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Ann Rule's Everything She Ever Wanted

 (Two-part movie -- Lifetime Movie Network, Sat.-Sun. Nov. 14-15, 8 p.m.)

By BRIAN LOWRY

'Ann Rule's Everything She Ever Wanted'

Filmed in Toronto by Darius-ESEW. Executive producers, Stanley M. Brooks, Jim Head; co-executive producers, Juliette Hagopian, Damian Ganczewski; producer, Nicholas Tabarrok; director, Peter Svatek; writer, Michael Vickerman; based on the book by Ann Rule.
 
Pat Allanson - Gina Gershon
Rachel Reede - Rachel Blanchard
Tom Allanson .- Ryan McPartlin
Dan Hollister Gabriel Hogan
Walter Allanson - Victor Garber
Carolyn Allanson Chick Reid
George Allanson - Lawrence Dane
Det. Mark Edward- Martin Roach
Phil Reede - Chad Willett
Charles Greene - Martin Donovan
 

Taking obvious liberties with the story that inspired it, the movie is told by Gershon's Pat Allanson as she recounts the scandal of her marriage to a younger divorced man (Ryan McPartlin) and the disapproval this elicits from his wealthy father (Victor Garber, in little more than a cameo).

Vowing that she won't settle for less, Pat proceeds to methodically eliminate those members of her husband's family who stand between her and that coveted inheritance. Without giving too much away, let's just say her special soup packs an inordinately strong kick.

Eventually, Pat's behavior arouses the suspicion of her sister Rachel (Rachel Blanchard -- honest), who has a bad, potentially dangerous, habit of looking in drawers just at the moment when Pat is about to enter the room. Seriously, can't she hear that ominous music every time they reenact this scenario?

Unlike the recent Rule romp "Too Late to Say Goodbye," Michael Vickerman's script, Peter Svatek's direction and Gershon's sex-oozing performance as lil' ol' Pat embrace "Everything's" camp factor in a way that practically feels like an unabashed spoof of the genre. The main drawback is that the initial plot comes to a rather unexpected stop before Pat finds a rich family upon which to prey, cheekily telling them she's been busy "taking care of my family."

There's no denying the appetite for salacious true crime through the years -- or that the broadcast networks left a void by dealing with such stories exclusively in their newsmagazines while virtually abandoning TV movies.

Of course, it would be nice if Lifetime's movie arm aimed its sights a bit higher, but as even Pat might eventually admit, you can't have everything.

Camera, Mathias Herdl; production designer, Karen Bromley; editor, Ron Wisman Sr.; music, Jonathan Goldsmith, John Pratt; casting, Shana Landsberg, Diane Kerbel. RUNNING TIME: 4 HOURS