Our Favorite Lifetime Movies

Flowers in the Attic

While it's hard to pick, one of my favorite Lifetime movies is "Flowers in the Attic" (and its sequels—yes, I cheated and picked four movies). The classic Lifetime combination of greed, family and naughty behavior gets me every time. I never read the books as a teen, so being able to meet and follow the incestuous Dollanganger family through the years was both fulfilling and cringe-worthy. And I can't talk about this movie without mentioning its stellar cast, including Ellen Burstyn, Heather Graham and Kiernan Shipka—HELLO!

The Pregnancy Pact

My favorite Lifetime movie is "The Pregnancy Pact." I remember wanting to watch it for weeks when I was in high school and seeing the trailer for it. My friends and I would have sleepovers coordinated around the release of the new crazy Lifetime movies and then we'd all come together to watch it. We would eat lots of junk food and stay up all night watching them commenting on how crazy the characters were. "The Pregnancy Pact" was my favorite because I couldn’t believe that this many high school girls would choose to get pregnant so young. It was fascinating to me to see these young girls decide to be mothers when I couldn’t even decide what I wanted to eat for lunch. It made it even more enticing when I found out it was based on a true story. That was it, I was hooked on Lifetime movies for life—I just could not look away.

Mother, May I Sleep With Danger

I remember watching the original "Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?" with my mom when I was 16. The title alone drew us in and I was excited that Tori Spelling was in it since I was a big "Beverly Hills 90210" fan. During every commercial break and for weeks afterwards, I'd ask my mom at random times about whether it was OK with her if I "slept with danger."

"Hey, mom," I'd yell down the stairs, while in the middle of doing homework.

"Yes, Dena," she'd reply.

"Is it cool with you if I sleep with danger later?"

Then both of us would crack up.

Bad Twin

If we’re talking about the thrillers, which are acquired by my part of the team, one of my personal favorites is a movie called "Bad Twin." The reason I enjoy this one is because it involves so many classically Lifetime movie tropes: twins played by one actress, an imprisoned sister exacting her revenge by proxy, a nonsensical weapon of attack. In fact, it includes my all-time most favorite weapon used in any of our movies: a box of bees. The more evil twin, let’s say she is “the bad twin,” wants to hurt her aunt, so she find out that the aunt is allergic to bees, steals her EpiPen, and then manages to catch some bees in a box that she then wraps and gives to her aunt as a present! And, for reasons that are even less clear, she gifts her the present while the aunt is driving them all in a car along a windy, cliffside road! Luckily, the not-as-bad twin caught on to the plan, rescued the discarded EpiPen, and offers it to her aunt to save her just in time. Classic!

Fifteen and Pregnant

I come from a family of mostly women. Spouses come and go, but my mom and her sisters are forever. Lifetime movies were a big part of how we all bonded. My grandfather would go have a cigar with the neighbor and my grandmother, my mom, my two aunts, and my tween cousin and I would pile onto a white leather and wicker sofa set to watch the latest made-for-television, based-on-a-true-story tearjerker. "Fifteen and Pregnant" came out in 1998, which technically means that I was 11 years old, but I felt more like 25. I'd been a Kirsten Dunst fan since "Little Women," so naturally I insisted we gather round as a family to watch the movie where she suffers through a teen pregnancy.

I was proud of not flinching during the first description of what poor Tina (Dunst) would go through during the birth, but the more graphic the details, the more horrified I became. Looking around at all of these mothers, who I loved and thought I knew so completely, only to find out they went through that? For me? I was in awe. And also disgusted. Mostly disgusted. But it stuck with me. "Fifteen and Pregnant" made me appreciate the women in my life who went through hell for me—and it was some pretty strong birth control, too.

Homeless to Harvard

I haven't seen many Lifetime movies myself, but over the years my mom has enjoyed watching them, especially with other members of our family. Of the various Lifetime movies that she has watched over the years, the ones that she and other family members find to be the most affecting and interesting are the films based on true-life stories.

One in particular from 2003, "Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story," has stayed with her even many years later. Born into an impoverished family to very intelligent but drug-addicted parents, Ms. Murray became homeless at the age of 15, but managed to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles to complete high school in two years and earn a scholarship to Harvard.

Liz Murray’s story is an incredibly inspiring one about determination and resolve and she eventually became a motivational speaker as well. At any time, her narrative would be an important one, but particularly during these unusual and trying times, it is very uplifting to see how people can triumph over overwhelming odds and adversity not of their own making. We're looking forward to any future movies that Lifetime may produce about other extraordinary people.

Jackie's Back

I’ve been a fan of Lifetime movies since way back when! They ARE pop culture, and at their best, really give voice to women who may not always be heard. We all have a specific genre of movie that comes to mind. My favorite Lifetime movie is NOTHING like that haha. It is a movie that came out in 1999 called "Jackie’s Back," starring the incomparable Jenifer Lewis. It’s a mockumentary about washed up pop diva Jackie Washington who is trying to stage her comeback. There were original songs, period wigs, and Jenifer Lewis at her hilarious best.

Fourteen-year-old Mychael was OBSESSED with this movie, and I literally know every single line. It makes me so happy to this day! There was a little bit of everybody in this movie! Whoopi Goldberg, Liza Minelli, Diahann Carroll, DOLLY PARTON…I mean EVERYBODY. This movie has become a cult classic, and I may or may not have waited outside of a Broadway show that I did not see as a broke 20-something so that I could get Jenifer Lewis to sign my DVD cover. It would be my dream to make Jackie’s Back 2 happen…Jenifer Lewis, call me girl!