Story: Jeanette (Christina Cox) pushes her daughter Sara (Hailey Kittle) to succeed, but her motivation isn’t as wholesome as it might seem. This is because Jeanette views her own life as a failure, since she was unable to realize her dreams and find fame, fortune, and the adulation of her peers. To that end, she wants the next best thing (in her mind), to see her daughter achieve those goals in her stead, even if she doesn’t share her mom’s level of obsession. Her push for Sara to be a dance diva and future star has caused drama not just between mother and daughter, but her husband tires of the excessive spending and fixation involved. But Jeanette will do whatever it takes to see her daughter reach the top, even if it means eliminating the competition…

Entertainment Value: This is a fun one, an outrageous and over the top thriller with ample wackiness, including a super fun villain that never holds back. Of course, I know some Lifetime fans prefer the more down to earth, wine sipping type original pictures, so they might not love Deadly Dance Mom, but those who love the wilder side of Lifetime will be in campy bliss here. The narrative is fine and sets up plenty of chances for our vicarious living mom to come unglued and go full blown psycho, which happens a lot and I am so grateful for that. The wackiness is dialed up often, so perhaps you can’t take this one seriously sometimes, but who needs to take this movie seriously? I think the intent to make a campy, over the top thriller is pretty evident and on that front, Deadly Dance Mom succeeds. There is drama, dysfunction, and unhinged behavior on showcase throughout, which leads to a brisk pace and minimal filler, just a wild thriller from top to bottom. I had a blast with this one and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys Lifetime’s crazier thrillers.

The real star of Deadly Dance Mom is the fake mustache worn by a henchman, as it is so ridiculous, you can’t help but crack up. I have no idea who approved this outlandish prosthetic, but it looks worse than a dime store disguise. But I appreciated the laughs whenever the mustache shows up on screen, whether it was meant to elicit chuckles or not. I can’t imagine anyone thought the mustache would be taken seriously, however. Christina Cox ranks a close second, in a wild and over the top performance as a mom who loses her mind over a dance troupe. You can tell Cox is having fun and she really goes for broke, so if you prefer more grounded efforts, you might be let down. But I think she elevates this already wacky movie into the stratosphere at times, so I had a lot of fun with her performance. The cast also includes Jenna Warren, Beverly Mitchell, and Doug Murray.

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