Lifetime Review: 'The Wrong Cruise'

WARNING: Spoilers in review.

Things between Claire and Skylar Tanner (Vivica A. Fox and Sidney Nicole Rogers) have hit a rocky patch. In the wake of the death of Skylar's father, she's been causing troubles at school, with a fight breaking out during a track team meet pushing Skylar to the verge of suspension. Thinking some time away will help them both heal, Claire arranges for she and Skylar to take a cruise together to Mexico. Things seem to look up as both young women soon meet charismatic men upon arriving on the cruise, with Claire being romanced by the suave Dante (Andre Londono) and Skylar beginning a relationship with the young and handsome Rico (Adrian Quinta).

But while out boating with Dante, Claire suddenly faints and wakes up to realize that she and her daughter have been pulled into a greedy scheme, orchestrated by Dante to get his hands on her money. Isolated and without passports to re-enter the United States, Claire must find a way to outsmart her manipulative captor and escape his clutches with her daughter. But will this be one vacation the Tanners won't be returning home from?

If I had to use one word to summarize The Wrong Cruise (the latest entry in David DeCoteau's "The Wrong" series), it would be intense. Most people associate Lifetime with movies where the plot is straight-laced and easy to predict, but The Wrong Cruise laughs at that misconception. Just when you think you know where the plot will be going, something happens that takes the plot in a different direction, with everything escalating to the point where you're not sure how anything will turn out. This all makes for an exhilarating watch, and makes the film's conclusion feel more deserved than most Lifetime films.

Casting, as with much of David DeCoteau's work for Lifetime, remains strong. Vivica A. Fox (who is far from a stranger to this film series) brings her A-game to the role of Claire Tanner, playing her with an authentic naivete to Dante's intentions in the beginning before turning into a fierce and protective mother who will stop at no end to help her daughter escape Dante's clutches--even at the cost of her own safety. Sidney Nicole Rogers plays well off of Vivica, going from the generic template of "Rebellious Teenage Daughter" to a sympathetic character still hurting from her father's death and who sincerely loves her mother and doesn't want to spend all her time arguing with her. This all culminates in Skylar having an emotional scene while opening up to an unconscious Claire, where she assures her of her love and expresses guilt for the situation they were in. Their mother-daughter dynamic feels poignantly authentic, and makes it easy at that point to root for them to get away from Dante alive.

The antagonists share in Vivica's acting strength, with Andre Londono transforming Dante into a truly terrifying villain. He initially starts out as a regular con artist that has graced the Lifetime screen before, seducing Claire as part of his greedy plot. But once she's in his clutches, Dante shows his true colors in his willingness to do absolutely anything it takes to get his money—even if it means backstabbing the very people who helped him in his scheme. Londono gives his all in showing this side of Dante, transforming him from a villain cliche to a truly evil sociopath. Another "The Wrong" regular returns in the form of William McNamara, whose character is shown to be quite the bit more clever and under-the-radar than Dante. His character is not given a lot of screen time, but McNamara makes the most of it to turn him into a genuine menace that is just as devious and ruthless as Dante.

A surprising standout, however, comes in the form of Adrian Quinta's portrayal of Rico, who is revealed to be a cohort of Dante's who is seducing Skylar as part of his scheme. But as quickly as he is revealed as Dante's second hand man, Rico is also revealed to be less than willing to follow in Dante's horrific footsteps. Every evil act he is shown committing is done with immense doubt, and a flashback scene shows us that Dante is less of a partner to Rico and more of a cruel handler that he has been conditioned to follow and vie for his twisted approval. Quinta plays the character with heartbreaking emotion, making his ultimate fate all the more tragic.

Overall, The Wrong Cruise is a knockout of a film, with plenty of action to appease drama-crazed viewers and excellent acting to keep them invested. Definitely the best choice for a movie night among friends to share the thrills with.

Score: 10 out of 10 stolen passports.