A Friend's Obsession (2018)
About
A Friend's Obsession is a 2018 American television thriller directed by Craig Goldstein, in which a grieving woman's fresh start is dismantled by a former colleague whose friendship curdles into obsession. It was made for Lifetime and first aired under the title Lethal Admirer, which is why the same film turns up under two different names across streaming services and review sites.
Megan is rebuilding her life after the death of her fiancé. She moves across the country, settles into a new relationship and grows closer to her sister Kate, finally putting the worst of her grief behind her. When she reconnects with Lloyd, a colleague from her old job, the renewed friendship looks like one more sign that the move was the right decision.
Lloyd does not regard it as friendship. As his fixation hardens he sets about clearing a path to Megan, isolating her from the people around her and shaping what she believes about them. What Megan reads as a run of appalling luck is Lloyd's design, and by the time the pattern becomes visible the people she would ordinarily turn to have already been removed or discredited.
The closing act turns on how much Megan has worked out, and on how long Lloyd is willing to keep up the pretence of being the one person still looking out for her.
Also known as Lethal Admirer
The film is distributed under two titles. It premiered on Lifetime as Lethal Admirer and is listed as A Friend's Obsession on several streaming platforms, including Plex. Rotten Tomatoes and a number of review sites index it only under Lethal Admirer, so a search for one title routinely misses coverage published under the other. Both refer to the same 2018 film, directed by Craig Goldstein and starring Karissa Lee Staples.
Cast and characters
Karissa Lee Staples plays Megan, the widowed lead whose attempt to start again drives the story. Drew Seeley plays Lloyd, the obsessive former colleague; Seeley provided much of Troy Bolton's uncredited singing voice in the original High School Musical, his vocals blended with Zac Efron's for the film and its soundtrack. Kayla Ewell plays Megan's sister Kate, and is best known as Vicki Donovan in the first season of The Vampire Diaries. Brian Ames appears as Chris, Megan's new partner, with Pamela Roylance as Bessie and Courtney Hope as Brooke.
Production
Craig Goldstein directed from a screenplay by Brooke Purdy and D.C. Freedman, working from a story by Suju Abraham. Paul Marschall served as director of photography. The film runs to 74 minutes and was released on 12 February 2018, reaching Lifetime audiences that April.
Details
Director: Craig Goldstein
Writer/Screenplay: Brooke Purdy, D.C. Freedman, Suju Abraham (story)
Producer:
Running time: 74 minutes
Genre: Thriller, TV Movie
Released: February 12, 2018
Cast
- Karissa Lee Staples as Megan
- Kayla Ewell as Kate
- Drew Seeley as Lloyd
- Brian Ames as Chris
- Pamela Roylance as Bessie
- Courtney Hope as Brooke
- Matt Borlenghi as Pete
- Chad Duell as Jack
- Lila Dupree as Jenna
- Diana Toshiko as Colleague
- Liz Benoit as Nurse
- Kenneth Beck as Officer Brown
- Al Burke as Sgt Hill
- Jackie Falcon as Officer Diaz
- Rodney Damon Collins as Board Chairman
Related
Trivia
- The film is also known as Lethal Admirer, the title under which it premiered on Lifetime.
- Drew Seeley sang much of Troy Bolton's material in the original High School Musical, uncredited, after the role was written for a tenor.
- Kayla Ewell played Vicki Donovan in the opening season of The Vampire Diaries.
Critical Reception
A Friend's Obsession has been received as a competent entry in Lifetime's stalker-thriller catalogue rather than a standout. On IMDb it holds an average user rating of around 5.0 out of 10. Reviewers have tended to enjoy it on its own terms while acknowledging that the plot asks for considerable indulgence, with the genre site Lifetime Uncorked awarding it three out of five and singling out Karissa Lee Staples' lead performance alongside the film's fondness for staging its set pieces around wine.
Reviews
- Lifetime Uncorked rated the film three out of five, calling it an entertaining thriller in spite of its implausibilities.
- IMDb users give it an average of approximately 5.0 out of 10.
- Reviewers broadly agree that the lead performance carries a story that leans heavily on genre convention.
