This was a good movie with a message about how your actions affect others and why you shouldn't mess with strangers online. There are many twists. The main villian is sympathetic at first and written with surprising depth, at least until he tried to sell the three girls into sex trafficking, and then sympathy for him went out the window for me. While two of the girls escape, the main instigator of the prank, Kaley, is sold and not found by the end of the film. While Kaley was basically a thoughtless b-word throughout the film, I do not think that she deserved the fate she got at the end, something I would not have wished on my worst enemy. Hopefully, the film will serve as a message to teenagers (and others) not to mess with people online because it will not end well. A more realistic message than the average film.
12 Reviews
A lesson or two here
phd_travel27 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Three girls play a prank on a guy via online international dating. These scams do exist so it's a timely and real issue. In a bit of poetic justice the tables are turned as he tracks them down and kidnaps them for selling into prostitution. Good supporting cast Jamie Luner and Alexandra Paul.
Things are quite exciting and the story has a decent ending.
Worth a watch.
A grim ending that nails the point on the head.
firebolt-0551712 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Normally one would expect that the three best friends would come out alive in the end and learn a harsh lesson. I mean, it is a Lifetime movie. However, this movie took a step forward and ended the movie with the whereabouts of the missing friend never revealed. Whether she's alive or dead, we'll never know. And honestly, that's just how scary real life is. So I give the writers props for willing to go that far.
Superior TV movie, Horror/Revenge Thriller.
Pairic12 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The Bride He Bought Online: Three high school girls play a prank on a lonely, socially inept computer programmer fooling him into thinking he has a Filipino girlfriend. When she doesn't arrive at the airport hes devastated. But things become even more painful wheb the "joke" and film of him at the airport is revealed on a blog.
Intent on revenge he uncovers the girls identities and kidnaps them, intending to sell them to sex-traffickers.
Superior TV movie, Horror/Revenge Thriller. Maintains the tension through the film without resorting to torture porn. 7/10.
Intent on revenge he uncovers the girls identities and kidnaps them, intending to sell them to sex-traffickers.
Superior TV movie, Horror/Revenge Thriller. Maintains the tension through the film without resorting to torture porn. 7/10.
Disturbing
gideonzack9 March 2019
Not your typical laughable lifetime thriller
aprilsfriendorin28 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
So before you get into this, you should know that it's a pretty serious movie. Most lifetime thrillers are pretty dumb and formulaic, and end up playing out more like comedies than thrillers. But this one is genuinely disturbing. It's actually a pretty good movie too.
My problem is the ending. Spoiler alert- a girl gets sold into sex trafficking (see, it's dark). The main character then gives a monologue implying that the girl deserved to be sold because she was a bully. WTF. Bullying is obviously wrong but nobody deserves that and the victim blaming is awful. So I didn't care for that little speech. They ruined what could've been a great opportunity to spread awareness on sex trafficking by turning it into some sort of anti-bullying PSA.
My problem is the ending. Spoiler alert- a girl gets sold into sex trafficking (see, it's dark). The main character then gives a monologue implying that the girl deserved to be sold because she was a bully. WTF. Bullying is obviously wrong but nobody deserves that and the victim blaming is awful. So I didn't care for that little speech. They ruined what could've been a great opportunity to spread awareness on sex trafficking by turning it into some sort of anti-bullying PSA.
Excellent messages
Dphilly52118 July 2015
Although not the best movie ever made, this one has wisdom beyond its time. There is a clever and debatable shift of villainy from the ruthless prank of the girls to the victim who takes revenge to extremes. It clearly labels the initial prank as wrong, yet within the course of retaliation for the main character we viewers want to see at least two of the three girls survive. Kaley was clearly the instigator and even displays unusual arrogance while in captivity. Her movie-ending fate is surprising yet perhaps appropriate.
Another note is that John, the avenging captor, during one scene delivers a brief monologue containing words which sound as if they were coming from the mouth of Elliot Rodger, the UCLA Santa Barbara mass murderer of 2014 who left behind a lengthy manifesto after taking the lives of six people and killing himself. His actions are not to be condoned, yet some of the lessons learned from his posthumous expression of thought are understandable and the tale of this movie seems to subtly reflect them.
Nice to see Alexandra Paul in another Lifetime movie too. I will always remember her from "Christine" way back when.
Repeats of "The Bride He Bought Online" and worth watching, and perhaps more worth noting.
Another note is that John, the avenging captor, during one scene delivers a brief monologue containing words which sound as if they were coming from the mouth of Elliot Rodger, the UCLA Santa Barbara mass murderer of 2014 who left behind a lengthy manifesto after taking the lives of six people and killing himself. His actions are not to be condoned, yet some of the lessons learned from his posthumous expression of thought are understandable and the tale of this movie seems to subtly reflect them.
Nice to see Alexandra Paul in another Lifetime movie too. I will always remember her from "Christine" way back when.
Repeats of "The Bride He Bought Online" and worth watching, and perhaps more worth noting.
The Happy Hooker
lavatch29 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The title "The Bride He Bought Online" is somewhat misleading about the character of the computer programmer named John (Big Johnnie), who believes that he has met a woman online and assists her financially in traveling to America. It was clear that he was desperately searching for human contact more than a mail-order bride.
Unknown to Johnnie, three young women (Avery, Kaylie, and Mandy) have played an especially nasty trick on him and record for their blog a distraught Johnnie at LAX when Diwata does not arrive on her scheduled flight. Johnnie then retaliates by kidnapping the three young women and attempting to sell them to a group of human traffickers.
The most interesting character in the film has only a few brief scenes. She is Wanda, the neighbor of Johnnie, who works in the oldest profession in the world. The happy hooker suspects that Johnnie is up to no good, and she heroically assists two of the women, Avery and Mandy, in escaping confinement in a warehouse. The quick-thinking Detective Schumacher discovers Johnnie's identity and works to recuse the two young women. But what about Kaylie?
Kaylie Mack was always Avery's bestie. But there was a dark side to Kaylie as the instigator in the prank played on Johnnie. Even when in captivity the sassy Kaylie would taunt Johnnie with snapped, demeaning remarks. It was a surprising choice of the filmmakers to find no redemption for Kaylie, whose last known whereabouts were in the presence of the two nefarious creatures who have seemingly changed her life forever.
The filmmakers walked a tightrope in finding some sympathetic qualities for the crazed dork Johnnie. They also showed no pity in portraying Kaylie Mack as a character shorn of the values of human compassion. But the most memorable moments and lively dialogue belongs to the Happy Hooker, who appears to have discovered the kind of balanced, ironic view of life absent in the other lost souls searching for a happiness that will always elude them.
Unknown to Johnnie, three young women (Avery, Kaylie, and Mandy) have played an especially nasty trick on him and record for their blog a distraught Johnnie at LAX when Diwata does not arrive on her scheduled flight. Johnnie then retaliates by kidnapping the three young women and attempting to sell them to a group of human traffickers.
The most interesting character in the film has only a few brief scenes. She is Wanda, the neighbor of Johnnie, who works in the oldest profession in the world. The happy hooker suspects that Johnnie is up to no good, and she heroically assists two of the women, Avery and Mandy, in escaping confinement in a warehouse. The quick-thinking Detective Schumacher discovers Johnnie's identity and works to recuse the two young women. But what about Kaylie?
Kaylie Mack was always Avery's bestie. But there was a dark side to Kaylie as the instigator in the prank played on Johnnie. Even when in captivity the sassy Kaylie would taunt Johnnie with snapped, demeaning remarks. It was a surprising choice of the filmmakers to find no redemption for Kaylie, whose last known whereabouts were in the presence of the two nefarious creatures who have seemingly changed her life forever.
The filmmakers walked a tightrope in finding some sympathetic qualities for the crazed dork Johnnie. They also showed no pity in portraying Kaylie Mack as a character shorn of the values of human compassion. But the most memorable moments and lively dialogue belongs to the Happy Hooker, who appears to have discovered the kind of balanced, ironic view of life absent in the other lost souls searching for a happiness that will always elude them.
A More Realistic 'Lifetime" Movie, AND Good
rightsttime29 September 2018
This is a top-notch 'Lifetime' film. Normally I love the concepts of most 'Lifetime' movies, but always get irritated at the sheer stupidity of the decisions made by the characters and wonder why they would screw up such a great premise....I mean, over-the-top stupid choices, like one (NOT this) movie, where a psycho is following a woman, she turns and confronts him with something like, "WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME??!!".......in which he calmly responds, "Because I'm going to kill you". At that point, she runs, with him chasing close behind, and she instantly veers off of the main road and runs into a dark alley, where of course, she gets caught. (That felt good to get that off my chest, so thanks for reading this far). Back to this movie....none of that stupidity here. The movie flows smoothly, at a good pace, and dedicates the the perfect amount of time to each sequence. It is well written, with solid acting by all. From start to finish, the thought of fast-forwarding never entered my thoughts at any point during the film, not once. Enjoy :)
***1/2
edwagreen29 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The possible bad ramifications of technology are shown here in this film.
Annalisa Cochrane steals the show as a cocky girl, bored with school and not wanting to face 4 more years of it in college, she devises a blog that she hopes will bring her fame and fortune.
She has two friends who are not as vicious as she is, but yet they go along with her plan to embarrass John online when he meets the girls via the computer.
Humiliated by their actions, the rather mild-mannered John pursues violence as he wishes to gain revenge by selling the girls into a slave trade existence.
There are twists and turns everywhere in the film and betrayal becomes a common theme.
Annalisa Cochrane steals the show as a cocky girl, bored with school and not wanting to face 4 more years of it in college, she devises a blog that she hopes will bring her fame and fortune.
She has two friends who are not as vicious as she is, but yet they go along with her plan to embarrass John online when he meets the girls via the computer.
Humiliated by their actions, the rather mild-mannered John pursues violence as he wishes to gain revenge by selling the girls into a slave trade existence.
There are twists and turns everywhere in the film and betrayal becomes a common theme.
John got what he deserved
Spiff-King21 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The movie dictated around how women in the USA only wants guys for looks and money. Isn't the US men even worse when it comes to looks in women in the USA? why should women accept any old or ugly man? Kaley was right. John wanted a young beautiful woman who would be at his call. John was a homely and almost middle aged man wanting a young beautiful model. if the woman was average looking or ugly but looking for a good husband, John would still bypass her because her looks were not up to par. How is he any better telling the girls they only like guys for their looks, when he would be a good husband, yet he wanted a girl that was aesthetically beautiful. and he's ugly AF. Kaley was right, too bad she got sold to sex trafficking. She was so right. Not only was John disgusting looking, he was weird too. The other part of the movie focused on bullying, and this comes to the reality how abusing somebody so badly emotionally can have a devastating effect on them where they actually turn into a criminal to seek revenge. But for John to sit there and say to the girls "I would have been a good husband, here in America women get to have nice jewelry, and nice dinners while the man sleeps in another room" that's BS, usually one dinner and the men in the US want sex. And as I said John was complaining how girls only want guys for their looks and not their personalities, he was just as guilty, that fake girl online he thought he was getting with was beautiful, he would bypass ugly girls even if they had a good personality. This dude is a joke.
A Rare Brilliant Movie from Lifetime
Mewkebi29 July 2023
Usually with the majority of Lifetime movies the ending is very typical. Also the storylines are either mediocre at best and absolutely rubbish at worst. If you want quality Lifetime movies, Ripped From The Headlines movies are usually the best bet. However this movie is a very VERY rare exception. Great acting, great storyline, great atmosphere and a rare brilliant ending. I have to admit, I have seen this movie before. At that time, I had no idea that it was a Lifetime movie. After watching the movie the second time, I was more than impressed. The only reason I have given it a 9 star instead of 10 is because of the title. A movie like this deserves a much better title (very Lifetime). Other than that, a first clast movie!!!
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