Up until Saturday night, I would’ve said that the 1996 Sharon Lawrence-Brian Austin Green vehicle A Friend’s Betrayal (a.k.a. Stolen Youth) was my favorite Lifetime movie of all time. ("She wanted everything: freedom, friendship, and her best friend’s teenage son.") But now, I’d have to answer Flirting With Forty, the Heather Locklear-Robert Buckley version of How Stella Got Her Groove Back (based on Jane Porter’s novel, actually) that I’ve managed to watch three times.
In case you missed it (watch a trailer after the jump), Locklear plays recent divorcée Jackie, a successful interior designer and mother of two, who receives a trip to Hawaii as a 40th birthday present. There, she meets Kyle (Buckley), a 27-year-old surfing instructor who makes his own organic surf wax. A surfing lesson turns into a drink, which turns into a steamy one-night stand, which turns into Jackie making so many flights from Denver to Hawaii that her married friends stage an intervention.
I know what you’re thinking: You just liked it because Buckley, the man candy on NBC’s Lipstick Jungle, is shirtless approximately 63 percent of his screen time. Not true. Entirely. It’s that occasionally, I like to watch a soft-spoken stud admire a woman who has her s— together (and that woman can be of any age). Also, I was amazed that I didn’t have a problem buying the still-slammin’ Locklear as a woman who’d be afraid to wear a bikini, and that I actually found it mildly liberating when she got home from her first trip, unwrapped the red string one Kyle gave her, and wore it (with boots) to the curb as she tossed her security sweatshirt into the garbage on New Year’s Eve.
Anyone else catch Flirting With Forty and love it? And is there another Lifetime movie that could possibly top it? You’ll have to make a strong case: This one kept my mother, whom I was visiting, up until 2 a.m. watching it with me. (Okay, technically, she was watching it first, and I climbed into bed with her. "The wardrobe department certainly had an easy time with him," she said about half-naked Buckley. See where I get it?)
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It was OK for entertainment purposes and a distraction from laundry and dishes, etc.. I just kept thinking that Heather Locklear looked a little plastic surgery/botoxy to me. And based on her age, it should have been called Flirting with Fifty.
I refuse to watch it (or any other movie fitting the following advertising scheme) until they stop hyping it every commercial break on the radio.
So, the point that women can be free and beautiful and awesome at any age has been lost on Beverley. Better luck next time, Lifetime. I thought it was fab.
“Mother May I Sleep With Danger” has to be the quintessential Lifetime movie. Plus, it stars Tori Spellman. The title alone makes it a classic!
I realized I typed Spellman instead of Spelling, but my argument stands.
Memo to Heather: way too much “work” done.
Remember when her nickname used to be “Won’t Play over 30″? Glad those days are over.
It seems I went to high school with the guy who wrote “Dying to Belong.” From the LIfetime Web site: “During their freshman year of college, Lisa and her roommate, Shelby, decide to pledge a sorority. Although the pledges are asked to perform degrading tasks, the friends decide to stick it out. One night, Shelby falls from the campus clock tower and dies. Lisa refuses to believe it was a suicide and begins to uncover the truth about her friend’s death with the help of her boyfriend, Steven.”
Both of them look so waxy.
Adele’s easily the best part of this movie. But if we’re talkin Lifetime, then yeah, I can agree that it’s the best.
More like Flirting with Fifty!!
I enjoyed Flirting With Forty, but my all time favorite Lifetime movie is Too Young To Be A Dad.
Matt Freeman is a freshman honor student and an all-around good kid. Everything seems perfect until he gets a fellow student pregnant. This is an emotional tale of teen pregnancy, told from the unique point of view of a young man and his parents. LOVE IT!
I also have to give it up to Lifetime for a few of its more serious movies like Human Trafficking and Speak. They were quite good and thought-provoking too!
Rachel, you stole my post! I was going to say that it’s been quite a while since Heather was flirting with 40.
What about the title-says-it-all feature from 15 years or so ago starring Brian Austin Green and the girl from The Nanny and Beethoven–”Unwed Father.” Cliches abound! And I watched the whole thing.
I liked it, more than I thought I would! My favorite Lifetime movie (along with the Brian Austin Green/Sharon Lawrence one) is the one where Keri Russel is the babysitter to Stephen Collin’s kids and they have an affair and he tries to frame her for murdering his wife when he really did it! Loved that one!
Actually a Face to Die for is one of the best Lifetime movies ever with Yasmine Bleeth
I thought the movie was just okay. Heather looked a little puffy/botoxy in the face so it was a little bit of a distraction for the first hour. I liked the LM starring Tracey Pollan & Tim Matheson called “Dying to Love you”. She manipulates a lonely Tim who she meets through the personals. She played against her good girl image. Don’t forget any Lifetime movie with Valerie Bertinelli, Jaclyn Smith & Kate Jackson who plays a great socipath. I believe Annie mentioned Cliches Abound. Lifetime Movies = Cliches Abound but you still sit through and watch the whole damn thing. LOL! Lifetime is good for a lazy rainy Saturday or Sunday in the winter. Heck, I still occassionally watch the Golden Girls when I am home sick from work. It is a classic and funny!
“Dying to Belong” starred Hillary Swank (pre-Oscars) and Jenna Van Oy. I’m so ashamed I know that. HIallry Swank also stars in another awesome Lifetime movie — she’s an angry teen who beats up her mom (Growing Pain’s mom) – “Terror in the Family”.
Anythiing with Tori Spelling is gold, in fact “Co-ed Call Girl” is on Lifetime Movie Network tonight!
I tried watching the Heather Locklear one but it wasn’t cheesy enough to be good in a bad way. Lifetime is best for overwrought melodrama, preferably the ones based on a true story: “Something Something: The So and So Story”.
i totally loved it! LOVED IT! it was exactly what i needed on saturday night. poor robert buckley is professional cougar bait. when they even said that his character was a budding photographer, i DIED.
as for favorite lifetime movies, i think it’s a toss up between 1996’s “she cried no” where candace cameron is date-raped by mark-paul gosselaar (also stars jenny von oy!!), or 1996’s “no one would tell” where candace cameron is beat up by her abusive boyfriend fred savage. 1996 really wasn’t a good year for candace cameron.
Nothing beats “Friends Till the End” with Shannon Doherty!
Damn Buckley’s a hot one (a little orange looking in this movie but still hot)
Okay – it originally aired on CBS, but Lifetime now carries it – my all time favorite Lifetime movie is A Woman Scorned, the Betty Broderick movie with Stephen Collins and Meredith Baxter. I also agree with Carra, The Babysitter was good too.
Sex and the single mom is the best
Hey there is this new site for him. It is under construction but you can check back often to see what is going on with it. http://www.robertbuckleyonline.com
I watched it the night it came on for the first time!! Then 2 more times after that when it came on again!! I coulndn’t turn the channel even though my sisters were complaining about “Repeats”!! I fell in love with this movie. I cried at the breakfast scene!! You know…..-The next morning he shows up on her birthday at her hotel room door & she’s surprised & shocked…..& tells her he’s gonna spend her “birthday” with her. So much for a 1 night stand!!! Loved it!! Can’t to buy the dvd!!!
The best lifetime movies are “Unwed Father” with Brian Austin Green and killer music from Amanda Marshall and “Gracie’s Choice” with as yet to be discovered Kirsten Bell! I watch them everytime they come on.
I have two favorite Lifetime movies, niether directly produced by the network. The first was originally shown on CBS back in 1990, Always Remember That I Love You with Patty Duke and a very your Steven Dorff. The second is I’m With Lucy, an independent film that never got a true studio release, starring Monica Potter with Henry Thomas, David Boreanz, Anthony LaPaglia, Gael Garcia Bernal, John Hannah, Julie Christie and Harld Ramis. While holiday favorite Always Remember hasn’t been aired in years, even on Life Time, I’m With Lucy is still a staple on the network, and deserved much better treatment from the studio.
This movie is on my DVR waiting till all the networks go on hiatus for the holidays. My husband said the same thing as some of you others here have posted….”Isn’t Heather flirting with fifty?” My favorite Lifetime movie is “Her Best Friends Husband” with Cheryl Ladd. I also love all the Nora Robert’s remakes they have been doing lately too.
“Wife, Mother, Murderer: The Audrey Marie Hilley Story.” Starring Judith Light from “Who’s the Boss.” It probably wasn’t made for Lifetime, but they used to show it all the time. And I would have to watch every time I ran across it. Based on a true story, of course. Totally insane story, addictive movie. And the title is one of the best.
All time favorite Lifetime Movie (other than “Flirting With Forty” now) is author Barbara Taylor Bradford’s “A Secret Affair” with Janine Turner and Paudge Behan (Irish hottie). I actually found that one on DVD from Ebay and was so happy when I did. Flirting with Forty rocked and Heather looked absolutely perfect in that bikini, which is more than I can say for myself at 40, divorced and two kids, but hey, I’m working on it! I’m sure Hawaii’s tourism is going to skyrocket with Cougar wannabees since this movie aired. I’m kinda thinkin about a little excursion to the “rock” myself. LOL!
I LOVED this movie its still in my DVR for a rainy day. besides the very hot, cougar man candy Robert Buckley (quick get this guy another TV show). I really liked the camaraderie she had with her friends. Especially after she goes on the bad date with the doctor – who tells the waiter that neither of them will be having dessert. Later when she meets her friend she says “life is too short not to have dessert.” (or apparently have hot sex with a hot surfer guy). Another fave moment was in the hammock, when he asks “will you be my girl?”. okay, super cheesy but cheesy goodness nontheless.