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Sunday, May 15, 2016

REVIEW: 'Social Nightmare'



Social media is a great way of connecting with friends, sharing snippets of your life, building a professional profile, etc. It also can wreck your reputation if you're not careful. Case in point ... "Social Nightmare," a cautionary tale on the dangers of social media gone wild. This gem airs at 7 a.m. (CST) on LMN, tomorrow, May 16.

The story follows super student Cat (Kirsten Prout). She has it all - a cool boyfriend, pending scholarships, acceptance into Brown University, and she was elected class president. And she is a devoted best friend to Emily (Chloe Bridges). Still, she has a few enemies including some bullies who are tormenting her boyfriend Daniel's (Brandon Smith) special needs sister.

Out of nowhere, social media posts pop up -- allegedly from Cat -- dissing Emily for not getting into Brown. That's bad enough, but then a website (possibly created by Cat) emerges that advertises her friends and foes as barely legal babes. From here, it's a tidal wave of bad news for the star student, who finds herself victimized online too when some risque pics find their way on the web. Thank goodness for doting mom (Daryl Hannah)! She is there to protect Cat and get her some therapy and antidepressants! Her teacher Mrs. Langran (Rachel True) knows something's not right here too. After all of this negative social media activity, Cat's life is a royal mess. She's hated, impeached from student government and is not en route to Brown!

I eventually predicted the movie's conclusion, but it does play well as a Lifetime "whodunnit." Could the hacker be best friend Emily who may be jealous of Cat's life, her arch rivals at school or even her boyfriend? Find out tomorrow morning ... or set the DVR to watch later.

Cat's predicament makes for a compelling story and a pretty good LMN movie. Good performances from Prout and Hannah, and good pacing from director Mark Quod. The movie rolls along nicely keeping the audience guessing who the culprit is. And this movie has the requisite "big reveal" and climactic brawl. Brought to you by the fine folks at The Asylum -- producers of other Lifetime epics including "Born Bad" and "Layover." You may want to tighten up your security on your social media channels after watching this one ... or offer your kids advice on what not to do on a cell phone video. 

"Social Nightmare": Directed by Mark Quod; Starring Kirsten Prout as Cat; Chloe Bridges as Emily, Darry Hannah as Susan; Brandon Smith at Daniel; Rachel True as Mrs. Langran


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