'Til Lies Do Us Part (2007 TV Movie) User Reviews

TV Fodder

[kosmasp · 3/10 · 19 August 2010]

Predictability is one thing. Engaging characters another. The latter is not anywhere near this movie. Not that the actors are not trying. They are, and considering the minimalistic story and roles they get (full of clichés), they do a pretty decent job. And for a TV movie, the production values are standard fare.

It's not even about the insanity of it all. Or the fact, that there is no real explanation for the way our main baddie behaves here (yes the motive is clear, plus we get to see something similar in the intro to the film, but that does not explain how and why the guy ticks like that). That's why I think, you should have better things to do with your time, than watch this.

The Full-Service Private Investigator

[lavatch · 7/10 · 25 January 2020]

Leeza and Trey Mitchell have had a successful ten-year marriage and a beautiful son named Dylan. But, Leeza has suspicions that Trey may be unfaithful because he is spending extra time with a client named Jeannette Halston, who was Trey's former girlfriend. Now, Leeza takes the fateful step of hiring a private investigator to learn if Trey is lying. It turns out that she has employed the private eye out of hell.

Ethan Woods was a Chicago cop whom we meet in the opening scene in the film. He is stalking a woman who wants nothing to do with him. When he becomes assertive, the woman darts away from him into the street and is killed by an oncoming motor vehicle. Like the coward that he is, Ethan flees the scene of the accident and moves away from Chicago to become a private investigator. He will offer a full-service package to his client, including become infatuated with her to the point of committing murder.

Some of the best scenes in the film are those in which Ethan is eavesdropping on the private conversations of Leeza and Trey. After placing hidden cameras in their home, Ethan is able to gain valuable information that he can use to destroy their marriage. His obsession for Leeza is such that he has neglected other cases. As the audience, we watch the close-ups of Ethan's face as he makes snide asides during intimate moments between Leeze and Trey.

There were several loose ends in the film, which could have been tied up in the script. When Trey first meets Ethan, he remarks that Ethan is the "cable guy." But Trey never knew that Ethan was using that as his cover story to enter the Mitchells' home; Ethan told the neighbor John, not Trey, that he worked for the cable company.

It was also unexplained how Ethan knew where to follow Leeza, Trey, and Dylan to an old mansion in the country that belonged to Trey's friend Wayne. Ethan simply shows up without any indication of how he discovered their whereabouts.

Leeza made numerous mistakes in her dealings with Ethan. Her bestie Sasha had recommended a private investigator on Van Horn Street. But Leeza failed to learn the name of the investigator and choose the wrong man and the wrong agency. Even after she hired Ethan, she never should have allowed him to hack her husband's computer.

The film sought to bring out the theme of true love that would sustain the relationship of Leeza and Trey, which can rises above the telling of small lies. But, there was not enough trust on the part of Leeza. She jumped the gun in his distrust of her husband and nearly paid a big price in the process.

Ugh, this guy Ethan is such a creep

[CranberriAppl · 19 April 2022]

And Leeza is dumb and her paranoia was annoying. She never even once sought to verify any information on her own. Left it to some rando that wasn't even the PI her friend suggested. Her paranoia got on my nerves so much. I believe it irritated me so much due to the affair clearly being in her mind. The movie never ever showed Trey in a compromising situation with Jeannette. He never acted inappropriately.

I didn't like how Ethan's stalking of the woman in the beginning went unacknowledged or dealt with. It really bothered me that not only did he stalk her and basically harass her to her own death, but the poor man who hit her has to live with that. And this creep just slinks away into the night "free" to keep stalking. I actually am a fan of that particular part of the old Hays Code. Villains should be held accountable for their crimes. There are very few movies where a villain getting away is satisfying. A blanket jail sentence or death doesn't cut it for me. Ethan finally dying didn't resolve poor Rebecca in the opening.

Additionally this guy is so sloppy. He's killed two people (so far), paid a hoo ker to pretend to be someone, discovery of the cameras is only a matter of time. His nonsense isn't even fun to watch. At least with Alex Forrester, Glenn Close kept it interesting. This guy is just a loser who can't even focus on other cases to help keep suspicion from himself. There were so many unfinished things in this movie. The police raid his office, but then we don't see the police again?

As for Leeza, when is she going to apologize to Trey and their son for what she's inflicted on their family? The common issue with these movies is the fact that the main character goes through the events of the movie, and it's somehow supposed to be atonement for whatever grief/harm has been leashed on innocents. I'm watching the scene after Trey was stabbed and he's in the hospital. She's hardly bothered (maybe the actress is terrible) and she hasn't taken responsibility once. Everyone ends up attacked except for her (but she gets to take him out). She has yet to really put two and two together and apologize for accusing him of an affair. As a protag, she can jog on as far as I'm concerned. I'm still trying to understand why at the 1 hour 40 minute mark she still hasn't considered that he's "watching" her because of cameras! She's not even looking. Don't you think, lady, that if he can hack your hub's computer, then maybe he'd do something more nefarious now that you know he's psycho? How did he know where to find them at the cabin?

(Oh, she finally takes responsibility with like fifteen minutes to go and all she says is "I didn't mean for this to happen." Not good enough.)

We're also 11 minutes from the climax and the neighbor has yet to be mentioned. The poor old man is clearly nice enough to always bring back Rocket when he gets out, but these selfish people don't realize they haven't seen him in days?

Til Lies Do Us Part as a title makes no sense. There's also no clue why Ethan does this. I thought someone in the movie (maybe him) mentioned that he was a former cop. Or perhaps that was the PI that Leeza SHOULD have called. The movie didn't bother to give him a savior complex or a mommy complex or anything that gives insight into why he obsesses over women. They don't even give him a brunette hair fetish...the audience is given nothing. I wouldn't call this entertaining bc the only non-idiots are Trey and little Dylan. I watched it while working from home and it's on Lifetime constantly, so I decided to finally watch it. I wouldn't watch again.

P. S. Gotta love the irony. The family is spending time outside and Trey is working. He asks her if she could go into the office and get his briefcase. He prints something and she goes right for it. It's of course a love note he'd just sent from his laptop, but it was amusing because he didn't ask her to check the printer.

P. S. S. The neighbor who is DEAD at the bottom of the steps was NEVER mentioned again. Ridiculous!

'Til Lies Do Us Part- Watch those Vows ***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 29 September 2007]

A woman gets much more than she is asking for when she hires a private investigate to get the goods on a husband that she feels has been unfaithful to her.

Turns out that the investigator is quite a character who engages in a fatal attraction sought of way of doing things. Along the way, he kills a neighbor and causes unbelievable havoc. After a while, when it comes out that she has hired an investigator, her husband thinks that he has been having a fling with his wife. Our investigator really sets things up by using modern technology to directly spy on our couple.

Watch out who you hire.

Let's get locales back to American soil

[caa821 · 8/10 · 23 September 2008]

Given the economic problems the nation has been experiencing, I think I can offer a suggestion to take a good step towards helping with this situation. Some high official (perhaps the Chairman of the Economic Advisors, or even the President, himself) should contact the CEO of the "Lifetime" network, to encourage them to make their made-for-TV fare in the U.S. For example, this flick, set in Philadelphia, was actually filmed in Ottawa. The vast majority of the network's movies are filmed in Canada (occasionally they use Seattle either specifically or "gernerically"), in British Columbia, Toronto, even Manitoba, etc.). If they were all made in our country, just the lodging, per diem expenses, the fees for "extras" and to rent sites, etc., taken back from Canadian to American recipients, should assist measurably our nation's economic situation.

As to this film, specifically, it has three attractive leads, and a youngster who isn't annoying (something for which one is always thankful).

In addition to musing about the above expected Canadian locale, I also couldn't help but think of "Fatal Attraction" (previous comment also mentioned similarity to this offering) and Glen Close's character. She and Al Sapienza's private dick here would comprise the absolutely perfect pairing of major OCD types. Both attractive, clever, and obsessive in a wholly-vicious, psychopathic fashion, they could have beaten the hell out of one another to their hearts' content.

***Possible minor spoiler following (but shouldn't ruin if read in advance)***

You can pretty well tell where the climax is leading during the last 20 - 25 minutes -- and the married pair have contacted authorities -- but after discovering the tec's electronic duplicity, everything leads to their lolling in the bedroom, and then encountering the villain when they check to see why the water isn't working. They have to know the crazy bastard is still a menace to them, yet are just lallygagging and walking around in the dark as if nothing could be wrong.

Some of the "wacky neighbor," or "spouse with a dark past" films, both Lifetime staples, usually demand physical danger and some violence at the climax. However, at least occasionally, I'd like to see an ending with perhaps some courtroom prosecution of the perpetrator, and a bit of more cerebral explanation of his/her motivations and the like.

Still, this was a better-than-average presentations in this genre, with attractive, capable leads and performances, and well-filmed.

Only watched to see Paula and Cynthia!

[haroot_azarian · 30 August 2023]

Well Paula Trickey was as voluptious as ever with her piercing eyes and ample rack. And Cynthia Preston as beautiful as ever! That is as far as the most interesting part of the movie.

Then there's Thomas Calabro with his Jim Carey looks (especially from dumb and dumber) and his comecic acting, which makes his play unbelieveable. Then there's wierd Al Sapienza who plays the creep stalker.

Now the story which was so unrealistic and whoever came up with it must still be ubder the legal age to drive! I agree with another contributor about Leeza never apologising for what she had caused the family to go through. And Trey should have done a better job at convincing Leeza there was nothing going on with his client. He could have hired a pi to find out why Leeza was acting weird.