custody

Lifetime

Some would describe most if not all of the movies shown on Lifetime as melodramatic affairs intended solely for women. Custody is no less melodramatic than the norm on the network, but its storytelling should stand out for its effectiveness. Teenage Amanda (Kay Panabaker) encounters some uncomfortable truth when her biological father, John Sullivan (James Denton), confronts her and her stepfather David (Rob Morrow), who has raised her as his own. All three roles are smartly written and acted, and the lean story stays interesting as the two fathers vie for custody of Amanda. Here is a movie that’s universally good, notwithstanding its genre. –forrest green III