Danger in the Dorm Review: Did Bethenny Frankel Slay Her Lifetime Acting Debut?

06/16/2024 11:00 AM

Bethenny Frankel has officially made her Lifetime acting debut with Danger in the Dorm, but is the former reality TV star and entrepreneur any good in front of the camera when she's given a script? Let's be clear; this isn't Bethenny's first time acting. She had two movie roles and a minor role in a TV show in the past. But this is perhaps her biggest challenge as an actor to date.

What is the Lifetime movie Danger in the Dorm about?

Lifetime movie Danger in the Dorm is inspired by one of the earliest works of true crime writer Ann Rule. It tells the story of student Kathleen, played by Clara Alexandrova, following the murder of her childhood best friend at college. Bethenny plays Kathleen's overprotective mother, Joanne, who tries to insist that her daughter return home amid further attacks on campus. Of course, if that happened, there wouldn’t be a movie…

Is Bethenny Frankel good in Lifetime's Danger in the Dorm?

It’s hard to really judge Bethenny’s acting performance in Lifetime’s Danger in the Dorm. For the most part, she seems to be leaning on her actual personality to convey the character of Joanne. Many of the lines she says to her on-screen daughter, you could imagine Bethenny saying to her real-life teenage daughter, Bryn. In short: she’s playing herself.

Perhaps that’s why it works so well. Bethenny sometimes struggles to reach the same emotional highs of Clara Alexandrova as Kathleen – who undoubtedly gives the movie’s standout performance – but she’s still a real player. She channels her motherhood to convey exactly how you would expect a parent to respond in this dark and dangerous scenario.

Clara is genuinely brilliant from beginning to end. She utilizes her acting expertise to take her character from a brooding young girl with all of her walls up, to a strong and independent woman who recognizes that letting those walls down isn't a sign of weakness, but actually one of the bravest things you can do.

Danger in the Dorm review: What's the verdict?

Lifetime's Danger in the Dorm is a predictable but watchable thriller. There aren't going to be huge surprises for those well-versed in this genre, but it’s still worth watching all the same. I just wish there was more meat around the bones of the movie’s final 20 minutes. There should be a huge crescendo of emotion, but it falls a little flat.

While Danger in the Dorm won’t be heralded as one of Lifetime’s best, any Bethenny fans should get a kick out of seeing her perform. And who knows? Maybe she’ll be back for more Lifetime movie roles in the future.

TELL US – DID YOU WATCH DANGER IN THE DORM? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF BETHENNY'S PERFORMANCE? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HER IN FUTURE LIFETIME MOVIES?

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