Popular Posts

Monday, July 3, 2017

Review: 'The Wrong Crush'


The fireworks flew during the Fourth of July weekend premiere of "The Wrong Crush." This tale of revenge, obsession and murder debuted last night and was a perfect way to wind down a star-spangled weekend.

"The Wrong Crush" follows Amelia (Victoria Konefal), a teen queen track star with some heavy baggage. Although she is a model student and super athlete, Amelia harbors a dark past filled with alcoholism that may have contributed to the death of a friend. She's worked hard to get her life back in order, but her mom Tracy (Lesli Kay) hasn't forgotten her hellion ways. Tracy works at a nursing home with BFF Gwen (Vivica A. Fox -- also one of the film's producers), who provides a good sounding board for her parental woes. Rounding out this semi-happy circle of family and friends is boyfriend Scott (Pedro Correa).

On the periphery is creeper Jake (Ricardo Hoyos), a smooth talking new kid who sets his sights on Amelia. Someone else has their eyes on Amelia. She caught someone looking into her home and is being watched by a couple during track practice. It turns out the couple is Mr. and Mrs. Hessler (Jon Briddell and Meredith Thomas), the parents of a friend who was killed in a drunken car accident in which Amelia was involved.

So, everything is in play for a stalker-mystery focused on Amelia. Admittedly, these movies are a bit difficult to review without giving out key plot twists. Still, it's safe to say that Jake is up to no good, and Amelia isn't completely blind to his affections. Still, she seems to think the magic words "just friends" will keep him at bay. No dice! This guy has a stalker board with pics of Amelia, so he means business.

Amelia is definitely in trouble. Will mom and/or Scott come to the rescue? Will Mrs. Wheeler in the nursing home eat her vegetables? And will Jake's stalker wall continue to grow?? The sparks will fly again tomorrow, July 4, at 7 p.m. (CST).

"The Wrong Crush" definitely does a lot of things right, particularly developing solid characters to propel the story forward. Konefal offers an effective performance as a young lady doing all the right things but haunted by a bleak past. Hoyos is picture perfect as the psychotic stalker. He's somewhat understated as the obsessive nutcase, which works. The audience knows he's up to something, but Hoyo's sweet smile and easy going presence belies a much more sinister force. TV veteran Kay ("As the World Turns," "Bold and the Beautiful") is excellent as the mother who can't let go of the past and reluctant to trust her daughter. Konefal balances a unique chemistry with both Hoyos and Kay. With her male antagonist, she's both flirty yet uneasy. And with Kay, she's desperately trying to win back the mother she spurned.

At the helm is veteran "Wrong" director David DeCoteau ("The Wrong Child," "The Wrong Roommate"), who has collaborated with the talented Ms. Fox on a number of projects. He knows his way around TV thrillers and does a solid job of building suspense while focusing on the dramatic subplot of Amelia's past.

The fuse was lit last night, so if you missed this firecracker, put a few franks on the fire and get ready for another "Wrong" classic on LMN.

"The Wrong Crush": Directed by Davie DeCoteau; Starring Victoria Konefal as Amelia, Lesli Kay as Tracy, Vivica A. Fox as Gwen, Ricardo Hoyos as Jake, Pedro Correa as Scott, Reatha Gray as Mrs. Wheeler, Meredith Thomas as Mrs. Hessler, Jon Briddell as Mr. Hessler

No comments:

Post a Comment