When I saw that Will Ferrell and Kristin Wiig had made a TV movie I was excited because I figured they must have found an amazing script to get them both to sign on. So I was a little bit disappointed when I got around to actually watching 'A Deadly Adoption' only to find a slightly above average movie by TV standards. What went on behind the scenes to get them both on board I'm not sure, but it certainly wasn't the script alone as I had hoped. Seeing Ferrell playing a serious role took me quite off guard at first. I hadn't actually seen any of the previous serious work he's done and only knew him for his comedic roles which he is the best in the business at. I wouldn't call his performance overly natural, he seemed like he had a slightly tough time adjusting to not just saying whatever hilarious line popped into his head. Wiig on the other hand I did find very natural. Her role wasn't written overly well and didn't give her a lot to do, however the scenes she did have she handled well and overshadowed Ferrell in the acting sense I'd have to say.There's a lot of "by the book" writing involved and the clichés are a little bit overbearing at times (ie. the gay best friend). For a TV movie though it's very watchable and the short runtime passes by quick enough. Often comedic actors like to delve into the world of serious films, with mixed results. Apparently Ferrell falls into that category as well. I hope he doesn't spend too much time trying it out though, because he would truly be a tremendous loss to the world of comedy if he did so. Worth a look but don't expect anything too special.

Having seen the entire movie, which was a struggle for a few scenes, I ended up slightly confused. I figured it was meant to be a parody on a lifetime movie, however, was the content or the waste of time the joke? If the joke of the actors and/or writers was to confuse the audience,it shouldn't have been a mediocre-at-best movie, that just makes the joke very pathetic. From the beginning on the movie didn't pick a side. The sloppy, uninspired writing and ridiculously unoriginal characters could've been used perfectly for a comedy, and for a lousy lifetime movie, but has been used for none. Just a random waste of time, brought forth by the attractive casting. Will Ferrell has proved to be capable of playing a more serious character and pulls it of quite well again, letting one crying scene slide, and Kristen Wiig actually plays her part very smoothly, displaying a credible happy hippie wife. Jessica Lowndes, though I've never seen her in any other movie worth mentioning, is ready for some bigger roles, mainly because she uses her insanely attractive looksperfectly in portraying different sides of her character. Will and Kristen could have turned a story with actually some real potential ina hilarious comedy, however, decided to ignore their instincts and followthe instructions of a few lousy writer and crew members to cash in their pay check.

I don't know what to make of this movie. It's got A list movie stars like Will Ferrell and Kristin Wiig in a lifetime thriller. As it unfolds it becomes more like a spoof of a lifetime thriller. An evil woman scams a couple into thinking she's giving up her baby for them to adopt.Will Ferrell rising from being shot and going after the bad guys is just laugh out loud. The beautiful Jessica Lowndes is a good villain. And the way they were so happy even though their friends were killed and dancing around at the end is just ludicrous.Watch it for the stars but be warned it's weird.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT - the following discusses plot points, but you might want to read on anyway to save two hours of your lifespan! Or don't read it, watch the movie, and then come back and read the reviews to see if you actually "got" this movie! This is also written to bring closure to those who have spent the two hours watching it.The overall plot was used previously in another Lifetime movie no doubt. Crazy girl, bad boyfriend fresh out of prison wanting his money, a child about to die because she needs her meds, and parents in a dysfunctional marriage with a secret held by one against the other allowing "crazy girl" to enter stage left, scene one. Is this movie a parody of Lifetime movies or other movies that revolve around "crazy girl" replacing a wife and making the wife's family her own? The predictable script does not let on to this possibility other than in a few spots such as Will Ferrell's character standing in the middle of the road to face off "crazy girl" without so much as a drip of blood coming from his two wounds, one of which appeared earlier as fatal. (It's highly unlikely that he'd be knocked out cold by two flesh wounds and even less likely that his wounds would both stop bleeding without immediate medical attention.) Another possible parody moment was the garage door opening scene. The garage was filled with far too much exhaust for any human being to emerge from it without hacking his guts out. Will emerging from a cloud of deadly exhaust appearing to breath normally, looked like Superman with Lois in his arms, back-lit with a glow. That smells of parody or very bad direction, take your pick. Will "speeding" off to the rescue in an incredibly slow moving boat with a very serious look on his face smelled like parody too.Still, most of the movie was not at all funny, or even suspiciously funny, so what was the point of that please? Furthermore, there was not a lot in the dialogue to suggest that this was in fact a parody. The sheriff asking after he had heard the entire story of Will and "crazy woman," (paraphrased) "Do you think they could be together?" could have been one such line. That must be ranked among the stupidest lines ever written in a movie, and if it was not in fact meant to be a stupid line appropriate for a parody, then we must conclude that the line is just an awful line. The movie is otherwise mostly predictable, with the "manner of pregnancy" of "crazy girl" being nearly the only surprise. Were you really surprised that the bad boyfriend was just behind the organic foods co-worker who had snapped one too many branches on his rescue mission? His death was not funny, just cruel. Where's the parody in that?The scene with Will's incredibly awkward dancing with his family that went on longer than any sane director would have allowed, just iced the cake of this movie's demise.In sum, this was either a poorly written parody or a poorly written violent though almost entirely predictable drama, acted about as well as it could have been acted (hence my higher rating than the 1 for the script).Note to actors: next time you might want to turn this sort of script down. Note to screenplay writer: you need a lot of practice. Note to viewers: I'd sorry for your loss...of time. And that is not a "spiteful comment," because I'm really, really sorry for your loss. Or is this just a parody of a hardhearted reviewer? You decide! ; )P.S. I think this movie was deliberately written to thoroughly confuse us all and is therefore brilliant! (Just kidding....but maybe it is...regardless, you'll never have closure on this movie or on this review. ; ))