Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life (2005) (TV)

User Rating:

3.8/10   

Director:

Tom McLoughlin

Writers (WGA):

Wesley Bishop (teleplay) and
Richard Kletter (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

20 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Seduced. Addicted. Destroyed.

Plot:

A high school kid (Sumpter) develops an addiction to Internet porn so intense that it begins to destroy his life and tear his family apart.

Plot Keywords:

Undressing Scene | Swimming Pool | Locker Room | Porn Addict

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jeremy Sumpter	...	Justin Petersen
Kelly Lynch	...	Diane Petersen
Lyndsy Fonseca	...	Amy
Jake Scott	...	Alex Peterson
Nicole Dicker	...	Monica
Rahnuma Panthaky	...	Bridget Lee
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Benz Antoine	...	Coach Suha
Krysta Carter	...	Sally Mizelle
Briony Glassco	...	Beth
Jonathan Goldapple
Demetrius Joyette
David Nerman
John Robinson	...	Richard Peterson
Kyle Schmid	...	Timmy
Alison Sealy-Smith
Michael Seater	...	Nolan Mitchell
Nathan Stephenson	...	Guy in Locker Room
Jennifer Wigmore
Chuck Willcocks	...	Guy in Pizza Joint
James A. Woods

Also Known As:

Addicted.com (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:MA (TV rating) | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Jaffe/Braunstein Films

Quotes:

Justin Petersen: I was looking at pornography? Is that what you want to hear?

Lifetime's Appeal to Panic is Parodical and Misinforming

This is someone's worst nightmare, be it eagle-eyed fundamentalist authoritarian parents, their wide-eyed naive offspring living in the cyber-age OR the casual Lifetime movie viewer looking for an aggravation-free evening. Lifetime has often dared to tackle modern living via their dramatic mothers-at-arms approach to parenting; but this is almost obscurely misinforming, and capable only of instilling groundless fear in overcautious mothers. Nobody really wins, Lifetime can and has done much better (see 2003's "On Thin Ice). The presentation of Lifetime films has become quite formulaic and stagnant as of late: Yesterday's A-List celeb is mother to Tomorrow's up-and-coming rising star. Drama ensues.

This type of Made-For-TV event seems beneath us as we discover the broad and careless strokes made early on. This may have worked better as a novel, since the convoluted 'my the son the sexual deviant' storyline needn't be divulged all at once. As is, it's an over-hyped production that lacked any memorable performances. Director Tom McLoughin is rather accomplished at the helm on this project; he's worked on many projects in TV and film over the past 25 years, but not one of his projects leaves a lasting impression or is worthy of owning ("Friday the 13th Part VI", anyone?). He's a capable director, generally filming with unobstructed aplomb.

It's hard to believe any film solely about teenagers addicted to porn, but these are the same two 50-year-old men writing such turgid and stagnant Lifetime films as the 'teenage sex awareness' modern flit-pieces like 'She's Too Young'[2002] and 'Odd Girl Out' [2005]. As you could imagine, it plays out as bad as you'd expect; all we learn is that teenagers are drawn to the internet like moths to a flame whenever it concerns women dancing lasciviously. We see our protagonist become increasingly addicted to pornography; he eventually becomes ostracized from his peers (like all the young counterparts in Lifetime films), initiates his mother's new authoritarian parental regime and frequently makes his father (the stereotypical 'don't ask, don't tell' permissive Lifetime dad) uncomfortable. Occasionally the young person even considers suicide as an answer to his problems, most of which are rooted in puberty.

The cast dynamic is awkward at best; Kelly Lynch is so frayed she looks literally like she's only a flat-tire away from a nervous breakdown in the breakdown lane. It's pretty disconcerting to see her resorting to such puritanical parenthood ideals in her mid-forties after a career sustained previously by so many steamy bedroom scenes. I imagine there's the need to prove she's still a capable actress, but this is not her defining moment as an actress, nor a memorable performance; this is merely histrionics, much like you'd expect when puberty and menopause collide in the dark alleys of Suburbia. *+ / ****