Let’s just cut straight to the part in the third-act climax where, after tussling about in John and Laura’s lake house (which they spoke about incessantly throughout the film, so no surprises there), Ashley stands, bleeding and vengeful, shotgun in hand, in front of John and Laura in a car, right in front of her: “I am sick and tired of this bitch!” Laura yells as she inevitably guns it.
Let’s not even get into how Ashley ruins John’s ascent to partner at his law firm, or the aforementioned cat. She begins to have feelings for John, resentment for Laura, and maybe this thing is a scam after all when detective Roland ( The Wire’s Williams, looking bored beyond belief) uncovers Ashley’s past of sexual abuse, murder, and chicanery. He is dispatched posthaste, and Ashley is settled into the couple’s extravagant home in New Orleans. Of course, Ashley comes with a sleazy, abusive boyfriend Mike ( Sons of Anarchy’s Rossi, who is incapable of telegraphing anything other than trouble). Successful lawyer John (Chestnut, exhibiting an acting range limited to three emotions: seductive, annoyed, and pissed off) and successful chef Laura (Hall) have been trying for years to have a baby to no avail, so when ideal surrogate Ashley (Sinclair) comes along, they jump at the chance to inject their last viable embryo into her. You think that house cat they keep cutting to is going make it through the movie? Oh, to be that cat. This latest iteration in the “psycho third wheel” genre offers up absolutely no surprises, and is probably one the most dull and predictable films in this wasteland filmgoers call September. Instead, the film shifts from one to the other halfway through, offering little for viewers to cling to other than a desire for the end credits to kick in.I don’t know about you, but when I settle in for a nice big slice of the latest Fatal Attraction knockoff, it had better take things above and beyond the hundreds of Lifetime movies that have come before it.
Conversely, he and his team might have gone full B-movie with When the Bough Breaks, embracing the stigma against its premise and leaning into the ludicrous.
Yes, this material may have been covered ad nauseam on networks like Lifetime, but with actors as accomplished as Chestnut (who also produced) and Hall headlining, director Jon Cassar – an executive producer on Fox series 24 – had the tools to create something with more gravitas that bucks expectations.
What makes When the Bough Breaks such a disappointment is that its premise could have been developed into a compelling thriller. In other words, prepare to yell at the screen every few minutes.
It’s the kind of film where – if two characters had a simple conversation early on – everything would have gone differently and where the entire plot hinges on mind-numbingly implausible decisions. A dash of Single White Female here, a bit of Fatal Attraction there… The film essentially does nothing to distinguish itself or push the genre anywhere new. This wouldn’t be quite so damning if it was in service of a sound narrative direction, but instead When the Bough Breaks relies on audiences’ ability to turn their brain off and its characters’ inability to act like normal, rational human beings. When the Bough Breaks even hits seemingly every cliche on its way to an underwhelming climax. So when the insanity finally boils over, there’s little ground for the film to stand on. However, none of these subplots contribute much of anything to the main thrust of the story, which centers on Anna’s fixation on John and the bargaining chip she’s carrying in her womb.
Viewers meet Anna’s hot-headed boyfriend (Theo Rossi) – who serves as the story’s biggest wild card early on – and are introduced to a professional rival of John’s (Romany Malco). Naturally, this decision ultimately becomes a mistake, as Anna isn’t exactly who she claims to be.Īlthough When the Bough Breaks ultimately devolves into a pseudo-erotic thriller (as much as the PG-13 rating will allow), the film does offer some hints early on that it has a more complex tale in mind. After years of trying and enduring multiple miscarriages, they have decided to go the surrogate route, and when they meet Anna (Jaz Sinclair), the couple think they may have finally found the right person to help them achieve their dream of becoming parents. The film stars Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall as John and Laura Taylor, a married couple who have been dying to conceive their first child.