Lifetime
Lifetime’s ‘Ripped from the Headlines’ movies are generally based on some actual, but vague, crime story with the facts and the characters almost always completely fictionalized. The newest ‘Totally Unbelievable Movie’, Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story, is actually completely believable and truly ripped from the headlines because the main character’s name is in the title and the real story is easily found by a Google search. And it is one of the more sordid and lurid stories Lifetime has brought to the screen.
The movie starts with an adult Alyssa Pladl (Jackie Crus) talking with a detective about her life as a teen mom with her six years older boyfriend/husband Steven, who has severe anger issues (he basically groomed her over the internet before driving to Texas to pick her up and take her back to New York). Steven would rather spend what little money they have on toys like an RC car than on getting thing the baby needs. He also cannot handle baby Denise’s crying, pinching her black-and-blue and putting her inside of a cooler to the point of suffocation to keep her quiet! Alyssa makes the hard decision to put Denise up for adoption even though it’s not what she wants to do but it’s the only way Denise will survive, and she knows she would never be able to get either of them back to Texas safely.
Fast forward to the adult Steven (Matthew MacCaull) and Alyssa, now with two daughters (one, Caroline, is on the spectrum) but a still unstable family life, Alyssa again feeling trapped because Steven keeps telling her that any disruption to their routine would upset Caroline. But after Steven loses another job and their water is turned off, Alyssa is ready to bolt — until Steven gets a Facebook message from a girl named Katie (Matreya Scarrwener) … who turns out to be Denise. She’s turned 17 and told her adopted parents she’s ready to reach out to her biological parents and while they are uneasy, knowing the instability of her parents, they allow her to reach out. She is eventually allowed to visit the Pladls for two weeks. Katie is welcomed into the home as part of the family, and she gets to spend quality time with both Alyssa and Steven, while bonding with her little sisters. Steven, however, becomes jealous that Alyssa seems to be spending more time with Katie, and after he spends the day with Katie, he reveals to her that Alyssa wanted to give her up because she didn’t want to give up her partying, which was a lie. He also takes her to a bar and gets her drunk even though she’s under-age, sleeping on the floor next to her bed which enrages Alyssa. Pushed to her limits, Alyssa takes Caroline and Jenna away, but Katie takes Steven’s side and stays with him (her adopted parents were apprehensive but allowed her to move in with the Pladls as she was 18 at this point in time). Time passes and Alyssa is in a new-ish relationship with a man named Eric (Sebastien Roberts), a truly decent guy who is willing to do anything for Alyssa and her girls. The girls are allowed to visit Steven, but after one visit Caroline reveals to her mother that Katie is expecting, and her father is the father (he also told the girls that Katie is now their stepmother). The younger Jenna tries to correct her and Caroline says some other boy is the father, but Alyssa discovers in Caroline’s diary that Steven is indeed the father of his daughter’s baby. And what’s worse is — he’s talked Katie into marrying him because they both have different last names so no one will know. The fact that Katie’s adopted parents allow things to get to this point, even participating in the wedding, is puzzling. But it isn’t long after she gives birth that Katie sees Steven’s true colors and decides she and baby Bennett need to get away as soon as possible (custody of the baby was given to Steven’s mother and Katie went back to her parents). But it could be a fatal mistake.
Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story is one of those movies that you would normally watch and think it’s way too outlandish to be true, but in this case truth is stranger than fiction. Stephen Tolkin’s script stays remarkably close to the facts, only omitting a few minor points like Steven calling his mother to admit what he’d done at the end. The film is skillfully and compassionately directed by actress Elisabeth Röhm, keeping the details of the story from becoming too lurid, but be warned this is subject matter that could be triggering for many viewers.
The cast all do some amazing work with Cruz and MacCaull giving outstanding performances. Cruz imbues Alyssa with a strong resolve, knowing she needs to get away but circumstances keep making that almost impossible. She shows the constant tension in her relationship with Steven, and then becomes much more relaxed and settled with Eric … until Steven again makes her life chaotic. MacCaull is excellent as Steven, perfectly demonstrating that type, the seductiveness of a groomer, the violence of a man who believes he is in charge of everything. It’s a fearless performance that is quite chilling. Matreya Scarrwener is also very good as Katie, the innocent girl happy to meet her biological parents whose life is turned upside-down, also showing how easily a groomer can turn their victim against everyone else.
This really is a tough watch because the subject matter is just so unacceptable by societal norms. It is bolstered by a good cast and some thoughtful direction, but you may want to think twice before jumping in if you find this triggering in any way.
Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story has a run time of 1 hour 30 minutes, and is rated TV-14.
Official Trailer | Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story
Lifetime
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