Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Imagine a world in which you can't trust anyone but your mother and NOTHING is as it appears.Such is the setting for "The Preacher's Mistress," which was pretty bad, but not so bad that I didn't want to see it through to its conclusion.It is extremely formulaic in that, if you're experienced with Lifetime movies, you can see the plot twists from a mile away. From the moment we see that Gwen has a flat and the preacher materializes from nowhere to fix it, we know exactly where this nihilistic story is heading.The movie treats the viewer like a fool, virtually underlining, underscoring, and adding exclamation points to help us grasp that Sidney isn't the insightful friend she appears but rather a cunning fiend. I have to admit I liked the performance of Sarah Lancaster. She does well in the entirely believable position of a woman who trusts the charming guy she goes to bed with. (Is there a woman out there who doesn't identify?) I agree with a previous reviewer that the movie ends on a saccharine note, tying everything up in a bow that turns the dystopia of this film into a fairy-tale fantasy. Er, OK.

Beautifully-figured insurance agent Sarah Lancaster (as Gwendolyn "Gwen" Griffith) suffers from nightmares due to abusive old relationship. A single mom, she lives in Houston, Texas with outspoken six-year-old son Logan Lindholm (as Alec). Felled by a flat tire, Ms. Lancaster receives help from preachy passerby Drew Waters (as Ed Baker). The two begin a whirlwind romance, but Mr. Waters withholds some information...Also involved is sneaky co-worker Natalia Cigliuti (as Sidney) and agile private investigator Bryan Mitchell (as David Wyatt)...Since there is a high level of implausibility, they should have gone all he way and had mother Eleese Lester (as Ellen) uncover a secret, and pay with her life. She could have been given a health ailment, like a weak heart. "The Preacher's Mistress" is a perfectly cast, nicely directed (by Michelle Mower) and engaging TV movie. Alas, this one seems to have been rushed through post-production without ironing out some problems.***** The Preacher's Mistress (11/2.13) Michelle Mower ~ Sarah Lancaster, Drew Waters, Natalia Cigliuti, Bryan Mitchell

This movie is a delightful addition to my favorite Lifetime category which I lovingly call "Get The Bitch." It's when the lead actress finally does something so stupid that you're compelled to start rooting for the villain. This time it's when our lonely lovely is distraught enough to confront her bad-beau at his church - an idea so terrible that she then deserves everything that happens afterward - as well as before.To be clear, this movie was quite enjoyable overall as a good many of the movies in the "genre" are. A woman with a young boy becomes a damsel in slight distress and is befriended by a a man who, quite naturally, becomes her boyfriend. Of course, nothing is what it seems to her, even though we know exactly what's happening. If the title itself doesn't offer enough of a clue, "The Preacher's Mistress" is soon over her head with enough problems to last a lifetime - possibly quite literally.But while her naiveté and stupidity are actually very believable, the ending isn't, and as a viewer, that's distressing because the final scene of endangerment could have easily been done, say, as an attempt to stage suicide, with our poor mistress being saved in a nick of time by the private investigator her mother had hired to follow the no-good boyfriend.Instead, we got a preposterous denouement in which the investigator had to be idiotic enough, not to mention close enough, to allow it all to happen before our drugged heroine saves both herself and P.I. guy. Then, throw in an instant romance and roll credits.

I don't think I really have any major spoilers in this review, but to be on the safe side I have given a warning--as perhaps someone who has not seen the film might not want to know even this much in advance.This film is definitely a modern day tale--with a single, unmarried mother with a young son, struggling to try to meet the bills.The story actually starts out pretty good.Gwen works for an ins. agency, she has a mother she considers too controlling, a best female friend at the office, and she's trying to better herself by taking an on-line real estate course. In the meantime, she can't meet her mortgage. However, she refuses to consider selling the house and moving into something she could actually afford. How she was ever able to afford such an affluent house in the first place remains a mystery.Then one day, out of the blue, she has a flat tire and this nice looking man happens along and changes the tire for her. Soon they're involved in a romance. Only he isn't who he seems, neither is another character in the storyline.The problem is the writer gets a little too clever with the tale and it ends up being rather unbelievable. We also have no way out for the heroine beyond the villain spilling their guts--which I've always considered to be weak writing.We also conveniently manage to come up with a new, albeit sudden romance for the heroine by the end of the film.4 stars