My Sweet Audrina

I was locked inside all weekend due to a hurricane and decided to binge all the VC Andrews series on Lifetime. It got to be pretty repetitive with similar story lines, twists, incest, poverty, rich family member dying etc. And then I got to My Sweet Audrina! I almost missed it because it's older and not a series but a stand alone but my god it was the best! It's pretty rare for me these days in my movie binging madness to find a film that keeps me off my phone, fully engaged, on the edge my seat, and wondering who/what/where/when/why! In fact I normally have the whole plot figured out but not with this. But along with an interesting and really originally story line, you have great actors! I fell in love with James Tupper in the Revenge series years ago, which is always a go to rewatch for me. As well as William Moseley in The Royals, which was canceled way too soon. India Eisley was unfamiliar to me but I could see her having a fantastic career if given the right opportunities. In my opinion this is one of the over all best films I've seen in years and it's a quick, easy watch without getting dragged out unnecessarily.

This movie is a total disgrace to the book. The book draws you in, but this piece of trash movie just makes you want to run away from the television.

Once again, Lifetime TV attempts to adapt a novel by the much loved cult author V.C. Andrews. The Dollanganger series was a mixed bag, successful in some ways, but failing when they made alterations to the source material. "My Sweet Audrina" falls victim to the same kind of amateurish "tweaking" of the original story.

To be fair, Lifetime didn't have so much to work with, as this novel wasn't really the author's best work, unlike the Dollanganger series, which was a huge success all over the world. This film is successful on some levels, such as the set design and cinematography being really gorgeous, as well as the mostly unknown cast. The house in which the drama takes place is a visual treat that will please fans of Gothic and romantic architecture. I just wish the script had been more like the novel. Yes, it is a rather strange book, and I imagine Lifetime didn't want to gamble on something that would put off their usual audience. So what we get is less of a Gothic horror/mystery, and more of an erotic thriller/soap opera production that Lifetime TV is known to produce. What a shame; the books were immensely popular, and the movie could have garnered more attention if it had been a bit more unique and daring. As it stands, "My Sweet Audrina" is still worth a look as a curiosity piece for fans of the V.C. Andrews books. It's surprising that this weird book was ever made into a movie in the first place.

Having not read the novel it originated from, I was able to go into My Sweet Audrina totally cold with no knowledge of the story except that it was billed as a creepy, gothic family drama much like V. C. Andrews' more popular Flowers in the Attic which I enjoyed.

Perhaps it was the Lifetime trope of speeding up the events of the story to squeeze in as much into 90 minutes as possible that caused this movie to fall flat to me or maybe it was the awkward acting by just about everyone in the film, but this one was a dud to me. As I was watching, I could tell the concept and story itself were interesting and strong, but the adaptation felt off. The filmmakers aren't allowed to let moments flow naturally and everyone's at the same emotional pitch throughout most of the movie. Things happen so fast and there's not enough time for the actors, characters, or audience to deal with some of the pretty insane things that happen throughout the movie.

V.C. Andrews is a great writer, her movies are beautifully reproduced in these telemovies MySweet Audrina is no exception, and the addition of the music box music makes the story complete, Other notables are Heaven and of course Flowers In The Attic. It is such a refreshing change to all these Marvel vs DC movies. Class is the only way to describe these Stories.