This is roughly a good movie, with some good young actors and even a "blast from the past" in Maxine Bahns. She was a magazine model (Sports Illustrated, Vogue and so on) and was in the 90's film "She is the One". Most of this movie was pretty good except for the last 11-15 minutes, but isn't that like all the LMN movies. It's too bad they can't spend a little more to make it a quality movie all the way through. Danielle Ryan and Christa Allen stand out here.
19 Reviews
Not bad
tomfsloan14 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
When Vows Break. One of Christine Conrad's more interesting movies. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Sort of slow moving though. I was hoping there would be a few plot twists to spice it up. The acting was fair but plenty of moments where they should have rehearsed a little more. If the husband was such an abusive guy, they should have shown that clearly sometime in the beginning. Detective Urkel had a little more personality than his usual detective roles. In most Lifetime movies, the women do tend to look alike. At least this time, one was blonde and one was brunette. And they also gave the bad husband a beard to tel him apart. What was odd, they drove a Mazda, not a Mercedes. I liked the shovel scene except it must have been made out of foam rubber, as usual. As well as a sort of a stupid gun fight at the end.
Woman Overboard
lavatch20 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Tolan Ferrier is a very bad man. He is so bad that his fiancée, Ella Westcombe, fakes her death on her honeymoon with him and plans to go into hiding because he is so mean and powerful. The problem with the film is that we never truly see the dark side of Tolan until the very end.
The most engaging sequence in the film is the elaborate scheme of Ella to fake her death by apparent drowning in the Caribbean. After it appears that she has mysteriously fallen off the ship, it slowly becomes apparent that she had a confederate who helped her escape the clutches of an evil husband.
Ella is also enabled by her sister Lydia, as the siblings unite forces to frame Tolan for Ella's murder. Their plan falls apart when the slick Tolan mounts a defense and begins to suspect subterfuge. The bottom begins to drop out of the narrative in midstream, and the pace of the film becomes laborious.
The most interesting character in the film was Madame Deirdre, a fortune teller who predicted a short life for Ella. But it turns out that the fortune teller is in cahoots with Ella on her scheme to escape from Tolan.
Things come to a head in Castaic, north of Santa Clarita, where Tolan has a hideaway and kidnaps Ella's nephew Josh. In an effort to save the little boy, Ella abandons her plan to flee the country and makes a beeline for Castaic. It is there that she will speak the best line in the film: "I hit him on the head with a shovel." Of course, Tolan will bounce right up from the blow on the head and make a last stand at Castaic, expressing toxic masculinity to the bloody end.
The most engaging sequence in the film is the elaborate scheme of Ella to fake her death by apparent drowning in the Caribbean. After it appears that she has mysteriously fallen off the ship, it slowly becomes apparent that she had a confederate who helped her escape the clutches of an evil husband.
Ella is also enabled by her sister Lydia, as the siblings unite forces to frame Tolan for Ella's murder. Their plan falls apart when the slick Tolan mounts a defense and begins to suspect subterfuge. The bottom begins to drop out of the narrative in midstream, and the pace of the film becomes laborious.
The most interesting character in the film was Madame Deirdre, a fortune teller who predicted a short life for Ella. But it turns out that the fortune teller is in cahoots with Ella on her scheme to escape from Tolan.
Things come to a head in Castaic, north of Santa Clarita, where Tolan has a hideaway and kidnaps Ella's nephew Josh. In an effort to save the little boy, Ella abandons her plan to flee the country and makes a beeline for Castaic. It is there that she will speak the best line in the film: "I hit him on the head with a shovel." Of course, Tolan will bounce right up from the blow on the head and make a last stand at Castaic, expressing toxic masculinity to the bloody end.
Typical lifetime formula
txntv3 March 2019
I really don't know why I torture myself taping these movies. Terrible acting, ending is always predictable and beautiful locations. Oh! I just solved my own question.. I want to live where these films are made! Thanks IMBD!
so so
geoffox-766-41846711 February 2019
Why is it that all these females go through so much and never a hair out of place? Perfect makeup as well. I always wonder this. Do they fix their hair 24/7? As to this plot, This is a boring movie. Females playing leading roles do nothing to impress this viewer. Saying their lines like a recording. Made up too much. The men fare a bit better with stupid dialogue. Leading men are more natural looking and do better acting. Leading man is very handsome and close ups he has prettier eyes than his co-stars. Without makeup. I always wish these LMN films could be impressive, but unfortunately they come very infrequently. Give me leading ladies with class. Short hair, less makeup and natural acting. It's like they only cast the females with long hair. They all look like each other that you can't tell which is which anymore. Here's hoping for better stuff from LMN.
This is a vanilla thriller
nightroses8 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
So long, dull and predictable. A fortune teller makes this incredible prediction and seemed unable to use the same skills again later on. Echoes of Sleeping with the Enemy and countless other films of women fleeing husbands while faking their deaths. The biggest question of all is why did she marry someone that she was so scared of? Because of that, the film plot just collapses and isn't very good.
Unmistakably a Lifetime thriller, but a pretty decent one
I_Ailurophile11 June 2022
Ah, Lifetime. Their original movies have a definite reputation - blunt, direct, and ham-handed. Some titles surprise by being genuinely enjoyable ('Under the Christmas tree'), some are glaringly gauche but a good time all the same ('Adopted in danger'), and still others are so wildly and intentionally over the top that they become a barrel of laughs ('Driven to kill'). The nice thing about them all is that we can glean their nature very quickly, and 'When vows break' falls into the second category. There's no mistaking what this picture is, but for those who are receptive to everything Lifetime represents, it's suitably entertaining.
First things first, I can only commend the hair and makeup artists, and wardrobe, for their contributions - the cast look fantastic. Their appearances are bolstered by Seth Johnson's crisp, clear cinematography that lets every color pop out, while also bearing a soft glow that makes the picture easy on the eyes. If not essential and captivating - and unquestionably forced into a corner by the tenor of the feature - I think the performances that the cast turn in vary from fine to very good, with capable range and poise. Given the most time on screen as Lydia and Ella, of course Danielle C. Ryan and Christa B. Allen stand out the most, but it's a small joy to see Jaleel White here, too, among others.
All this is well and good; the writing is the real question mark. Chris Lancey's story is strong enough in the broad strokes, and Christine Conradt's screenplay. Without a doubt, however, 'When vows break' is classic Lifetime fare. The dialogue and scene writing actively decline any degree of subtlety, including frequent flashbacks in the first half, which mean that the cast in turn are coerced into displays of acting largely bereft of nuance. (Where it does shine through, it's like a beacon in a storm.) Plot development, too, is characterized by a straightforward ease that can only be Movie Magic. On the other hand, while the core of the narrative is filled with staples of Lifetime originals, there are also slight tinges of cleverness such that the plot goes in a direction I didn't anticipate, and the premise is teased out longer and more sharply than it otherwise may have been. I'm not saying that 'When vows break' is a must-see, but relative to some other content the network produces, there's some meaningful intelligence here. Kudos!
It's noteworthy and unfortunate that there's a measure of inelegance in the editing and sequencing. The climax and ending also feels distinctly rushed, smashed together with a certain gracelessness that makes the resolution sloppy. It kind of feels like these scenes were shot last, but time and resources ran short as the production schedule came to a close, so there wasn't much chance to rework it. Still, bearing in mind the typical indelicacies of Lifetime flicks, what weaknesses there are here aren't so substantial as to overshadow the value of the content. Nothing about this title will sway those who can't get on board with its brethren, yet it stands tall enough on its own merits that those open to the style will surely enjoy it. 'When vows break' doesn't break any molds, but is duly satisfying to pass the time on a quiet night.
First things first, I can only commend the hair and makeup artists, and wardrobe, for their contributions - the cast look fantastic. Their appearances are bolstered by Seth Johnson's crisp, clear cinematography that lets every color pop out, while also bearing a soft glow that makes the picture easy on the eyes. If not essential and captivating - and unquestionably forced into a corner by the tenor of the feature - I think the performances that the cast turn in vary from fine to very good, with capable range and poise. Given the most time on screen as Lydia and Ella, of course Danielle C. Ryan and Christa B. Allen stand out the most, but it's a small joy to see Jaleel White here, too, among others.
All this is well and good; the writing is the real question mark. Chris Lancey's story is strong enough in the broad strokes, and Christine Conradt's screenplay. Without a doubt, however, 'When vows break' is classic Lifetime fare. The dialogue and scene writing actively decline any degree of subtlety, including frequent flashbacks in the first half, which mean that the cast in turn are coerced into displays of acting largely bereft of nuance. (Where it does shine through, it's like a beacon in a storm.) Plot development, too, is characterized by a straightforward ease that can only be Movie Magic. On the other hand, while the core of the narrative is filled with staples of Lifetime originals, there are also slight tinges of cleverness such that the plot goes in a direction I didn't anticipate, and the premise is teased out longer and more sharply than it otherwise may have been. I'm not saying that 'When vows break' is a must-see, but relative to some other content the network produces, there's some meaningful intelligence here. Kudos!
It's noteworthy and unfortunate that there's a measure of inelegance in the editing and sequencing. The climax and ending also feels distinctly rushed, smashed together with a certain gracelessness that makes the resolution sloppy. It kind of feels like these scenes were shot last, but time and resources ran short as the production schedule came to a close, so there wasn't much chance to rework it. Still, bearing in mind the typical indelicacies of Lifetime flicks, what weaknesses there are here aren't so substantial as to overshadow the value of the content. Nothing about this title will sway those who can't get on board with its brethren, yet it stands tall enough on its own merits that those open to the style will surely enjoy it. 'When vows break' doesn't break any molds, but is duly satisfying to pass the time on a quiet night.
I Can't...I Just Can't...
samanthaolson-7084722 December 2020
The premise is good but for the love of everything holy...so much is awful about this I don't know where to start! Is it the director, the actors? I don't even know!! I consider myself so very forgiving when it comes to Lifetime movies but...no...not this one. Throwing a Boxleitner and Jaleel White into the mix only makes me feel sorry for them which furthers my discomfort watching it. I will skip through to the end to see what happens only because I have invested 35 minutes into it.
What a stupid movie..!
joealisy3 September 2019
Pretty leads makes this watchable
phd_travel5 March 2019
Danielle Churchran is a good actress and very pretty, good to see in Lifetime. She plays a woman concerned when her sister played by Christa B Allen goes missing off a boat while on her honeymoon. She doesn't like her abusive brother in law. She goes to the Caribbean to investigate. It's pretty obvious there is more to the disappearance than meets the eye. Her sister is actually alive and faking her own death. So she faces a dilemma whether to help or not and if so how much. It's quite complex for Lifetime with quite a few twists and turns. It's a bit of a Hitchcockian wannabe. Things are told in flashback a little. A few minus points. Direction is a bit monotonous. The way they deliver the dialogue seems stiff.
Worth a watch for the actresses.
Worth a watch for the actresses.
Why do they get away with this?
veronicammartin2 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Spoiler ALERT
Whilst I would consider myself above average IQ wise, I am at a loss as to understand a few points.
One person frames a man for her murder and then this person and sibling watch whilst he is arrested for her murder . ( illegal ) No consequences for them !
The supposed murder victim has insured herself and wants her sibling to claim the cash illegally . (Illegal ) No consequences for them !
The supposed victim has been moving her husband's money round various bank accounts to hide it. (illegal ) . He is blamed. No consequences for them !
Nasty as he is, he has an unfortunate end . No consequences for them.
Bizarre.
Whilst I would consider myself above average IQ wise, I am at a loss as to understand a few points.
One person frames a man for her murder and then this person and sibling watch whilst he is arrested for her murder . ( illegal ) No consequences for them !
The supposed murder victim has insured herself and wants her sibling to claim the cash illegally . (Illegal ) No consequences for them !
The supposed victim has been moving her husband's money round various bank accounts to hide it. (illegal ) . He is blamed. No consequences for them !
Nasty as he is, he has an unfortunate end . No consequences for them.
Bizarre.
Terrible
nikki-spears5 December 2020
Bad movie
claudesimilus24 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
That's a stupid movie, I kept watching hopefully it would get better, the ending was very idiotic, they didn't show any proof the guy , or his wife was once in danger, besides that his wife broke the law nothing happened, she should have died with him, for at least a better ending.
That's the worst storyline.
That's the worst storyline.
Terrible acting and unbelievable storyline
jessmalingowski15 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I mean faking your own death and setting someone up to take the fall for your murder diesnt get you arrested in these movies I guess? Just free to move on and live life happily after the man you set up is shot? Come on.
Man hating rubbish
factordan6 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Man hating rubbish. So it's ok to fake your own death and then frame your husband for murder because he is a bit of an idiot? And surely the two sisters should have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. And she put her own son in danger for no need. Yet the two of them come out smelling of roses and are portrayed as heroines. Evil.
Ridiculous Plot
carolynocean5 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Come on , really ? So, sappy sister gets married anyway , to a guy that she 'thinks ' might hurt her , and then goes and does a disappearing act , and tries to frame him for her murder , and on top of this, she takes out a million dollar insurance policy on herself , and makes the beneficiary , her own sister !!!!
Meanwhile the police are completely wasting their time running around trying to find a missing woman , and nail a guy for a murder , that he did not commit .
And to end it all , the two dumb sisters are not punished for this ludricious behaviour !
What a load of rubbish !!!!!
Meanwhile the police are completely wasting their time running around trying to find a missing woman , and nail a guy for a murder , that he did not commit .
And to end it all , the two dumb sisters are not punished for this ludricious behaviour !
What a load of rubbish !!!!!
Jacob Young and Christa B. Allen shine in When Vows Break
Reel_Reviews13 May 2019
In 2019's When Vows Break, Ella (Christa B. Allen - Revenge) is in an abusive relationship with Tolan (Jacob Young - Bold and the Beautiful), both physically and verbally. After about a year of being together, they decide to get married. Ella's sister Lydia (Danielle C. Ryan - Stalked by My Mother, Criminal Minds) has reservations about the whole thing, especially about Tolan.
To help relieve her mind, she visits a fortune teller named Madame Diedra (Milena Phillips). During their session, Madame Diedra states that she sees dark waters. This statement becomes significant later in the movie, but I promise not to give anything away.
Ella asks her sister numerous time to be happy for her, paraphrasing of course, and to let her and Tolan be. Lydia complies, against her better judgment and just wanting to protect her sister.
Their honeymoon is spent in Barbados on a boat. A nice boat I might add. Oh, I should add that Tolan has money. Not only does he have money, but he's also rich, for only rich people can have their own private jet always on stand by at the airport. While walking on the boat, Ella loses her balance and falls overboard. As corny as that sounds, and as familiar as that sounds, that's exactly what happens.
Learning of her sister's death, Lydia feels that it wasn't an accident and that Tolan killed her sister and thus begins her quest to find out what really happened in Barbados upon the boat.
ALLEN (Ella) AND RYAN (Lydia): I enjoyed Christa B. Allen when she played Charlotte Grayson on Revenge from 2011-2015. As for Danielle C. Ryan, I didn't recognize anything she's done, therefore, prior to this movie, I can't comment on her work. As for When Vows Break I did enjoy her acting. Ryan and Sam Boxleitner (yes, the son of Bruce Boxleitner) who played her husband Harrison, had good chemistry together. As for Allen and Jacob Young (who played Tolan), I didn't see much chemistry. They were an odd pair and that's probably why they were together. Tolan seemed way above her pay grade. Perhaps he saw someone he could manipulate and push around, which he did.
Allen played the "I know he's no good for me, but I love him" role really well. She made you feel sorry for her, while at the same time, you hoped she falls flat on her face.
JACOB YOUNG (Tolan): Jacob Young brought the role of Rick Forrester to life on Bold and the Beautiful. Not only is he incredibly good looking, to me, but he's a good actor, and this role will prove it. His acts of abuse (we saw mostly verbal than physical abuse) were scary to the point of you could almost dislike the actor and not the character. Very few actors have had this effect on me. The first being Judd Hirsh (Taxi) when he played a rapist in 1990's She Said No and Ted Danson (Cheers, CSI) who played a child molester in 1984's Something About Amelia.
Young has the type of face and acting chops to play both nice characters and bad characters and still come out unscathed. I look forward to more work by him
FINAL THOUGHTS:The movie as a whole was good, until the ending. There's nothing like a horrible ending to make you curse the whole movie and time you feel you have wasted watching. Up until the end, the ride was a good one and so many twists were there.
Would I recommend this movie? I really can't say. Only because I like endings with a bit more teeth in it. I want to leave a movie having deep thoughts about what took place or what didn't take place. I don't like endings wrapped in a bow. I like ending wrapped in meat and potatoes.
To help relieve her mind, she visits a fortune teller named Madame Diedra (Milena Phillips). During their session, Madame Diedra states that she sees dark waters. This statement becomes significant later in the movie, but I promise not to give anything away.
Ella asks her sister numerous time to be happy for her, paraphrasing of course, and to let her and Tolan be. Lydia complies, against her better judgment and just wanting to protect her sister.
Their honeymoon is spent in Barbados on a boat. A nice boat I might add. Oh, I should add that Tolan has money. Not only does he have money, but he's also rich, for only rich people can have their own private jet always on stand by at the airport. While walking on the boat, Ella loses her balance and falls overboard. As corny as that sounds, and as familiar as that sounds, that's exactly what happens.
Learning of her sister's death, Lydia feels that it wasn't an accident and that Tolan killed her sister and thus begins her quest to find out what really happened in Barbados upon the boat.
ALLEN (Ella) AND RYAN (Lydia): I enjoyed Christa B. Allen when she played Charlotte Grayson on Revenge from 2011-2015. As for Danielle C. Ryan, I didn't recognize anything she's done, therefore, prior to this movie, I can't comment on her work. As for When Vows Break I did enjoy her acting. Ryan and Sam Boxleitner (yes, the son of Bruce Boxleitner) who played her husband Harrison, had good chemistry together. As for Allen and Jacob Young (who played Tolan), I didn't see much chemistry. They were an odd pair and that's probably why they were together. Tolan seemed way above her pay grade. Perhaps he saw someone he could manipulate and push around, which he did.
Allen played the "I know he's no good for me, but I love him" role really well. She made you feel sorry for her, while at the same time, you hoped she falls flat on her face.
JACOB YOUNG (Tolan): Jacob Young brought the role of Rick Forrester to life on Bold and the Beautiful. Not only is he incredibly good looking, to me, but he's a good actor, and this role will prove it. His acts of abuse (we saw mostly verbal than physical abuse) were scary to the point of you could almost dislike the actor and not the character. Very few actors have had this effect on me. The first being Judd Hirsh (Taxi) when he played a rapist in 1990's She Said No and Ted Danson (Cheers, CSI) who played a child molester in 1984's Something About Amelia.
Young has the type of face and acting chops to play both nice characters and bad characters and still come out unscathed. I look forward to more work by him
FINAL THOUGHTS:The movie as a whole was good, until the ending. There's nothing like a horrible ending to make you curse the whole movie and time you feel you have wasted watching. Up until the end, the ride was a good one and so many twists were there.
Would I recommend this movie? I really can't say. Only because I like endings with a bit more teeth in it. I want to leave a movie having deep thoughts about what took place or what didn't take place. I don't like endings wrapped in a bow. I like ending wrapped in meat and potatoes.
I would watch Jacob Young in anything! Sigh
catfanatic88826 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It's actually a pretty decent lifetime sort of movie. Jacob Young, sexiest soap star of all time and musician, plays the bad guy in this soapy melodrama of a movie. Ella is a sweet, gorgeous young woman engaged to one of the hottest looking men on the planet (played by sexpot stud muffin, Jacob Young). Everything seems delightful for the pair until a fortune teller tells Ella that bad things will happen to her including her own death if she marries her fiance. Her friends and family are very concerned upon hearing this. But she decides to marry the gorgeous but sneaky guy anyway. Will the fortune teller be right? Check it out to see!
The Official Synopsist is a Lie !
shydreamguywantsabboyfriend2 February 2019
Every man should see this film as a warning .
Get to know people better before you commit to them This Woman, the lead is a Greedy Sociopathic Con-artist and everybody played along with her insidious plan as if she did nothing wrong .
The fact that this character is made to look like a victim by those who made the film is like wow .
Men don't be fooled by women like this .
Get to know people better before you commit to them This Woman, the lead is a Greedy Sociopathic Con-artist and everybody played along with her insidious plan as if she did nothing wrong .
The fact that this character is made to look like a victim by those who made the film is like wow .
Men don't be fooled by women like this .
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