False Pretenses

2004 1h 26m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 8

TV MovieThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Falling victim to a glib con artist named Michael (Stewart Bick), Texas housewife Diane (Peta Wilson) loses all her money, a disaster that drives her husband Randal (Anthony Lemke) to suicide. Unable to get justice through the official channels, Diane mounts her own plan of revenge. This involves assuming a new identity, trading in her blonde tresses for a redheaded "do", moving to a small town, and systematically seducing the man who ruined her life. One of six "no frills" TV movies produced in Canada for the Lifetime cable network at a flat cost of 2 million each,

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Peta Wilson
Dianne / Dee Dee Martin
Stewart Bick
Mitchell Thomson
Melanie Nicholls-King
Cerise
Conrad Pla
Nando
Francis X. McCarthy
Chasen Boggs
Anthony Lemke
Randal Ackers
David Gow
Norm
Jennifer Morehouse
Paige Segal

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jason Hreno
Writers: Tom Swale
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Canada.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jason Hreno, shot by Isabelle Pépin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Gelfand. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yves Langlois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peta Wilson and Stewart Bick and Melanie Nicholls-King carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0433371 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jason Hreno directs. Isabelle Pépin behind the camera. James Gelfand scores. Yves Langlois cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America, Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 22 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Canada.
4Directed by Jason Hreno, shot by Isabelle Pépin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by James Gelfand. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Yves Langlois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Peta Wilson and Stewart Bick and Melanie Nicholls-King carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0433371 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.