Now, all you on here know how fascinated I am by child killers. So, while scanning YouTube, and happening upon "Family Sins--A Lifetime TV Movie About Killer Child Sibling Rivalry," I had to watch. I should have known better.
This movie is all confused. Being Lifetime, it actually has a happy ending, when, in reality, there is no happy ending, in store, for this boy and his family.
The story involves the picture perfect Williams family, played by stalwarts of the day, James Farentino and Jill Eikenberry. Their two sons, Bryan and Keith, are played by Thomas Wilson Brown, and Andrew Bednarski. Mr. Bednarski manages to inject some feeling into the role, making him the only character you feel for. As the disturbed Bryan, Brown shows he has the ability to go far with this role, but the script lets him down.
The film cannot make up its mind if it is about child psychosis, or poor parenting. When James Farentino was handed the script, he must have been given only one direction--"play hateful Dad." Because that is all he does, without getting to the root of this hatefulness. He makes some references to when he was his sons' ages, and his father, but not enough to get a credible back story on him. As the wife, Jill Eikenberry knows the score, but married to this jerk, has to play it passive. I am telling you, when Bryan killed that rabbit, that was a signal, when something should have been done. Maybe, then, Keith would not have drowned.
Don't expect "Leave Her To Heaven," from the drowning scene, darlings. There is no ravishing color photography, or Gene Tierney, to enhance things.
The excuse given is so clichéd. Bryan is a bookish, computer type, while younger Keith is the athlete, so Daddy pays more attention to him, which Bryan resents. Now, I could relate to Bryan's situation, though I did not have a younger sibling. I had resentment, but it never boiled over into murder. Instead, I worked to prove myself, wishing someone would validate me intellectually, even wishing, because of the town I lived in, I could go to Hebrew school and study a new language and culture, as mine was not serving me. But murder???????????? Never!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The happy family is reunited, at the end! Are you kidding me? Eikenberry should have belted Farentino across the kisser, leaving him bleeding in the street, and driven Bryan to the nearest youth psych facility, taken the key, and locked him up! Then she should have driven off into the sunset!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Once again, I allowed a compelling subject to over rule my critical acumen.
It must be the Summer heat, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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