25 Years of Lifetime


"I found an unopened box of chocolate today. You know the dangers of diabetic ketoacidosis!" — Robert Benson, "A Deadly Adoption"

Lifetime has been making TV movies for 25 years, and to celebrate that milestone they released "A Deadly Adoption" on Saturday night. I'm not one to sit home on a Saturday and watch a Lifetime original film, normally, but I decided to check this one out. And I wasn't alone. You see, it's not every day that two bankable stars — in this case Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell — make a Lifetime original film. At least not intentionally — shout out to "Grace of Monaco" and Nicole Kidman.

We all know what to expect from these films. Often they're based on true stories. They have some recognizable faces from TV or days of yore. There's some cheesy lines, some ridiculous plot twists, and plenty of faux danger.

I suspect Wiig and Ferrell were familiar with the formula, and fascinated by these films, too. That's the only explanation for "A Deadly Adoption."

When it was announced that Wiig and Ferrell — talented comedians and former members of "Saturday Night Live" — would do this film, most expected it to be a spoof. After all, the pair collaborated on "The Spoils of Babylon," a spoof of 1980s miniseries' for IFC last summer. And people couldn't wait to check out their Lifetime movie.

But this wasn't a spoof. Yes, it was cheesy. Yes, it poked a little fun at the formula. But, for the most part, Wiig and Ferrell played the movie agonizingly straight. This was, essentially, your typical Lifetime original film with bigger stars known for being funny.

The movie wasn't really funny. It had a couple funny moments, but it was mostly strange and boring — like most Lifetime movies. It's even more surprising because it came from writer Andrew Steele — a frequent Ferrell collaborator who worked on "SNL" and "Spoils of Babylon." Yet they played this film straight, as some sort of tribute to the genre.

The funniest thing about it turned out to be the sheer volume of people watching Lifetime on a Saturday night...

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