When the Bough Breaks is a laughably bad and overly clichéd thriller with a story that has been done numerous times, especially on the Lifetime Movie Channel and if not for Morris Chestnut who tried so hard to rise above the awful screenplay, this would be an absolute chore to sit through, and even so, it was still rough sledding.
When the Bough Breaks
(2016)
Genre(s): Suspense Thriller
Sony | PG13 – 107 min. – $34.99 | December 27, 2016
Date Published: 12/22/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 1.25/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: John and Laura Taylor (MORRIS CHESTNUT, REGINA HALL) are a young, professional couple who desperately want a baby. After exhausting all other options, they finally hire Anna (JAZ SINCLAIR), the perfect woman to be their surrogate – but as her pregnancy progresses, so too does her psychotic and dangerous fixation on John. The couple becomes caught up in Anna’s deadly game and must fight to regain control of their future before it’s too late.
Quick Hit Review: Every year comes a movie where I wonder how in the hell it even got made. When the Bough Breaks was the latest, a film that has been done numerous times before and at its core, been done for decades dating back to Fatal Attraction if not even further back. This is the kind of movie that should’ve been destined for Lifetime where there also this plot has been tackled with similar quality scripts. The cast at least were game with such a lousy screenplay. Regina Hall was fine and the young Jaz Sinclair plays psycho well enough but where the film excels, and perhaps the only aspect it does, is with Morris Chestnut who manages to, at times anyway, rise above some truly laughable dialogue and predictable plot points that anyone, even if you’re unfamiliar with the genre, could see coming five miles away, including a telegraphed finale that was anything but suspense-filled.
Directed by Jon Cassar (24: Live Another Day) from a script written by Jack Olsen (debut), When the Bough Breaks may not be one of the worst movies of 2016, and probably was saved thanks to Morris Chestnut’s charisma (should note, Chestnut was an executive producer), albeit even he couldn’t overcome an awful screenplay, but I’m not entirely sure how this even got a theatrical release rather than airing on a network like Lifetime. Skip this turkey. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5 |
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This release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover. Inside is a Digital HD redemption code. Audio Commentary – Director Jon Cassar, Writer Jack Olsen & Actress Jaz Sinclair sit down a decent track since with three participants, they’re able to cover plenty of ground from production, story and acting. The Haves & the Have Nots (7:48; HD) is a basic behind-the-scenes featurette with some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew. Deleted Scenes (17:59; HD) – There are nine scenes that were cut down or excised, most of which probably for pacing issues. Previews – Don’t Breath, Inferno, The Shallows, Passengers, Kingsclave: Final Fantasy XV |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| When the Bough Breaks seduces itself onto Blu-ray shown in its original 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture is sharp looking with good detail throughout and colors appear well balanced and natural looking while dark levels are stark but never lose detail in those shots. It’s also clean, free of major artifacts and aliasing. |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| The disc comes with a standard but effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and even if the movie stunk, the sound design wasn’t half bad. Dialogue levels sounded crisp and clear making usage of the center channel while ambient noises output via the front and rear channels, though outside of the (inane) finale, the depth is on the limited side and I really didn’t notice even the LFE channel kicking on very much. |
OVERALL – 2.5/5 |
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Overall, When the Bough Breaks is a laughably bad and overly clichéd thriller with a story that has been done numerous times, especially on the Lifetime Movie Channel and if not for Morris Chestnut who tried so hard to rise above the awful screenplay, this would be an absolute chore to sit through, and even so, it was still rough sledding. The Blu-ray released by Sony offers great video, solid audio and an OK selection of bonus features. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.