The Perfect Marriage (2006 TV Movie) User Reviews

2 hours on a gloomy Sunday afternoon.

[caa821 · 6/10 · 2 March 2008]

These Lifetime flicks are a lot like your favorite junk food. Big Macs, Twinkies, Oreos, etc., are satisfying while they're going down, but they don't provide much in the long run.

Movies like this one can provide a couple of hours' entertainment on, say, a bleak Sunday afternoon - but there is little with which to empathize or recall or reflect upon after they're over.

However, this one did provide an added bonus. William R. Moses is to the male side of this genre what Meredith Baxter is on the feminine counterpoint -- both have played the betrayer and "betrayee," both the villain/villainess and the one being menaced. Seeing either of them on Lifetime (as well as a few others whom we may recognize by sight if not name) is like meeting an old friend.

If I were an actor, I'd rather be Mr. Moses than, say, Tom Cruise, or Harrison Ford or Tom Hanks. You wouldn't be on the "A" list, getting $20-mil or more per picture. But you'd still make, probably, something around low-7 figures, get to have a lot of expense-paid trips to Canada, and be able to move around with minimal bother from the paparazzi.

As far as the plot of this particular offering - it contains a "plot" which is one of the two main staples of "Lifetime" dramas: the spouse with the hidden past, which comes-up to bite everyone in the ass {the other, of course, is the neighbor (or student or teacher or co-worker) who turns out to be a raving, dangerous, obsessed psychotic sociopath}.

Again, two decent hours on a gloomy Sunday afternoon.

Not the perfect TV movie, but OK

[krorie · 6/10 · 23 May 2006]

The ironic title "The Perfect Marriage" gets the viewer in the right mood to expect the worst. It seems that successful and rich entrepreneur, Richard Danforth (William Moses), has the perfect wife in Marrianne, aka Annie (Jamie Luner), who is adept at party mixing. She appears to be the ideal spouse for her clean-cut aspiring husband. Adding to Marrianne's blissful state is the fact that her father-in-law is president of the company where Richard works. All is going well for the happy couple when suddenly Marrianne's deadly past catches up with her in the form of a slimy leach called Brent Richter (James Wilder). Some time ago in another state, Brent and Marrianne had engineered the death of her aged husband. The good wife, Marrianne,had jabbed her old man in the neck with a fatal dose of potassium chloride. But poor Marriane finds her partner in crime with another woman. Even worse, she learns that Brent has squandered the old fellow's money on wine, women, and bad debts.

Marrianne attempts to buy Brent off. When he refuses, she decides that she loves him once more. Together they concoct a scheme to get her father-in-law's fortune. This time around, however, Richard's secretaries become suspicious, leading to complications involving murder and mayhem. Most of this is routine at best, but there are a few novel twists and turns thrown in from time to time, especially in the way the writers deal with Marrianne at the end of the film.

The acting is not bad for a made-for-TV flick. The direction is adequate, though at times the film is a bit talky. So though the viewer has seen most of it before in a different guise, there is enough excitement to please fans of the genre.

Not a Perfect Movie and...

[tomfsloan · 6/10 · 26 October 2018]

...not a bad movie either. Just mediocre. Nothing happened that was real exciting, no plot twists. But also nothing so bad to make me mad. It held my interest for the most part. Not bad acting or anything, just a typical generic Lifetime movie.

Not worth price of admission

[guilfisher-1 · 13 November 2008]

My two least favorite LMN actresses, that seem to work all the time are Jamie Luner and Sophie Gendron. One looks like she's the mother of most of her leading men and the other, with those thick lips that you feel would suction her to any surface. Hard to watch them.

The plot is typical and reminds me of many other LMN film plots where the husband gets it from the bitchy wife who in turns either takes on with a younger man or the son of the husband, etc, etc. This movie is no different except it's hard to watch. Ah, Jamie and her hypo killing machine. And Sophie and her woeful looks. Better to watch the men folk, a bit more interesting. William Moses as the husband and James Wilder as the poor young fool who buys the bull she gives him. How many of these "perfect" film titles are there? LMN seems to conquer them all. For almost every day we see one or another.

Not Convincing

[carolynocean · 4/10 · 6 April 2021]

This movie did'nt work for me, probably down to the poor acting , despite the fact that the very attractive Willam R. Moses was starring. He was my major crush back in the days of Falcon Crest !!!.

But even his presence did'nt save this one. Jamie Lunar in cashmere sweaters and pearls was quite the sight to see , not her usual attire ! And Sophie Gendron's wooden perfomance just added to the boring characters here.

And then we have the very creepy father in law , too attentive to his daughter in law ( Lunar ) for my liking ! , who's acting skills were questionable to say the least.

As for the plot, not the worst that I have seen , but poorly portrayed by all .

The movie could have been so much better, I do think that the casting was all wrong here , bland and dull acting.

Only a 4 rating from me.

The Perfect Inheritance

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 5 February 2012]

A few years ago, still sexy Jamie Luner (as Marianne "Annie" Grayson) was in love with seductively sleazy James Wilder (as Brent Richter). They conspired to kill her husband and collect $250,000. After Mr. Wilder loses most of the money on "debts," Ms. Luner wises up and decides to start a new life. She marries successful businessman William R. Moses (as Richard Danforth) and settles down in Philadelphia. Of course, her past catches up with Luner. Wilder finds her and proposes they murder Mr. Moses, and his father, to collect $30,000,000. Getting tangled with the potentially lethal twosome is Mr. Moses' faithful full-lipped associate Sophie Gendron (as Tia Montgomery).

***** The Perfect Marriage (5/22/06) Douglas Jackson ~ Jamie Luner, James Wilder, William R. Moses, Sophie Gendron

Ho my God! I didn't see her! She just pooped out of nowhere!

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 28 July 2010]

***SPOILERS*** It's when rich Philadelphia socialite Marrianne Danforth, Jamie Luner, threw a fund raising party for the homeless and orphaned children of the city that her shoddy past back on the west coast suddenly caught up with her.

Showing up at the big event unannounced and uninvited is pretty boy Brent Richter, James Wilder. Brent's got some very pressing business matters to iron out with a shocked and outraged, in seeing him for the first time in four years, Marrianne who's anything but glad to see him. It was Brent, together with Marrianne doing the dirty work, who was responsible for the murder of Marrianne's first husband Martin Grayson, James O'Regan, back in California four years ago. A greedy and two timing Brent later screw things up for himself in splitting the life insurance money on Mr. Grayson's life. That's when he was caught with his paths down in a motel room with another woman by Marrianne who was then known as Annie Grayson. Now he's back for his share of the loot, $250,000.00, Brent will gladly rat Marrianne out to the police if she doesn't come up with it!

At first not wanting anything to do with Brent Marrianne soon realizes that she's trapped in going along with his plan to not only get the 250 G's that she owes him but to likewise murder her now rich husband the doodled brained, in him having no clue to what his wife is planing for him, Richard Danforth, William R. Moses, and his father the head of the multi million dollar cooperation Danforth & Son Donald Danforth played by an elderly Huntz Hall, of the famous "Bowery Boys" series, look alike Lawerance Dane.

The one thing that sidetracks Brent and Marrianne's plan is Richard Danforth's faithful personal secretary, that Marrianne treats like dirt, Carrie Holdings, Lisa Langlois, who smells a rat in what her boss' wife is planing for him. Carrie ends up paying with her life by snooping around in the bar where Marrianne and Brent secretly meet up and make their plans to do in her boss Richard Danforth. In the end it's Richard's business partner the sharp classy and on top of things Tia Montgomery, Sophie Gendron, who uncovers Marrianne and Brent's plan to do both the, father & Son, Danforths in! But that's not before old man Danforth ends up getting poked from behind with a deadly dose of potassium chloride by Marrieann when, drinking his morning coffee, he's not looking!

***SPOILERS*** In the end Marrianne double-crosses her lover and partner in crime Brent Richter in order to keep all the money of Danforth & Son, some 30 million dollars, all for herself as well as keeping Brent from turning evidence against her if he's caught by the police. The one person who turns things around and puts Marrianne in her place is Tia who, after refusing to believe what she knew was true, was about to expose Marrianne's crimes to the D.A's office. This lead to a vicious and knock down and drag out cat fight, in a basement garage, between the two women that ended with Marrianne getting all that she's got coming to her. Not from Tia or a court of law but from a perfect stranger who unwittingly showed up at the right time and place to save Tia's life!

Annie's Antics and Her Tragedy

[lavatch · 7/10 · 27 February 2020]

A woman entering her prime finally seemed to have made it when she married business magnate Richard Danforth. From a hardscrabble upbringing, Annie Grayson was miraculously transformed into Maryanne Danforth, philanthropist and hostess par excellence. The film depicts Annie's odyssey and her tragedy as a Little Orphan Annie with no morals.

Growing up with an inveterate gambler for a father, Annie went without basic necessities, including food that was not put on her table by her wayward father. As an adult, she was in a loveless marriage with a stockbroker when Annie linked up with a lowlife named Brent, who persuaded her to kill the kind, older man. After a lethal injection administered by Annie, her husband's estate nets her $250,000, which Brent instantly squanders. After she catches him with another woman, she sends Brent packing, only to have him show up years later after she has married into the wealthy Danforth clan.

There is a major flaw in the screenplay that forces the actress playing Annie to somehow find a motivation to conspire with Brent to murder both her kind father-in-law Donald and her husband Richard. Annie stood to inherit millions by staying in her marriage with Richard, yet chose to risk everything by killing her father-in-law. A killing spree ensues with the death of the snoopy secretary Claire and eventually the murder of Brent. Richard is spared from Annie's diabolical plan to have her husband meet his grisly end on an African safari.

The character of Annie would have been more interesting if we could only see her wrestling with the moral implications of her actions. Instead, there is not a sign of remorse for any of her misdeeds. The character with the true moral compass is Tia Montgomery, Richard's associate. Tia slowly catches onto Annie's antics and, with her quick-thinking sister Kendra, she succeeds in learning the truth about Richard's new wife: she is a hustler and pathological liar incapable of ever rising above her heritage of the trailer park.

After finally striking the mother lode by marrying Richard Danforth, the perfect marriage becomes the perfect storm for Annie Grayson.

Leopards can't change their spots.......Money/power hungry psychos simmer just below radar range!

[whereizdaremote · 8/10 · 23 May 2006]

First and foremost....kudos to Jamie Luner for a great performance as a she-devil Dr. Jekyl and Mrs. Hyde character. ( A HUGE improvement from her two previous Lifetime flicks where she was the resident heroine-in-peril.) This outing made a good bookend to the other end, "Blind Injustice". I posted on these very IMDb message boards that she should cease with the heroine-in-peril scripts, so I now feel vindicated...she is a heroine about as much as Theresa Russell was in " Black Widow". This was a pretty good effort on Ms. Luner's part.

The short saga of this flick is a greedy wife Annie (Luner), with the help of a equally conniving back door man Brent( James Wilder in sleepwalking mode) scheme and kill Hub #1 for 250K in insurance money. Predictably, back door man Brent burns through about 90% of her share AND his. Fast forward several years and Annie(now known as Marianne)has new identity, new hub Richard (William R. Moses), high social status, and loads of money. Life is a bowl of cherries until back door man Brent shows up through the front door and Marianne returns to her scheming, murderous ways. Hint: This closet psycho loves potassium chloride and syringes....watch out for those nasty air bubbles! The body count is up to three by the time she sets out to waste her hub's co-worker Tia who is on to her nasty past.(Unbeknownest to Tia, Marianne is out to waste Richard too)

Above average chase scene at the end in a parking garage. Jamie Luner does some great, open field running in boots for a gal of her height, 5'9".(I swear she could run the 50 yard dash faster than some guys) Credit the director for NOT having her character fall several times and bust her tush on a slick parking garage floor....which is predictable in some scripts.

Catch it on Lifetime when it repeats, it was better than most thriller TV-movies you will see on any of the big three networks.

Perfect Marriage Strives for Perfection ***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 23 May 2006]

After killing her first husband with the aid of her lover, Annie dumps the latter when she finds that he has been unfaithful. Starting a new life, she finds happiness with a very wealthy man that she adores.

Naturally, her former lover shows up and convinces her to murder husband #2 to get the fortune that he has.

Annie goes from a very loving woman to a psychotic who it is learned hates men due to her feelings about her father. This change in character comes about suddenly and is done in a way rather hard to believe.

That being said, the people evolves into a killing spree by Annie and her lover as others get in the way of their ultimate plans. This part is handled well and exciting. A nosy secretary is done away with as is her adoring father-in-law. Not really a surprise, lover boy meets the same fate. Heart attacks galore are produced in this film as Annie and her lover know about injecting potassium chloride. They sure knew their chemistry! Trouble is that the chemistry between them was short-lived. Safe to say, they both get in the end what is coming to them. We, the viewers, get an entertaining film, an old-style thriller.

Very good soap/mystery

[vchimpanzee · 12 August 2008]

If Marianne's marriage to Richard is so perfect, why does she need to have an affair with Christopher? Or is it Brent? There's a lot Marianne is keeping secret. The movie starts with a couple of chilling scenes from Marianne's past.

Richard's secretary Carrie worked hard to plan a party, but Carrie isn't even invited and she doesn't feel appreciated. This will become important later. At the party Marianne meets Tia, the head of public relations, and her "date" Kendra. Tia's boyfriend resents that she considers her work more important than her relationship, so she brings her sister. Marianne invents a past, but Tia and Kendra later find they must investigate that past to protect Richard.

Richard and his father run the company, and Marianne has the chance to kill the father and get a big inheritance. Actually, Richard has a heart attack, and Marianne could stand there and do nothing, but the company is on the verge of a major deal which will mean the company is worth even more--provided the father lives. Later, Marianne can once again use the poison we saw her use earlier, and no one will know the difference. We know it will make people think the person had a heart attack but leave no trace. That's IF she gets to use it.

The plotting and the investigating are quite interesting, and there is real excitement toward the end. There are romantic scenes as well, but I didn't enjoy those as much.

I have seen clips of Jamie Luner in other shows, but I have only seen full episodes of "Just the Ten of Us" and "Growing Pains", from which the sitcom spun off. Both are regarded as evidence that TV is garbage, but I enjoyed them. I would not have recognized the girl who I knew as the adorable brainless teen who wasn't as hot as her sister. She's actually quite good. Not over-the-top nasty, but deceptively ordinary.

There are a lot of good performances here. Sophie Gendron is gorgeous, especially in that hot dress she wears to the party, but also when dressed professionally. But the important thing is she has brains and determination. And the father (apparently Lawrence Dane) does an impressive job as well.

A very good effort.

Average

[haroot_azarian · 5 March 2021]

So I have to correct a particular contributor here. Wilder is in fact 3 years older than Luner. Oh and Lunar is not in her forties in the movie. In fact she's only 35. A simple 30 second research would clarify that. I honestly don't know why this particular contributor trashed the movie. I found it pretty good for an LMN tv movie!

Revied the second time around

[geoffox-766-418467 · 21 May 2013]

Why do I even watch this dribble? Sometimes the films are soooo bad and the actors (mostly the leading ladies) are soooo bad it makes you watch. Sort of hypnotizes you into seeing the movie. Once again Janie Luner never disappoints me in being the worst actress on television. Here she prances around in outfits that don't flatter her rather overweight torso and hair all over the place. Her hair makes me want to throw up. Totally out of style for a woman her age. And believe me she's over 40. Her scenes with Sophie Gendron (in a flattering short hair style and looking much prettier then Luner) show her up as an older person. Then we have William R. Moses, who is always stuck in these hopeless and clueless husbands, playing opposite Luner. He does what he can with terrible lines. I liked Lawrence Dane as his father. He had some good scenes. James Wilder as Luner's lover, is sooo young she looks like his mother. Funny watching him making love to her. He must have acted with all he had to make it look believable. Lisa Langloria and Allison Graham in smaller roles fared better than our leading lady. Terrible flick due mostly to writing and Luner in it.