producer Ken Sanders, who's listed as a producer here as well) and Raul Inglis, followed her formula so well they might have called it "The Perfect Realtor" — Paulette Bolton isn't the shining real-estate star she's made herself out to be. Shelby Along the film's running time Shelby has to contend with gangsters after Paulette for money, unethical tricks Paulette wants her to pull to bid up the prices of properties, letches who want Paulette to pimp Shelby out to them before they'll invest in Paulette's deals, and a concerted attempt by Paulette to break up Shelby's marriage to her milquetoast husband Grant (Micah Alberti), figuring that with him out of the way that will make Shelby willing to whore herself to make deals. Oh, and is it really that much of a surprise that it turns out Paulette herself committed the murder we saw in the opening scene? "Backstabbed" is luridly melodramatic and some of the plot is awfully far-fetched, but within the limits of the overall Lifetime approach it's also a quite good thriller, with two well-etched and genuinely complex female leads. Though she sometimes comes a bit too close to "The Devil Wears Prada," Josie Davis is excellent as the psycho realtor, managing to thread the needle so she seems crazy but not so crazy that anyone seeing her would immediately summon the boys in the white coats, and the writers and director Campbell ably portray her psychopathology as just the American desire for "success" taken to evil and utterly unscrupulous extremes. And though she doesn't get as much support from the writers as Davis does, Brittany Underwood does a superb job limning Shelby's ethical conflicts and showing the financial temptation that leads her to follow Paulette — until being pimped out to a not unattractive but still middle-aged guy becomes her final straw. "Backstabbed" isn't great cinema by any means, but it's the sort of reliable entertainment we come to Lifetime for, and done considerably better than the norm for this channel.

Predictable, but Surprisingly Good Performances

[los-chupacabras · 7/10 · 18 April 2017]

Backstabbed is your typical Lifetime movie fare lifted above the standards of the genre by an excellent performance from Josie Davis (who I didn't recognize right away as the middle sister from "Charles in Charge").

Don't get me wrong. Nothing in this movie is remotely realistic. This is a soapy drama set in the same universe as a mid-90s Rebecca de Mornay thriller. Davis, clearly in on the joke, plays her insane real estate agent character like a manic drag queen. The film is aware this situation is ridiculous and plays with that by making it as over the top as possible.

As a film, I'd give it a 5, mainly for the entertainment factor.

For a Lifetime movie, it deserves around an 7 or 8.

Final score: 6.

Great little Lifetime Thriller

[mjanssens26 · 8/10 · 15 May 2020]

Faced-paced with a good looking cast. This is an easy way to pass 90 minutes. Found it on Prime during quarantine and it was worth the watch. Good amount of twists and turns and "backstabbing" going on.

Pleasing Paulette

[lavatch · 7/10 · 24 January 2019]

From start to finish, "Backstabbed" is eminently watchable "high camp" due to the over-the-top characterization of Paulette, the sleazy realtor who is always looking for an angle.

The film's most interesting relationship is the ongoing connection of Paulette to Shelby, an apprentice realtor who volunteers to work for Paulette gratis in order to learn the business. Paulette's mentoring is to show Shelby the tricks of the trade that involve every conceivable unethical practice to close a deal.

The best scene in the film is when Paulette opens the door to a service room next to her realtor's office. It turns out that she is living in that broom closest because she is broke, in debt to elements of organized crime, and has committed murder to keep herself afloat. That is the situation that little Shelby finds herself in as she begins her career in real estate!

The cast of characters is rounded out with a sleazy investor who becomes obsessed with Paulette's young apprentice, a feckless husband who finds it difficult to hold down a job as a receptionist in an insurance office, a thug who has been scammed by Paulette for $17,000 and seeks revenge, and a hooker paid for by Paulette in order to administer a knock-out drug to Shelby's husband and take compromising photos.

This film should be watched in conjunction with "Chinatown" that portrays the same kind of real estate fraud that occupied schemers in the 1920s during the Los Angeles water wars. Paulette would have fit in perfectly to the world of "Chinatown."

A psycho realtor - one of the best LMN thrillers.

[phd_travel · 9/10 · 4 August 2017]

Who hasn't dealt with an unscrupulous realtor in their life? Well Lifetime takes a stab and succeeds with Josie Davis as a psycho blonde realtor. It's quite amusing and informative how her new protegee aspiring realtor (Brittany Underwood) who is kind of morally questionable herself falls into the game first by pretending to be a buyer to talk up prices at viewings. Then the psycho games begin with setting up affairs and stealing deals. The back and forth is pretty good and is plausible.

This is one of the better LMN thrillers out there. It's really quite exciting from beginning to end. And the characters are interesting and the acting is better than it has to be.

Josie Davis

[geoffox-766-418467 · 1 May 2017]

I am a big fan of Josie Davis. At first when I saw her do The Perfect Assistant, I didn't like her. But then I saw it again and I realized I didn't like her character she played. And that is a true tribute to this wonderful actress's talents. I recently saw two of Miss Davis LMN films, Accidental Obsession and Backstabbed. Completely different films and roles. In one she is the victim and the other she was the evil one. She is that versatile in what she does. Brilliant in all the small looks and reactions that maybe you miss but, as an actor myself, I see all the work she puts into her performances. Even when the scripts aren't the best, she stands out in them all. Check her out in Dirty Teacher. I just wish she could get into the big time films and get to work with the best in the business. I wish her so much ahead of her.

***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 26 September 2016]

How did Ms. Bolton ever get that position lecturing a group of potential real estate agents? Nevertheless, we had quite an exciting film here as she takes one of the students under her wing. Go know that our real estate honcho is a vicious, cunning, sly person who will do whatever it takes to land a real estate deal.

The "student" she takes in soon falls under her spell as she is a great teacher when it comes to deceit, ruining marriages and every possible unethical practice you may think of in securing a deal.

Yes, murder is also on her agenda and that includes just about anyone who will get in her way of unscrupulous dealings.