Stalked by My Mother (2016 TV Movie) User Reviews

Gaffe-a-licious

[bt698nhj · 4/10 · 10 April 2018]

The funnest part about lifetime movies is the gaffes. It actually makes them almost worth watching! Thus is just a partial list. It's impossible to keep up with all of them!

1. Dad comes home from the airport with his carry-on size bag and puts his passport in the safe. Then says he's gone "3 weeks of the month." Guess this was just one of those quick international trips. Or maybe dad buys clothes on the road and just wears them the one time.

2. Mom's daughter's friend approaches mom as she arrives home from the grocery store. Guess she was just standing there waiting for her friend's mom to get home. Right.

3. Mom catches daughter and boyfriend making out in daughter's car outside their house at 3 a.m.. Mom flies off the handle. Boyfriend walks away. Ok. Guess he's going to uber home?

4. Daughter hasn't heard about her bf's murder till at least the next day, after they just had a make-up session and he went home and was murdered. Right, teenagers falling in love don't text each other frequently enough for one to realize the other one is missing/dead until a day later.

5. Daughter can pay for 2 days of a PI's time, so asks PI to follow her mom, who daughter thinks is trying to frame her for murder. What good is following her after the fact? Daughter's in jail, evidence points to her. Instead, you should be investigating mom. Where was mom the night of the murder? What do her phone records and GPS log say? Etc. But, magically, following her works bc the real killer shows up at mom's house and steals her trash!!!!! #Serendipity.

6. Real killer steals the top bag only of trash from the bin mom just put out. Fortunately, that's the bag with the barely-torn bank statements killer needs!!! #serendipity.

7. PI easily picks the deadbolt of the killer's very nice house front door, and of course, the door handle is unlocked. PI does not lock either lock back after he enters. But when killer gets home, while PI is still there, she has to unlock both locks, neither of which should be locked.

8. Ha and OMG. Now the PI breaks into the really nice upscale front door of the dad and mom. But dad has just let someone in and did not lock the door back. Nevertheless, the deadbolt is locked. But of course, easily picked by the PI.

9. Smart businessman dad is too stupid to bolt with a gun pointed at him but the holder looking behind her for a long time at the PI who's holding a gun on her. So dad gets shot. Deservedly so.

10. Killer tells mom she has just rushed her mom to the ER and then says her mom is calling on the other line. Not very nice to drop your mom at the ER and bolt.

11. Killer, who seems brilliant till now, isn't smart enough to make sure dead is dead when she shoots him.

12. Mom just happened to go to victim's house while killer was there to murder him, taking away daughter's alibi (since mom wasn't home with her as usual). #realserendipity. This was vital as it's hard to frame someone who has an alibi. #whew #killerhasgoodluck

13. Fortunately for killer, mom and doctor step out of dad's hospital room right when she arrives to kill him!

14. Killer knows just what buttons to push to kill dad!

15. Mom and doctor walk right back in when killer is pushing the button!

16. I knew they were gonna screw this one up. There is a bomb on a timer. With 51 seconds left, about 10 seconds of real-time show elapse, and now the timer is at 48 seconds.

17. In the extreme suspension of disbelief, mom is on the floor knocked out with 10 seconds on the bomb timer. House explodes but later we see she miraculously made it out before the bomb went off! Without knowing how much time was on the clock, she miraculously came to, got up, ran out the back door and jumped in the pool just as the bomb was going off!!!!! #superserendipity

18. Killer wants to meet mom at her home. Mom says she'll be home by 6. They agree to meet at 6:30. Then killer immediately goes to mom's, breaks in, plants a bomb set to go off in 6 minutes, and starts to leave (but mom was following her). Why plant a bomb to kill mom when mom isn't going to be there? Did she just want to blow up the house? What???

19. Killer's stated plan was to frame daughter for murder. Which was accomplished in first 30 minutes of show. Why then kill the father (which she obviously was planning to do since she robbed him without any disguise), and blow up their home / kill the mother? It would be obvious someone was targeting the family, making it obvious the daughter was framed. Killer seemed very smart and methodical and clever. Smart enough to build bombs and frame people for murder. But all of that is stupid and sloppy. #inconsistent

20. Killer lives alone in a nice house. Has no apparent job. Just getting money by the robbery of this family, which was predicated on revenge. Does not appear she's done this before. And her mom lives in a run-down house in a state of depression for years since killer's father committed suicide. #doesnotmakesense

21. When dad gets home from business trip and immediately puts his passport in safe, safe is unlocked. Kinda defeats the point of having a safe if it's unlocked. He sure had to unlock it later when killer wanted contents!

22. Killer, who is about 20, flies to NYC with fake ID. Bc airport security is so lax in the U. S. #right.

Ok movie and concept, but has big problems

[lololguys · 4/10 · 16 July 2022]

My first main gripe with this move was how the villain was revealed. There was literally no lead up to it, and them and their entire plan is revealed at around halfway through the movie. At that point, what's the point of watching the rest of the movie if we already know pretty much what's going to happen?

My second gripe was with the mom. I did not like her at all and she seemed to show zero remorse for what she had done (and even continues to stalk her daughter in the end!). As other reviewers, I was also rooting for the villain by the final confrontation. After the mom let the villain go after it being blatantly obviously clear the villain was going to just run, I stopped caring at all whether she lived or died, because at that point she's both very unlikable and guilty of ruining a family's life with no remorse, but also a complete idiot. IMO, ihe ending would have been far better if she and the villain had killed each other (and more realistic than mom surviving a bomb by jumping into a conveniently placed shallow pool with less than 1 second left on the bomb).

Watching the Detective

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 4 January 2017]

In a Los Angeles-area library, a woman screams, "Maddy, Maddy!" Apparently, her daughter has been abducted. No, wait, it's only a nightmare. Over-protective mother Jennifer Taylor (as Claire) awakens. Her pretty blonde daughter Mia Topalian (as Maddy Beauregard) announces she is going out to a party in Westwood. When your teenage daughter says she's going to a party in Westwood, you tend to worry. After being assured there will be no drug-taking at the party, Ms. Taylor decides to follow Ms. Topalian anyway. "Booze, pot and guys trying to get in her pants," is how Taylor describes what she finds. Thanks to older friend Danielle Chuchran (as Gina West), 17-year-old Topalian hooks up with hunky 20-year-old Spencer Neville (as Tucker). Parked in a car, the handsome young man is easily coaxed out of his shirt, but mother Taylor arrives and spoils the fun...

Typically rollicking with derangement, "Stalked by My Mother" is another "Lifetime" TV movie from writer-director Doug Campbell. This one is interestingly plotted and would have benefited from a bigger budget, some story development and additional minutes (for pacing). The fast-motion and flashbacks are cheap and weigh it down. Also, most of the characters are not likable. Most notably, this is true for the mother, played by Taylor. Taylor emerges as the story's heroine and main character, but she's unlikable and stays that way. The story does hold your attention, with a few twists and turns. Midway, we're introduced to private detective Kevin Scott Allen (as Nick Fox). Drenched in alcohol and cheap cologne, "Nick Fox" is a highlight for Campbell and Mr. Allen. This supporting character is so engaging, he literally takes over the story during his time on screen.

**** Stalked by My Mother (9/26/2016) Doug Campbell ~ Jennifer Taylor, Danielle Chuchran, Mia Topalian, Kevin Scott Allen

Guess Stalker Mom will always be Stalker Mom

[watchingwatchwatcher · 1/10 · 27 December 2016]

So, saw this little film on Lifetime hours ago and knew I had to immediately rant off here on how frustrating this movie was, but I did like the little twist in the middle of it.

First off, the mother. Oho boy. The mother. Of course right off the bat in this movie the mother shows how overbearing she is towards her daughter Maddy, even to a point where she follows her around.

Now the movie did show how the mother does care, which I was going "aw" a little, but that went away fast as soon as they showed the twist, and I was just rooting for the bad guy all the way. Why?

Because the mother made a false claim against the bad guy's loved one in the past and screwed up their life. Yeah. And in near the end of the movie when the showdown between the bad guy and mother (like any lifetime movie shows) came on, the mother did not once apologized for her past action, nope. And guess what? In the end mom never learned a thing in the end, and I got to watch Maddy's mother follow her to a party... AGAIN.

Guess this mom will always be a stalker overbearing mother.

Bleagh....could have been better. Good twist/idea, but poorly executed

[alruhi-1 · 3/10 · 8 September 2018]

Too many things were too convenient, too contrived, too many unlikable characters, too much revealed a little too soon. I guess that's pretty typical of many Lifetime movies.

Some people have claimed that they routed for the psycho and I can't say I blame them. She was the smartest one there and was more sympathetic than the creepy dumpsterfire helicopter parent "heroine". Claire(crappy mother) reminds me a bit of the girl from Atonement: someone so certain of something that they falsely accuse someone and end up ruining their lives. The difference is that in Atonement, there is regret and the heroine in that case tries to "Atone" for it. Claire does no such thing and still has nightmares about her daughter being kidnapped despite that not actually happening.

Then again, she's up against someone VERY vengeful and murderous. She knows what the psycho is capable of and yet falls for the "remorse" when she really should have ran out of the house and leave the psycho in there to get "hoisted by her own petard"(psycho just had to plant a bomb for some reason). Doesn't make sense for someone holding on to a false accusation she made years ago, supposedly not caring if the teacher ended up killing himself because of her accusations. She also learns nothing in the end and remains the kind of parent who will wonder why her kids want nothing to do with her. Or, if there's the sequel to this, ends up finding herself bunked with Gina in prison. That would be quite fitting since they are both crappy people.

As for the psycho...well, as usual, slipped up somehow and ended up a bit ridiculous and over the top. I guess that's why she's a Lifetime psycho instead of Dantes of the Count of Monte Cristo. Maddie's father is an uncaring moron, the detective is okay, but is killed(of course), Maddie herself is understandably resentful of her mother and the fact that she's quick to accuse her own mother of murder speaks volumes. Beyond that, she's a typical collage kid in a very bad situation all around.

The ending is typical. Tied a little too neatly, a little too happy for what happened, and the characters to too unlikable to even want a happy ending for them, but it's Lifetime, so one shouldn't expect too much.

Lisa Turtle's mother!

[CranberriAppl · 6 December 2021]

Was the best and most unexpected thing here. So crazy that I recognized her voice and I came to IMDb to confirm. What a random blast from the past. Anyway, this is a decent thriller, although I feel more for Maddy than her mother. Nothing the villain does is right, but Claire is the original reason all of this started. I have zero sympathy for her.

The one thing that I felt wasn't resolved is that whatever Claire accused the father of originally, wasn't true, so even if **** is the villain, the movie should have cleared his name. This is yet another movie where a character blows up another person's life without evidence or consequences, and because they are now experiencing trouble from that original event, they are somehow absolved of their actions. I hate that in these movies. Claire literally asks the father's wife if she's trying to hurt her. How selfish can she be. Then she starts digging around the poor widow's home and I'm just like jog on Claire. Her "I'm sorry" comes off so insincere and she doesn't offer anything more than those words.

It's also ironic how Claire makes unfounded accusations at David, but her actual behavior leads her daughter to think she's capable of murder, but of course the movie doesn't let that happen. Also, for it not to be a secret who the villain is, they don't show much of the impact that seeing her father die had on her. The anger is understandable, but there was more to it than that.

**** was a believable villain. I would have preferred her revenge be focused on the actual person responsible instead of Maddie but then we couldn't have had the useless scene of Claire visiting her mother. In the climax, Claire is still holding onto her erroneous accusations and is so smug about it. Had she and Gina taken each other out, I wouldn't have cared. In the flashbacks as well as the present day, she never explains why she thought David was kidnapping Maddy.

I was happy for Maddie but didn't give a cra p about Claire.

Bad guy is so much more likeable

[xjw1118 · 5/10 · 11 August 2020]

Definitely rooting for the bad guy the whole movie. The mother is unbearable. I suppose she is overprotective for reasons explained in the film, but she is just an unlikeable character. Typical 'Karen' really, over dramatic, entitled actions ruined someone else's entire life. The daughter is a typical idiotic teenager, clearly doesn't care for her own parents much seeing how fast she turned against the mother...either way. The 'victim''s family really doesn't have much redeeming qualities...absolutely wanted the bad guy to win. Too bad.

A fairly decent thriller, marred by two major, specific peculiarities in the writing

[I_Ailurophile · 7/10 · 19 December 2022]

Lifetime original movies tend to be more enjoyable than their reputation portends. Some are sincere and well-made, some are gauche but still worthwhile, and others are pure B-movie romps. I'd hardly call myself a connoisseur, but I've watched quite a few at this point - and still 'Stalked by my mom' leaves me a little bewildered. It aims to be an earnest thriller, sure enough, reflected above all in the fact that the antagonist is played completely straight (a regrettable departure, perhaps, from those titles where the actor in that role is allowed to chew scenery and throw themselves about). But the zealousness of the cinematography early on runs counter to that sensibility. More curious still is that at almost exactly the one-third mark - only one-third! - we learn the entire truth about the scenario in one fell swoop. Yes, there's more plot to come, but less than one would hope after such a stark reveal, and it's hard to think of other examples of movies that have been so incredibly forward with their most profound substance.

Importantly, none of this is to say that this film isn't enjoyable. On the contrary, I still think it's a good bit of fun. Even with the relatively lesser plot of the last two-thirds, writer and director Doug Campbell does a swell job of sustaining tension, and a minor sense of thrills as the fullness of the antagonist's scheme and their seething determination are brought to bear. I'm at best unsure that the exact sequence of events as it presents is ideal, but the narrative is well considered and engaging nonetheless, and likewise for the scene writing. That suspense and active attention is lent a hand by Steve Gurevitch's excellent score, arguably darker and more harsh in its themes than is typical for TV movies. I appreciate the work of the crew behind the scenes: costume design, hair and makeup, effects, stunts, production design and art direction, and more. I'm hard-pressed to say all the cast members make a huge impression, but for the most part they're at least solid in bringing their parts to life. Most readily commendable are Mia Topalian, demonstrating youthful heart as Maddy; Mim Drew, wholly leaning into the characterization of troubled Vanessa - and above all, in my opinion, Danielle C. Ryan (Chuchran), gratifyingly bold and focused in her portrayal of Gina. I've seen Ryan in no few features at this point, and as far as I'm concerned she demonstrates strong, versatile skill again and again; 'Stalked by my mother' is no exception. I admit bias, as I like her anyway, but I don't think it's unfair to say Ryan's acting may be the chief highlight of this.

I'm less immediately able to give like praise to Jennifer Taylor, starring as Claire. There's an imbalanced duality of both nervousness and severity in her disposition that's grating, as though Taylor couldn't get a thorough beat on her character, and this is to say nothing of something about the precise pitch and timbre of her voice and delivery that just rubs me the wrong way. It's the sort of performance that's not abjectly bad but just indescribably off, and weirdly irritating for the fact of it. In fairness, however, this might not be Taylor's fault at all, because as much as the picture's early revelations are off-putting, worse still is how Campbell writes the antagonist and the protagonist. For, dear viewer, while our antagonist is in the wrong, they are nonetheless more sympathetic than our protagonist, of whom we are emphatically given much to actively dislike at multiple points from the very start to the very, very end, and integral to the antagonist's motivations. Is Taylor acting poorly, or superbly in a part that is at war with itself for our favor or disfavor?

Honestly, I think this is more well done than not. For the most part 'Stalked by my mother' is just fine, engrossing and entertaining, and a fair credit to the fare that Lifetime puts out. But Campbell's writing falters in two very glaring, very specific ways, giving us too much information too early, and a protagonist that we want to fail even though by all rights we can hardly cheer on the antagonist, either. For all that is done well here, including the broad strokes of the writing and the acting (Ryan's above all), this is an easy recommendation; for its faults, I'm altogether flummoxed. Whether you're specifically a fan of this brand of TV movie or not, there are definitely worst selections you could watch - yet also, sadly, definitely better ones, too. I think it's alright if you come across it, but don't go out of your way, and temper your expectations in preparation for a couple whoppers that are just plain dubious.

Literally awful! Not worth using brain cells to watch this

[rosabagheri · 1/10 · 18 March 2024]

This movie is so badly written, and makes no logical sense at all.

We have a mother who is stalking her own daughter, duh! Name of the movie! Who believes that she is in the right and everybody else is wrong!

All the actors played so badly , i am not sure which one is worse! The play or the act!!

This movie actually had 1 benefit, intriguing me to set up my account to come here and actually write a review!! And i am not good with reviews! Just wanted to share not to waste your time watching this! This movie is not dark, thriller! It is just awful! By all means awful!! Not even worth it to kill time!

Good thriller with lots of twists & unexpected plot turns

[Classics-Movie-Fan · 7/10 · 15 June 2020]

Well acted. Lots of twists you do not easily see coming & some decent acting.

Well worth watching.

One of LMN's better movies

[dttruman · 8/10 · 3 September 2020]

I thought it was going to be one of those "run of the mill" LMN movies where the mother becomes overly obsessive with her daughter and some innocent relatives or bystanders were going to get killed because of it. Instead it had a nice subplot with some good twist and turns. The only flaw I saw in the movie was during the flashback when Claire stopped a man who she thought was trying to kidnap her daughter. The man was labelled a predator and committed suicide and this led to the chain of events in this movie. They should have made the alleged kidnapping more definitive. Otherwise I was willing to believe that Claire's over zealousness caused a man to kill himself. The 8 stars I give it is because it is one of LMN's better movies

Not bad and a lot of twists

[mjanssens26 · 7/10 · 16 May 2020]

Decent B-grade thriller with a lot of twists and turns. Catch it on Prime while you can during quarantine 2020

Shocked

[solidabs · 8/10 · 21 October 2020]

Was pleasantly surprised. This turned out to be a good little movie. The shooting between private eye and the cops chasing her was hilarious. But other than that, not bad at all.

Good thriller

[phd_travel · 8/10 · 3 February 2017]

This is one of the better Lifetime thrillers. There is a protective mother as the title suggests. When her daughter's boyfriend is killed the daughter becomes a suspect. Things seem to point to the mother but how can that be? The good thing is there is a twist that is plausible and things get quite exciting. The twists and turns are actually plausible.

Liked the cast which is quite attractive - liked Danielle Chuchran who is pretty and a good actress.

This is a superior Lifetime movie. When the plot is good it's worth watching.

****

[edwagreen · 10/10 · 31 December 2016]

Very good film where an overprotective mother ruined the life of a teacher she accused of trying to kidnap her young daughter, and eventually the guy committed suicide.

Again, we see a film, this one a very good one, with revenge being the goal, this time by the grown daughter of the teacher, years later.

She befriends the daughter of the girl and introduces her to a guy. The mother continues her overprotective ways and follows them. When the guy is murdered, the daughter is arrested but the latter thinks that the mother killed him.

The film details what the real killer perpetrates to keep this scheme going.

The Telltale Mole

[lavatch · 8/10 · 9 August 2020]

Claire Beauregard is, to put it mildly, an over-protective mom to her daughter Maddy. At a young age, little Maddy was left alone for a moment in the library, and Claire swooped down on a man escorting her out of the facility. The man was apparently only concerned about a lost child and taking her to the "office." But it looked to Claire as if the man was leaving the building and heading to his car. She pressed charges, the man lost his job, and he eventually committed suicide.

Lucy Underhill was the beloved daughter of the man who took his life. Years later, it is payback time, as Lucy befriends a teenage Maddy, then seeks vengeance on the entire Beauregard family.

The devious Lucy/Gina has masterminded a plan to rob the Beauregards of all of their cash assets and flee to the Bahamas. She is assisted by her lover, a financial officer, who knows her as Jennifer.

Lucy/Gina/Jennifer stabs to death Maddy's beau Tucker, then shoots her father Sean, who lies in a coma in the hospital. Her next target is Claire, and she plants a bomb in the fireplace of the Beauregard home. The race is on for Claire to save her own hide and bust Lucy/Gina/Jennifer in the process.

Lucy/Gina/Jennifer had not counted on the years of experience Claire had in over-protecting her daughter. The quick-thinking Claire pays a visit to the widow-mother of the man she had accused in the library. The woman, Vanessa, is now a drunk. But Claire spots a clue in a family photo that depicts a child with a mole on her left cheek, the very same mole that appears on the cheek of the woman Claire takes to be Gina.

When all appears to be lost, it is the undying love of a mother for her daughter that it is the film's theme. And such a love will triumph in the end, even if the mom is a little over-protective.