A Deadly Adoption [Celluloid Hero]

A Deadly Adoption  (2015)

When "A Deadly Adoption" premiered about a month ago, I was looking forward to it. I had heard the rumors that Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig wanted to do a Lifetime-style movie, then I heard they were actually working with Lifetime. No one was sure if this was going to be a subtle satire or a full-blown mockery, and I'm not entirely sure what I expected.

I honestly feel like I just got suckered into watching a Lifetime movie. The script was unrealistic, but not ludicrous, just like a typical Lifetime movie. The acting was hokey, but not caricaturish, just like a typical Lifetime movie. The story itself was crazy, but "inspired by a true story", just like a typical Lifetime movie.

The idea would work perfectly for a sketch on SNL lasting a few minutes, but trying to do an hour and forty minutes just made for uncomfortable viewing. I kept waiting for a joke, a punchline, a wink & a nod, a break of the fourth wall, something, anything...but it never came. There were a few "oh come on" moments, but they were no different, for better or worse, than what any other Lifetime movie features.

In the end, I feel like Will Ferrell and Adam McKay were drunk and throwing ideas around when one said "wouldn't it be funny if we did a Lifetime movie?" and they just ran with it. By the standard of just making a Lifetime movie, they certainly succeeded. By the standard of making something that I'd ever want to watch again, they failed.

On the [Celluloid Hero] scale, "A Deadly Adoption" gets a 4 out of 10.