Identity Theft (2004)

Very Cool!!!

I wanted to but couldn't!

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

An average made-for-television movie -- not bad but strictly by the numbers. The title pretty much tells the whole story, but surely dramatizes some of the elements, such as Annabella Sciorra's not merely using Kimberley Williams-Paisley's credit cards and bank account to stoke up on "stuff" or "things", but desiring to actually BE the victim, whose real name is Michelle Brown.Michelle Brown, a good, solid English name. Sciorra is named Connie Volkos which, in comparison, sounds like something from the Mongolian steppes. The story has almost written itself for television. Sometimes it feels good to be a victim. Freud called the good things about being a victim "secondary gains," but if that's all there were to it there would be no such thing as Münchausen's syndrome. Not that Michelle Brown invited this exploitation. She's as blameless as Bridget Fonda was in a similar story, "Single, White, Female." Michelle is young, slim, sexy, bubbly, and cute in an almost cartoonish way. She has sparkling blue eyes and exudes innocence. She has a high chirpy voice that in times of upset turns a little tinny. All she wants is a house and the guy waiting in the wings to come out as a loving husband who is cheerful and "there" for her. And vegetarian pizza.Schiorra is older, bleached blond, sinister, surprisingly hefty, and whorish. We meet her sucking a chocolate lollipop and twirling a strand of her tangled hair. She's a contralto. We can tell at once from her appearance and demeanor that she's a self-absorbed slut. She listens to hip hop music in her brand new automobile bought with some kind of credit stolen from honest, likable Michelle. She dyes her hair brown like Michelle's and obtains a fake photo ID. It goes on rather predictably from there.There is one unanticipated element in the film. Sciorra's character is given a certain amount of depth. She has a reason for acting as she does, though not a justification. It's probably Anna Sciorra's best performance, mixing as it does envy, defiance, carelessness, indifference, and pathos. It adds to the film, not so much through the dialog as through Sciorra's handling of the role. I have a creepy feeling that in real life, "Connie Volkos" didn't want to absorb Michelle Brown's identity; she just wanted the money.

This is an effective biographical drama that does entertain from beginning to end, although I think real-life identity theft cases are much more serious than this movie says. Is going to prison a light sentence? Can't really say. Also, I don't think Identity Theft has ever been covered until this movie came along (Most crime movies are always about sexual crimes, or anything involving weapons and/or destruction). As I mentioned before, real-life cases are probably more serious than the one depicted here. In spite of its effectiveness and entertainment value, I think this movie could have used more complications. As to why the judge (at the end of the movie) would dismiss the case as a minor issue, is anyone's guess. So, after watching this movie, you might want to be careful about who you give your credit card (or any other personal info) to.

I have learned not to wait much of a TV movie. Now this is a "based on true story" one that shows such a dangerous issue in a very good way too.At first I sat to watch it because it has 2 of my favorite ladies. 10 years ago I began a list for the beautiful actresses I love, maybe to memorize them and immortalize them for me. From the earliest names I wrote there was Kimberly Williams-Paisley who kind of dazzled me with her cuteness in (Father of The Bride). And (Annabella Sciorra), who actually did the same, in (Cop Land). But as (Identity Theft) went on, I found more reasons to pay attention for.The case is scary. Big part of its scaring is that it's realistic. The matter of "it could happen to you" is so pressing this time. And it is more scary since there are no deterrent laws for it yet. So in the digital age we live, destroying the life of someone financially and morally has become very easy job to do, and getting away with it yet become easier ! Moreover, the movie so smartly made of the main situation such a physiological problem of loving a person, and her life, so much to become her. This cat and mouse game between a girl and a criminal copy of her was creative. Then when it dealt with the collapse of the copy, it gave us a deeply sad side to the story, which made it so human and effective. And, finally, what a dramatic climax it achieved when the copy/Connie phones her victim/Michelle, finding no one but her to seek help from, while she became unable to be a copy anymore or even herself. You can appreciate these efforts more when you know that the 2 characters, in the real story, never met at all (as I read somewhere). The meeting between them both at the end was a fine master scene. And the finale in the courtroom was shocking enough. From that joke of a judge, to lines like "life isn't fair/ I expected it to be fair here!", ending with the lead's hot monologue about the tragedy of losing her "good name" ; the whole scene was so zealous, true and bitter statement about the movie's main case. As for the acting, it's more than clear that (Annabella) won, but not for (Kimberly)'s weak performance; it's simply for one logical reason which's the power of Connie's role in the first place. This character got spectrum of mixed feelings, a more pathetic status, being in problem (like the main character) yet sick, with no love, no escape, and no cure. All of that while the script didn't give much to (Kimberly)'s character Michelle but to smile naively for half of the time, and frown for the other half! Nevertheless she did the last scene perfectly with high energy and intensive rage. I believed her utterly.(Identity Theft : The Michelle Brown Story) isn't a movie to be forgotten easily. Before gathering 2 of my favorite chicks in one movie, or even making a good thrill out of its story, it enlightens us with ugly crime and uglier facts that no other movie I know showed seriously or cared about.

Poor handled material about a real story concerning a young woman (Williams) who has all her data and her identity too stole by an ambitious and ill minded secretary (Sciorra). The movie goes on and on, never offering any climax moments or interesting facts, until the constrained ending when informations about the facts and the persons involved are given like a policial report.The story of this movie has potential, indeed. Nowdays, one of the big problems in commerce activity is the real possibility of one has all his or hers personal information (name, number of social security, ID or credit card)used by stealers and modern pirates in a series of crimes.Unfortunately, 'Identity Theft' never hits the bull eye. In my opinion, I think this movie was made almost with an amateur touch, like a second grade production. I give this one a 3 (three).