Crystal Allen was quite good in this Lifetime movie as Lacy Settle, a mom who was never quite good enough to get into the university that she wants her daughter, Nicole to attend. Trouble is another mom. Mandy Williams, also wants her daughter, Parker, to attend the same school. Both girls are friends and their mothers used to be until Mandy got into the same university. Both girls have excellent academic standing but Lacy wants to eliminate the "competition" and goes to great lengths to do it for Nicole to be the only top candidate for admission. This movie surprised me as to how good it was even though the "desperate mom to get daughter into college" theme has been done many times before. With a creative script and a good cast, Nightmare School Moms is a definite recommend and an enjoyable watch!
4 Reviews
Maladjusted Mummies
eli_sab2 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
"I can't. She's my mom." Y'all with well-adjusted mothers could never understand. Smh. I was alternating between being annoyed and laughing my way through the movie until that very moment Nicole uttered that single line. That was gut-wrenching torn between morality and loyalty to your mom. I didn't expect the story to head towards drama and cliched happy ending. Don't get me wrong, it was a fitting end. Nicole standing up for herself really tied it all together.
It's just that, I really thought this was more of a war of the PTA Karens. I mean, it seemed like the narrative was hinting that Mandy may also be underhanded just subtler than Lacy. It was confusing and not in a good way.
It would've been better if there were recollections about their past; why Lacy came to hate Mandy. Plus Mandy's side as well, both past and present.
The actress who played Lacy, though. She is menacing! Wow. So, so amazing!
It's just that, I really thought this was more of a war of the PTA Karens. I mean, it seemed like the narrative was hinting that Mandy may also be underhanded just subtler than Lacy. It was confusing and not in a good way.
It would've been better if there were recollections about their past; why Lacy came to hate Mandy. Plus Mandy's side as well, both past and present.
The actress who played Lacy, though. She is menacing! Wow. So, so amazing!
VIEWS ON FILM review of Nightmare School Moms
burlesonjesse515 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
There's only one mom who's a nightmare in 2023's Nightmare School Moms. This is bible folks. I mean don't get swayed by the title. The mom in question is Lacy Settle (played by Crystal Allen) and boy is she a piece of work. Heck, Allen runs with this role like Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire or Tom Cruise in well, everything. "This isn't over". You're darn right it isn't.
Clocking in at 86 minutes and shot in the throes of suburbanite purgatory, Nightmare School Moms feels as though it starts in the middle, all creepily enhanced by an opening scene in which a dying man (on oxygen) tries to blow out his birthday candles. Now does said man go on living in the end? Get real people. Not with creep-o mommy Settle looking for the favorable one up. I thought you knew better my alert viewer.
With sparse set locations and more coincidinks than in The O. C., Nightmare School Moms knows it's camp, it really does. It also knows it's a product of the Lifetime Movie Network and no one channels overly dramatic and overly theatrical (with special care) quite like Lifetime. Yup, that's 29 years of tweaking and devious refining.
Broadcasting distance running aside, as something about an underachieving mother who commits murder and forgery all the while trying to get her daughter into some swanky college fellowship, Nightmare School Moms rides on Allen's disciplined performance as kooky, woman-child Lacy Settle. It's in the walk, the desperate mannerisms, the caked, makeup look, the demented wheel-churning-s in the head. Crystal Allen is the anchor and she's in almost every frame. Without her, "Nightmare" would still suffice but have a so-so heartbeat and just be borderline, run-of-the-mill stuff. She is the cinematic, piece de resistance, a sort of perfect casting to inflate "Nightmare's" nearly fanciful plot. "Mother of vinegar".
Clocking in at 86 minutes and shot in the throes of suburbanite purgatory, Nightmare School Moms feels as though it starts in the middle, all creepily enhanced by an opening scene in which a dying man (on oxygen) tries to blow out his birthday candles. Now does said man go on living in the end? Get real people. Not with creep-o mommy Settle looking for the favorable one up. I thought you knew better my alert viewer.
With sparse set locations and more coincidinks than in The O. C., Nightmare School Moms knows it's camp, it really does. It also knows it's a product of the Lifetime Movie Network and no one channels overly dramatic and overly theatrical (with special care) quite like Lifetime. Yup, that's 29 years of tweaking and devious refining.
Broadcasting distance running aside, as something about an underachieving mother who commits murder and forgery all the while trying to get her daughter into some swanky college fellowship, Nightmare School Moms rides on Allen's disciplined performance as kooky, woman-child Lacy Settle. It's in the walk, the desperate mannerisms, the caked, makeup look, the demented wheel-churning-s in the head. Crystal Allen is the anchor and she's in almost every frame. Without her, "Nightmare" would still suffice but have a so-so heartbeat and just be borderline, run-of-the-mill stuff. She is the cinematic, piece de resistance, a sort of perfect casting to inflate "Nightmare's" nearly fanciful plot. "Mother of vinegar".
Varsity Blues Scandal Spoofed
lavatch18 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It is pitiful to watch desperate parents trying to pull strings for their offspring to gain acceptance to prestigious colleges. And it is even sadder to contemplate the enormous debt incurred on students who squander four years of their life for a brain-washing experience in politically-driven nonsense in today's bogus academic "poor me" programs.
This film was an effective spoof on the antics of Lacey Settle, who will stop at nothing for her daughter Nicole's admission to Whittendale College.
The actors hit all the right notes in an over-the-top approach to a serious topic. One of the most outrageous moments was when Lacey put on a disguise and took her daughter's aptitude test...and aced it! And in a lively subplot, the sleazy Bill Yellen, the exam prep guy, has his hands full with his special client Lacey Settle.
Another nice touch on the part of the filmmakers was to have a pair of rivals in the mothers, Lacey and Mandy, who competed for a slot at Whittendale when they were students. There is still some tension in the relationship of Lacey and Mandy. But in the next generation, the two daughters, Nicole and Parker, are now competing for a slot at Whittendale, and they get along beautifully!
It was refreshing to watch a film with some levity and a satirical approach to the Varsity Blues. The best advice for parents and their children today: Boycott the worthless universities and private colleges, and attend a community college!
This film was an effective spoof on the antics of Lacey Settle, who will stop at nothing for her daughter Nicole's admission to Whittendale College.
The actors hit all the right notes in an over-the-top approach to a serious topic. One of the most outrageous moments was when Lacey put on a disguise and took her daughter's aptitude test...and aced it! And in a lively subplot, the sleazy Bill Yellen, the exam prep guy, has his hands full with his special client Lacey Settle.
Another nice touch on the part of the filmmakers was to have a pair of rivals in the mothers, Lacey and Mandy, who competed for a slot at Whittendale when they were students. There is still some tension in the relationship of Lacey and Mandy. But in the next generation, the two daughters, Nicole and Parker, are now competing for a slot at Whittendale, and they get along beautifully!
It was refreshing to watch a film with some levity and a satirical approach to the Varsity Blues. The best advice for parents and their children today: Boycott the worthless universities and private colleges, and attend a community college!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
