Dr. Martin MacNeill was the Sunday School Teacher of the Year. He was a respected physician. And he was a devoted family man. That was the superficial impression given of Dr. MacNeill to the ironically named Pleasant Grove, Utah community where he resided.
In fact, Dr. MacNeill had falsified his way in to med school, committed bank fraud, identity theft, and, worst of all, the murder of his caring wife Michelle Marie MacNeill. Dr. MacNeill had a rough childhood, and he would typically diagnose his sociopathic behavior as "acting out."
The sordid details of Dr. MacNeill unfold before the eyes of his incredulous daughter Alexis (Lexi), who adored her father and wanted to follow in his footsteps by attending medical school. But Lexi's career is interrupted with the shocking death of her mother.
The quick-thinking Lexi begins to suspect something is amiss with her father, and she joins forces with her aunt, Linda Cluff, who has always distrusted her brother-in-law. It took years, but Lexi and Linda gathered their evidence to present a case for murder against Dr. MacNeill.
Dr. MacNeill lied to his wife about an affair he was having. Then, after Michelle's death in her bathtub, he shamelessly moved into the family home a woman named "Gypsy," who is ostensibly to serve as the nanny to his three adopted girls. Later, he even makes a pass at Lexi, groping her in a motel.
There were some loose ends to the screenplay, such as the identity of "Olivia," who had some unspecified connection to the three adopted girls. Dr. MacNeill sends Olivia back to Ukraine, and Lexi learns that her father committed identity theft with Olivia's name in order to clear the substantial debts accrued by "Gypsy." But who was Olivia? And what was the connection of Dr. MacNeill to the private investigator who assists Lexi in convicting him? It was never made clear why Dr. MacNeill would meet with his antagonist privately in a coffee shop.
The most moving moments of the film were in the courtroom, where Lexi testifies against her father. The actress was terrific in conveying to the jury the duplicity of her once beloved father and providing them with a portrait of the monster he had become.
The filmmakers were earnest in their attempt to credibly recreate a tragic, true life domestic drama. The most memorable part of the film was the stoic and tenacious daughter, who was relentless in the pursuit of the truth. In the denouement at the cemetery, Lexi leaves flowers on her mother's grave, and we learn that the cowardly Dr. MacNeill has committed suicide in prison.
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