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Daniel Sunjata in "The Front"
courtesy of Lifetime
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“The Front” (Lifetime)
This week we get the second wave of stories based on the novels of Patricia Cromwell. Last week it was “At Risk” and this week it is “The Front.” Both stories involve basically the same group of characters with DA “Money” Lamont (Andie MacDowell) and Detective Win Garano (Daniel Sunjata) being at the fore.
In “The Front”, as in “At Risk”, Money has decided to reopen a cold case and she has assigned Garano to investigate it. He is partnered with a detective called Stump (Ashley Williams) because she has an artificial leg. The victim in the cold case was named Janie Brolin and she was raped and murdered.
While Garano is investigating this case he keeps running into problems in his own life which are caused by a Harvard student named Cal (Dane DeHaan). Cal wants to be Win and he also wants a relationship with Money. He is more likely to be successful in his second “want” since Money is drawn to all men – young, old, whatever.
Once again we get a brief cameo from Cornwall as she delivers the immortal line, “Your table is ready, Miss Lamont.” I smell an Emmy nomination. Or maybe her performance just smells. Beating her however in the reeking contest is MacDowell. Once again she so overplays the role of Lamont as to render her almost unwatchable.
Diahann Carroll is again the bright spot in the acting arena as Win’s Nana. There is a classiness about Carroll’s performance that makes it totally entertaining. Sunjata is handsome and heroic as Win while Williams is bland as Stumpy.
Then there is the whole mess of miscasting which is DeHaan. He has the quirkiness required for the role but in looks and acting ability he is wrong, wrong, wrong. His mother must have been the casting director for this project because surely no one else would have placed him in this part.
The adaptation of Cornwell’s novels into movies makes Lifetime’s movies based on Nora Roberts’ novels look like classics. The casting is all wrong here; the plot is muddled from start to finish; and the overall enjoyment level of the movie is low. Still I am sure Cornwell’s name will be enough to draw a fairly large audience.
“The Front” premieres on Lifetime, Saturday, April 17 at 9PM. |
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©2010 Jackie K. Cooper |
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