Widow on the Hill (2005)

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

This ended up being a better than average Lifetime movie. Totally captivating in a I'm hungover and can't get off the couch sort of way. Good cast and an intriguing story that I was never entirely sure how it was going to play out, including a surprising ending -which lets face it, doesn't usually happen with made for TV dramas.The story starts out just before the trial and has been based on real events, following an ambitious young hospice nurse who is hired by a wealthy man to care for his wife during her final days.'Linda' "cares" a lot for 'Hank' as well (flirts) and soon after the death of his wife they marry, much to the suspicion of Hank's youngest daughter. Before long, Hank himself falls seriously ill and dies, leaving Linda one of the richest women in Virginia and arousing suspicions that she not only knocked off Hank, but his first wife as well.This was heavy breathing melodrama. I really enjoyed James Brolin who was surprisingly sexy here with some very good love scenes (yeah I said it) but he also suffered from dumb man thinking with the wrong head (yeah I said that too). Natasha Henstridges is suitable sexy, wears nice underwear and wow, some of the stunts she pulls sleeping around with several men. Nice shock value there.The daughter was excellent, although I'm not sure why they kept referring to her as "the alcoholic" she was sober for the entire movie. I guess to cast doubt to her credibility. Beautiful cinematography on the horse ranch and an interesting secondary cast, containing all the elements for great Lifetime television; sex, murder, family drama and mystery. 1/22/15

As another reviewer notes, when you watch a Lifetime movie you don't expect Shakespeare. For what it is, though, "Widow" satisfies.The gorgeously aged James Brolin is excellent as Hank, a man who has amassed a fortune but is woefully naive when it comes to Linda, the hospice nurse with a chequered past who ministers to his dying wife while flaunting all her curves. Natasha Henstridge is believable as a predator type who uses sex to get what she wants. A scene in which she crassly gets Hank to change out of his horse-farm clothes is priceless. Also turning in good performances are Jewel Staite as Hank's depressed and perceptive daughter and Gabriel Hogan as a morally challenged yet complex farmhand.The story here seems a case study in the notion that bad things can happen to good people, and that justice can be frustratingly elusive.In all, this was both guilty fun and thought-provoking.

When a man loses his wife in Florida, all the widows run with chicken soup to catch the new widower.Natasha Henstridge plays a 3 time divorcée who becomes a nurse and goes to work in a hospice like atmosphere at the home of James Brolin's dying wife.The wife complies by dying shortly and romance soon blooms between Henstridge and the "grief" stricken widower. Naturally, the town gossips have a field day with this. Their talk will not be long as the two wed.Henstridge has plenty on her mind and plate for that matter. She has affairs with ranch hands as she mocks the institution of marriage-full throttle.Of course, she has to contend with an alcoholic step-daughter and a recently wed step-daughter. The former really is on to Linda (Henstridge) but is powerless to act.When Brolin (Cavanaugh) dies suddenly, Linda wants to cremate him. We all know what that means. A natural demise did not come to the real-life husband of Barbra Streisand!While the story is predictable, the ending really isn't but there is some good acting by the entire cast.No wonder everyone raises an eye-brow when a widower remarries so quickly!

I started off being interested somewhat in the movie. It appeared it might be serious drama, dealing with death, grief, and healing, with some realistic human conflict thrown in. Alas, it didn't hold up.I need a movie with somewhat consistent and believable characters. Too many characters in this movie were portrayed as extremely gullible and inconsistent. Look, I know this was not supposed to be Shakespeare, but come on, I need some quality in script and characterization.The acting was alright, the writing not so much. At one point, James Brolin's character is berated for showing up at a picnic under-dressed. He states that ordering him around will not work. His new wife says that if he goes home and changes she will rip his clothes off later. That is a howler. This movie had a few unintentionally funny lines.It was hard to care about Jame's Brolin's character. When he so readily gave his first wife's things to his new wife, even allowing his daughter to be snubbed, I lost most of my sympathy. Who really cares what happens to him. I must confess that I did not finish the movie. If it did a 180 in quality in the last 45 minutes, let me know. It was just unpleasant to watch and so predictable I felt there was no need to finish it.