Murder In-Law (2019)

First, the reason Barbara Williams (Claire) pushes her husband down the stairs – and starts the whole chain of events – is not clear. Next, Angie DeGrazia (Charlie), the friend of Kristen Dalton (Allison, the daughter in-law) starts off really assertive, encouraging Allison to stand up to Claire. Doesn’t one think that when Claire made that surprise visit to her house that Charlie would have just forced her out, rather than succumb to Claire’s blackmailing her into fighting with Allison? Also, after that incident, Charlie lets Claire into her home a second time!

And Claire kills Charlie in her home with a meat tenderizer within her own kitchen! Really! A perpetrator who commits a premeditated murder at the victim’s home is not likely to use a weapon or object found at the victim’s home; the perpetrator would bring her own weapon. Even the veteran detective, Will (Tony Denison), misses this basic fact.

Finally, wouldn’t Mark Collier (Jim) and Courtney Compton (Mariah, Jim’s girlfriend before marrying Allison) immediately catch on to Claire’s motives of that dinner to be caught by Allison? And wouldn’t they be upset at her for being so deceptive?

Even the ending when the police are taking Claire away is just wrong: Allison and Jim kiss and walk back inside the house. If your mother/mother in-law is going off to prison – no matter how much she victimized your family – wouldn’t it be a somber moment?

This – like many other recent Lifetime movies – is a waste of everyone’s time and a blemish on each cast member’s acting portfolio.