Davida Williams | Through the Shattered Lens

It’s just another day at the bank….

Cassie Aveson (Abbie Cobb) is a directionless teenager whose life has been going nowhere since high school. Her mother, Joyce (Maeve Quinlan), encourages Cassie to at least consider going to junior college but Cassie says that she’s not even sure that she ever wants to go to college at all. (I tried that same argument on my mom after I graduated high school. I didn’t get very far.) Wanting to spend more time with her daughter, single mother Joyce arranges for Cassie to get a job at the same bank where Joyce works.

So far so good, right? Unfortunately, when three masked robbers using voice distortion devices rob the bank, one of them grabs Cassie and takes her as a hostage. Another one of the robbers shoots a security guard. After the robbers take off with Cassie and $600,000 in stolen money, Joyce is shocked to discover that FBI Agent Mendoza (Rosa Blaasi) suspects that Cassie was in on the robbery.

“Do you have children?” Joyce asks Mendoza..

After hesitating, Mendoza admits that she does not. Well, that’s all we need to know about her! Unless you have children, you have no right to suspect that anyone’s child might be involved in a crime. So, I guess, maybe don’t join the FBI if that’s the case because your job is going to be super-difficult.

As for Cassie, she is innocent as far as the bank robbery is concerned. However, she does know the three people under the masks. She went to high school with them. Grace Miller (Davida Williams) is the concerned and responsible friend who is planning on going to law school, even if she’s currently serving as a get away driver. Marie (Augie Duke) is the bad girl who has a heavily tattooed boyfriend named Nick (James Ferris) and who was probably voted Most Likely To Shoot A Security Guard. And finally, Abbie (Cassi Thomson) is the apologetic outcast who Cassie was once suspended for defending.

It’s a teenage bank heist!

Released in 2012, Teenage Bank Heist is one of the best of the old school Lifetime films. It not only embraces the melodrama but it holds on tight and demands even more. Grace and Abbi have a reason for robbing the bank that goes beyond simple thrills but to reveal all of the details would not be fair to those who have yet to see the film. One of the joys of Teenage Bank Heist is that it’s a film that continually leaves you shocked as to how far it takes things. Teenage Bank Heist is totally over-the-top, ludicrous, and just a ton of fun. Watching this film, you will believe that a bunch of teenage girls can rob a bank and get involved in an international incident. You will also believe that a suburban movie can pick up a gun and become an ice cold vigilante when she needs to. It’s Lifetime at its best.

Early on in the film, there’s a beautiful shot of a bunch of loose bills floating in the air. It’s the type of shot that reminds us that we’re watching a film by Doug Campbell, who was responsible for the best Lifetime films. Teenage Bank Heist is currently streaming on Prime and Tubi and you should watch it immediately. Do it for every teenager who has ever literally had no choice but to rob a bank. It happens more often than you may think.

On Thursday, I watched the first Lifetime film of 2019, My Daughter’s Ransom!

(a.k.a. My Daughter’s Ransom)

Why Was I Watching It?

New year, new lifetime movies! Every year brings changes but one thing that will never change will be my love for these films and the enjoyment I get from reviewing them.

What Was It About?

Rachel (Scottie Thompson) has a good life. Her husband, Tony (Matthew Pohlkamp), is a successful businessman who is on the verge of finalizing a big deal. Her daughter, Lindsey (McKinley Blehm), is intelligent enough to know all about the theories of Charles Darwin.

Unfortunately, Rachel also has an ex-boyfriend named Carter (Lucas Kerr). Carter’s just been released from prison and, as quickly becomes apparent, his incarceration did not lead to rehabilitation. After spending months stalking Rachel and her family, Carter kidnaps Lindsey at the zoo. If Rachel doesn’t do everything that Carter orders her to do, he’ll kill her daughter.

As Rachel tries to figure out a way to save her daughter, she also has to keep following Carter’s orders, which are not only increasingly outlandish but also increasingly dangerous for both Rachel and everyone that she loves….

What Worked?

As anyone who has spent any time watching the channel can tell you, the theme of abduction is a popular one when it comes to Lifetime movies. That’s because these films deal with the fears that every parent has, not only that your child will be abducted but that you’ll be powerless to rescue them. My Daughter’s Ransom did a good job of making that fear feel real, especially in the early moments when Rachel was desperately running around the zoo, looking for her daughter. (The camera holds Rachel in a tight close-up while she searches for her daughter, emphasizing Rachel’s desperation to find her.)

For a film like this to work, you need a good villain and Lucas Kerr did a great job making Carter into the type of creepy, hissable bad guy who you just couldn’t wait to see get his comeuppance. In the role of Rachel, Scottie Thompson also did great work and it was impossible not to sympathize with her as she tried to get someone to notice that she was in trouble without Carter figuring out what she was doing.

In fact, the entire cast did a great job. My two favorite supporting characters were Gina (Davida Williams), the wife of Tony’s business partner, and Skates (Erika Fong), Tony’s secretary. Neither one of them was willing to put up with any nonsense. Personally, I think we need a sequel where Gina and Skates team up and solve crimes.

What Did Not Work?

It all worked! My Daughter’s Ransom got the year off to a good start.

“Oh my God! Just like me!” Moments

Much like Rachel, I once had a weakness for bad boys. Actually, now that I think about it, I still do. That said, the character I most admired was Skates because it didn’t matter how much Carter ordered Rachel to yell at her and threaten to fire her, Skates wasn’t going to let anyone stop her from doing her job.

Lessons Learned

Bad boys never change.