Tempting Fate (2019 TV Movie) User Reviews

What a fantasy!

[phd_travel · 5/10 · 19 June 2019]

A me me me bratty wife with two teenage daughters and a loving husband gripes he had a vasectomy without her consent. She has a one night stand with a younger man who isn't really serious. She gets knocked up. The blow up of her marriage is quite watchable - you want to see how things are going to work out or not. But the fairy tale ending from the woman's point of view is just laugh out loud funny. Totally a 2019 kind of ending.

Alyssa Milano looks pretty here - fresher than she did in Mistresses. Steve Kazee acts well as the cuckolded husband.

What a fantasy, what a message. A woman can totally have her cake and eat it!

The Significance of the Dirty Diaper

[lavatch · 5/10 · 28 December 2019]

In the early moments of "Tempting Fate," the expression "Double D" is used by the women to describe this phenomenon: "Divorced and Desperate." But a third category of "D" must be identified as essential to the theme of this film: "Diaper."

At age 42 and with two beautiful daughters, Gabby Cartwright still feels unfilled in life and has longings to produce another baby. But her callous husband Elliott decided to have a vasectomy without ever consulting her. The next thing we know, Gabby is doing a "tit for tat" when she sleeps one time with a social media tycoon named Matt Shaw. Gabby is surprised when she learns that you only have to do it once to become pregnant, even at her age.

The main thrust of the film was the ebb-and-flow in the relationship of Gabby and her husband. When Elliott learns that his wife is pregnant with another man's child, he moves out of the family home with one of the two daughters in tow. For her part, Gabby is thrilled to be pregnant, yet she is remorseful about placing the horns on Elliott. For all intents and purposes, Matt drops out of the film when he tells Gabby that that he has no interest in having children. At that moment, Gabby chooses not to tell him that she is pregnant with his child.

With the new baby on the way, the film is essentially over because Gabby had her wish fulfilled. The filmmakers struggle to pad the final quarter of the film with slow-paced dialogue and silly conflicts, such as Elliott returning to the dating scene. Even the delivery of little Henry seemed like a cliché hospital birth scene with Elliott comforting Gabby, who pops out the child with a couple of "pushes."

The overreach continues with an eye-popping ending that reunites all of the main characters for a grand, harmonious celebration of the modern notion of the "extended family." All is now well with no more jealousy, talk of divorce, the sale of the house, damage to the children's fragile psyches, or alimony payments. Somehow, the filmmakers want us to believe that there is no "baggage" from the chaotic events portrayed. The final moments are given over the joys of child-rearing in this iconic image: the full and dirty diaper of little Henry.

It's a bad idea to flirt via text message unless you're single.

[rebekahrox · 7/10 · 19 June 2019]

I gave this a seven because I did watch it with interest through the whole thing. A husband betrays his wife by getting a vasectomy behind her back when he knew she wanted another child. He's all I'm sorry, I'm sorry but when she asks that he has it reversed he balks. While feeling angry and betrayed, (and who could blame her?) she goes to a party and meets a young tech millionaire who is a good guy who offers her a pretty sweet business opportunity. Friendship soon turns into flirting via text and ultimately one night of passion. She immediately feels remorse and guilt and cuts off the relationship and her business partnership with him. She reconciles with hubby and all is happy happy happy. But oopsie. She is pregnant.When she breaks the news to hubby (abortion is not even an option)He is very very upset. (and who could blame him?) He leaves her and proceeds full speed ahead to divorce, selling the beloved family home, and breaking up the family. She wants to work it out because they really did have a great marriage and wonderful family before the infidelity. Their two daughters feel the fallout. One hates her mother, the other favors her mother, but acts out in a truly horrendous way and is expelled. He is all you did this! It is all your fault! He refuses to take any responsibility. Well enough plot outline. It all proceeds in a fairly predictable manner.

My main quibble is how happy it all ended. I mean talk about rainbows,sparkles, and unicorns. It ends up she didn't only not lose a husband, but gained a millionaire baby daddy whose new girlfriend is even welcomed as a family friend. It was too cheesy even for me.

Not Feeling The Love Here !

[carolynocean · 2/10 · 17 March 2021]

I'm sorry , but REALLY? . This movie irritated me so much that I had to post my review while it was fresh in my mind.

Did she honestly expect any other reaction from her husband and daughter?

I mean, she acted like a spoilt child , boohoo, I haven't been so happy lately so I just went and had some fun , and guess what ? I 've got a little surprise for you all !!! Its ok, nobody needs to know the truth! Now lets carry on as if nothing has happened , and we will all be a lovely happy little family again, PLUS 1 !!! At least for a while the husband stood his ground, but not for long, much to my dismay!

And so on an on , until the very , very sickly sweet end , Cringe Cringe .

Seriously though,maybe this was intended for a teenage audience and i missed the point . Look , I realise that it depends on what kind of movies you are into but , for me, this one is a definite NO NO.

Do not tempt my fate

[pembekeci · 6/10 · 4 July 2023]

Two scenes from the movie might hit the audience intensely.

First one, when a few days after the night Gabby slept with her lover (because her daughters growing so fast), she suddenly feels weird (guilt maybe?) and decides to break up with her lover! Not with a text message or phone call but goes to him and breaks up with him as a lady, face to face :) By the way she breaks up with him on every scale like emotionally, phisycally and in terms of bussiness and friendship! She is a decent woman... It was just a blip (or a blililiiiiip because it took a night long), anyway, she actually loves her husband. So cute! No one can deny that how it was hard for her. To understand how Gabby feels one should be a little bit emphatetic.

Second one is the last scene while all family members including Gabby's former lover in the kitchen when Gabby wipes off the last drop of testosterone in Elliot's body dripping from his nose onto the kitchen counter. Thus, Elliot becomes the ultimate ideal man as a husband :)

No, no just kidding! The movie points out the importance of being forgiving, loving and caring, so that, you can have anything you want.

But, please point that how movie glorifies the scene which Gabby and Matt getting intimate with soft scene transitions, beautiful flowing music, attractive camera angles, steamy kisses etc. Then in later scenes she says that she is sorry in millions ways because she hurt the man she loves. So, we understand that it's always faboluous to have sex with an attractive one even if consequences would be tough to handle. The real question is how to handle with the memories that hurt your partner and will never be erased? Instead of having a life long remorse, Gabby might take advantage of those memories while taking a shower in the mornings. On the Elliot's part... whatever it's Elliot, no worries, he is a tough guy he can handle anything.

Not bad, worth to watch 6 out of 10.

Pure Compost

[bllbenton · 1/10 · 22 March 2022]

The short story on this movie is that, on almost every level, it is a pretentious, dishonest, and distorted depiction of adultery. The storyline is rife with false equivocations and euphemisms for Gabby's lack of character and fidelity. Both Matt and Gabby emerge from their adulterous affair unscathed with virtually everything they want. Elliot, the husband, never gets an airing or understanding of the specific marital conditions Gabby's uses to justify cheating and he accepts her back with no questions asked. Gabby says "She's sorry her actions hurt the man she loves" , but never addresses or acknowledges in any real way the personality and character issues that cause her to be an adulterer. It's a horrible story with a horrible main character.

A nice, warm-hearted drama

[MazzyMayhem-117-544511 · 7/10 · 8 October 2020]

I know the ending of this film is a bit cheesy with the close up laughter shots, but I actually enjoyed this film. Some reviewers do not seem to like the actress Alyssa Milano, but I thought she was just fine. A warming film, which is a welcome relief from the usual killer girlfriend/boyfriend/mum/dad we normally get for an afternoon film.

Triumph over ultra-rationality over human emotion

[frukuk · 2/10 · 20 February 2020]

While Alyssa Milano is as watchable as ever -- she gives a committed performance -- and there are some other good performances here, the story is too unbelievable.

It's as if every character is ultimately able to override their human emotions (e.g. hurt following betrayal) and behave ultra-rationally; people just don't behave that way in real life.

Really, this is an unrealistic fairy tale in which the logical course of action prevails. It doesn't reflect real life.

Not bad

[svader · 6/10 · 8 October 2020]

Easy watching

Above the par of the normal afternoon movie

Isn't he a lucky guy she is gorgeous !!

Afternoon watching that won't give you a headache.

Bad

[roggxc · 1/10 · 25 September 2021]

Bad ending, bad story, its like its ok to cheat.. New norm.

Adulting at it's finest

[sgeiger78 · 8/10 · 23 April 2023]

Man I was not expecting this movie to make me cry but for some reason there was so much about this movie that touched me in my own personal life and Life Experiences. I will say that it had one of the best endings and I believe that most people don't get the ending. They can't see themselves being as friendly as everyone seems to be in the end but if more grown-ups could act like responsible lobing and caring adults maybe the world would be a lot better than it is today. We can model to our children that yes we're human and we make mistakes but things can be forgiven and choosing to love and care about others is so much more valuable.

Hmm

[mbnkysj · 6/10 · 23 February 2023]

At first I was annoyed with this movie...but it kinda is realistic if you think about it just in reverse....think about how many times a man has cheated, had a baby-AND the wife stayed...love and relationships are tough and complicated. Communication and understanding is important for both parties. She shouldn't have cheated but he shouldn't have lied either. You never know what you'll do in a situation until you're in that position. Everyone has different breaking points with what they'll put up with...I personally don't think I could've stayed married. It takes mature adults to co parent in that type of situation as well.

Unrealistic Concept

[raquelsmith-90469 · 2/10 · 9 April 2020]

I didn't like the acting of the actors and very bad than the normal standards. The plot of the story needs a lot of the improvement especially the unrealistic concept in which logical course of action exist.

So Gabby gets .... *spoilers*

[pink323 · 1/10 · 18 June 2019]

So movie ends with Gabby smiling. She got everything she wanted. She wanted a better marriage with Elliott & another baby ... got it. Meanwhile, Matt, who never wanted to be a father, is now one ... that look on his face. Elliott is an amazing guy. Even Gabby's friend thought she was too much & couldn't be there for her. Good for Gabby for coming clean about physical affair, who knows if she discussed the emotional affair that had been going on. Just seems like she messed up & then lives happily ever after ... I give her props for having the baby & to writers for not making plot twist about who the father of Henry is ... are we really to believe that she was in need of $$ but wasnt going to tell Matt & go after him for child support ?

This movie was an absolute SCAM!

[manleydreamer · 1/10 · 23 June 2019]

The previews led me to believe this movie would be all about a scandalous, passionate love affair due to a strenuous marriage, when in reality "Gabby" was just being an overly sensitive little (bad word) who goes off and has one encounter with a hot stranger she's been texting for like 2 weeks. So many things wrong with this story. No normal married woman would go bang some guy she barely knows when he just shows up at her house with no protection and wouldn't have him pull out. Seriously wth? Forget about getting pregnant what about STDs??? Gabby get it together you pathetic excuse for a grown woman. And second of all she's wayyyy too old to be getting pregnant after one try. And now that's just the tip of the iceberg of plot holes!! We also cant forget about the false advertising!!! This movie was advertised as steamy and scandalous, when in reality it was just down right depressing. Ugh I'm done trying to form my sentiments into words. Such a bad movie on so many levels. Please stop lifetime

Horrible premise...I couldn't finish this one

[lymullen · 4/10 · 21 November 2023]

I got an hour and thirteen minutes through this one and was dismayed at where it was going, so I jumped on here to read the reviews. Yep, it goes where I feared, so I decided to cut my losses and not finish.

I thought this was going to be like most of the Lifetime movies where there's a mystery and the bad actors get theirs in the end. I guess it's debatable if the unhappy wife was a bad actor (I mean in terms of character, not literal acting abilities). In my opinion, she was horrible and her actions were not justified in the least.

I felt so sorry for her poor husband--a hardworking doctor who obviously paid all of the bills--while she kept the house and engaged in hobbies like yoga and furniture design. She's angry with him because he had a vasectomy without her knowledge. Last I checked, a man can do what he wants with HIS body. If she decided to get her tubes tied after those two kids, there's no way anyone would agree that the husband could weigh in on the decision--telling her to have another baby because HE wanted one. Would anyone agree he has that right? So what is the difference? Then she gets mad again because he had to cancel a getway with her due to work. The nerve of him, working hard to further his career and take care of his family! Sheez. He really deserved better.

They already had two young daughters, a huge house etc. But his wife was not satisfied as she wanted another baby. Easy for her to want another kid when she would not have to foot the bill.

Bad acting all around

[fawtrey1 · 3/10 · 16 June 2019]

Lower than lifetime standards and that's low. bad acting can't hide. Where do they get these losers.

Beautiful Movie and true modern story

[antony-23543 · 10/10 · 13 November 2019]

Good acting (but the movie go so fast and anytime go easy in important moments) but this movie is beautiful, modern and show a story with realistic and interpretative mood, Alyssa and Zane are so hot and passionate togheter

Awful

[curato · 2/10 · 7 April 2020]

The storyline was terrible and the acting (or lack thereof by Alyssa Milano) made it worse.

SMH

[mscmcollins · 2/10 · 26 October 2022]

Ok, so where do I start. This movie really irritated me! What was she thinking! Have a baby by a another man and stay with your husband and everyone is supposed to be ok with it. Why the hell did she blurt that out to her daughters!! Was she happy about what she did?? Who the hell wants a baby that bad they are willing to ruin their family. The whole time I watched this movie I called her an idiot about 10 times. What is the ending going to be?? Wait a minute...why was she just shocked that her husband wants a divorce and wants to sell there house???

She put a new baby before her husband and 2 kids she already has.

Annoying.

Story of a Selfish and stubborn woman

[mahawarvijay · 1/10 · 1 February 2022]

Usually I don't review any movie, but after watching this one, my brain got shattered. I mean what was the message this movie trying to convey ??

That, after wife's affair, husband has to grow someone other's child, a ba*tard.......wife is not apologitc at all in real terms, however she is apologizing throughout the movie, because if she was really feeling guilty, then she would've aborted the child. But, first, she hurt her husband & family, by doing an affair, then decided to continue that mistake by carrying that child.

She didn't even think about her husband, how would he feel, when he would see that ba*tard every day, meeting his wife and the father of that ba*tard sometimes.

........... I hated the most was the glorification of an infidelity in this movie.

I mean, what she got after betraying her husband.......a bumper lottery.....a millionaire children, one helpless husband and her fccker.

& Also sympathy of audience, as she seemed suffering, but in real sense, her husband would suffer his whole like now........ thinking his wife can anytime swipe her s*x partner now. Now, wife and his lover has valid license to do whatever they want.

She came clean, after her huge sins, and now husband has to suffer his whole life, seeing a ba*tard and wife's fccker around........ A total selfish woman is portrayed here, who is so stubborn, that even she is ready to sacrifice her husband, her family, for this child of her infidelity.

***I really hated that woman in the movie........and anger for the husband, for not keeping his stance for against a wrong thing.***

This movie is exactly opposite to the Human behaviour, because, in real life, the wife would've aborted the child, without any emotional drama, and that would be the best option, if she really loved her husband, and did only 1 mistake of infidelity.

But, now this child will remind husband everyday, what his wife did.

Sorry guys&gals, these were the real human feeling, not diplomatic like in the movie.

Depressing storyline and atrocious acting...

[robert-stapleford-227-368946 · 1/10 · 29 July 2019]

This movie is bad on so many levels... Unbelievable story, and unbelievable acting... Someone must have felt sorry for Alyssa Milano to cast her here... Terrible...

High school play is better

[oypy-81129 · 1/10 · 21 September 2019]

What a terrible acting. Milano is way below junior level of Hollywood. Hope she wasn't paid for it, but worth a penny. Maybe because she fundamentally disagrees with her character. But overall it was a waste of time

Simple and enjoyable

[cyaramichaels · 10/10 · 24 January 2021]

I just...like every min. Alyssa still beautiful and good actress. The story simple, but very enjoyable, could be an everyday story.

... there's little to say that's beyond formula

[bjarias · 5/10 · 7 May 2022]

... yea, 5's about right... typical Lifetime programming from beginning to blatantly-predictable-ending... a film made to order for filling time slots... acting & production values are decent... plot & script foreseen to boredom.