You Belong to Me (2008)

Very disappointing...

Perfect cast and a good story

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I enjoy both Lifetime movies and the TV show Supernatural. I often use terms from the latter in reviews of the former, such as gank when someone is killed. This one tries to combine both and fails. It's stupid, but not in the normal cheesy way some of us have come to love about Lifetime movies, it is a bad stupid.This movie starts out standard Lifetime fare with Shannon Elizabeth as the female in jeopardy. Even her quasi-amazonian beauty (she's taller than almost everyone else) can't pull this one above 1 star. It's obvious who the Lifetime psycho (LP) is early on despite an attempt to paint the ex-husband as the culprit. This would have made a decent hour long episode, but it went off the rails in the second half.Alex was in jeopardy once from LP Michael and then he fell off a cliff. His spirit then jeopardized her and others. She lets a low budget Miss Cleo instruct her on dealing with the LP, or the spirit that is the LP. Bad advice, as it didn't work! She should have called Sam and Dean Winchester! In the end, she ganks Michael's spirit and accepts the ongoing marriage proposal from Chris.The plus side- her boyfriend has a cool C2 Corvette, but of course he's not smart enough (despite being a lawyer) to use jackstands under both sides of it.It's something of a running joke that many Lifetime made in Canada movie actors have guested on Supernatural. It's kind of like the Canadian Law & Order in that respect. I got a chuckle out of the fact for this one out of the main cast, only the villain/spirit Michael (Christian Campbell) had played on Supernatural.One other observation- this situation brings to mind and reinforces Barney Stinson's hot/crazy scale from How I Met Your Mother. Alex is hot, so she's expected to be a lot crazier than the average Lifetime heroine.Regular movie score: 1/10 (higher is better). Lifetime movie score: 2/10 (higher is stupider).

You belong to Me is a stalking thriller with a supernatural twist. Shannon Elizabeth is Alex Wilson who works in a Seattle publishing firm. She fears that she is being stalked by her ex, Julian who is also the father to her son. Although settled with a new boyfriend Chris, Alex thinks Julian is hanging about in the background despite a restraining order.At work she deals with a project with a new colleague Michael who also takes an interest in her. Things come to a head as Chris gets seriously injured in a mysterious incident and Michael reveals that he is seriously unhinged and falls off a cliff.This does not stop Alex having an eerie feeling that she is still being watched. Her son is having mysterious conversations with someone. Is Julian still stalking or Michael whose spirit is stuck in some kind of limbo?This is a badly written tosh full of clichés and bad acting. Elizabeth looks pretty and that is about it. The story could had gone in some interesting directions that would had made it at least average but resisted all temptation to be competent.

The first half of this TV film is pretty good. OK, well at least it is watchable and interesting. However, right at the 56 minute point, the film takes a turn that makes the rest of it almost unwatchable. The actors seem to know the story has gone astray, because their once fine acting in it, becomes really sophomoric. While not a total waste of time, it comes very close. Too bad! Shannon Elizabeth, Christian Campbell (Neve's real life brother) and the actor who plays Chris really deserve better than this piece of junk! It's also unfortunate, though understandable, for the actors and actresses who are in films for the first time. This won't look good on their resumes. Save time, look for another LIFETIME film to watch. Some are quite good, but this one isn't.

SHANNON ELIZABETH is a young woman being stalked by a co-worker and there's no big surprise as to whom the stalker is once that plot development occurs. And the first half of the story is good enough to be convincing up until the point that something happens which destroys their relationship forever. No use going into the actual details which would spoil it for anyone watching for the first time.After that, the yarn has a hard time seeming credible although the suspense is mild enough to keep the viewer watching. ANDREW KENNETH MARTIN is convincing as the woman's boyfriend who wants to find out who is stalking his fiancé and Christian CAMPBELL does a good job as the man who creates all the problems.Technical credits are fine in this made-for-TV movie which strains believability but has enough intrigue to keep one guessing as to how it will all end. It all feels like something inspired by a Mary Higgins Clark novel--even the title.