Not bad, not great
This movie has an intriguing plot: married woman meets lesbian and discovers another side of herself.I felt the casting was good. The two female leads were believable enough, and I felt that particularly about the character Peyton and Traci Dinwiddie's portrayal of her.
Other than that, I think we just got barely below the surface of things. I could have done without the whole love guru guy and his narration - gave the film a rather after-school-special feel to it. And I thought that having Elena be, not just married, but married to a conservative preacher, was a bit much. Her character just didn't fit that profile at all.
My biggest disappointment was probably the lack of torment in Elena's character. She was truly the aggressor in the affair and seemed to not really be bothered much by the fact that she was cheating on her family while limiting her commitment to Peyton. In the scene just after the "longest on screen kiss", Elena is walking away, all a-flutter, and actually looking rather proud of herself. It came off as quite selfish as I think a truly compassionate woman would have strong conflicting emotions in such a situation, not a mischievous grin. As Peyton points out later in the midst of things, Elena just wants to "have her cake and eat it too".
In fact, had Elena's son not discovered the affair, it seems that Elena would be content enough to continue to see Peyton on the side while remaining a cold fish to her frustrated husband.
Contrastingly, Peyton is rather tormented. She fights her feelings for Elena, not just because Elena is supposedly straight, but also because she is married. After they do cross the line, she continues to struggle internally.
So, in the end, not bad, but definitely could have been better.
score /10
China24 3 September 2011
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2483421/34832
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