L.A. Seduction – Movie Review
Director: Chadd Harbold
Writer: Chadd Harbold (Screenplay)
Cast
- Ashley Benson (Spring Breakers)
- Shiloh Fernandez (Evil Dead)
- Logan Miller (Escape Room)
- Frank Whaley (Vacancy)
- Jay Pharoah (2 Minutes of Fame)
Plot: Kathryn, a struggling actress and unfulfilled housewife, becomes involved with her new gardener, Ben. As he gives her the attention and sensitivity she craves, they start to fall for each other. But Ben is not what he seems.
Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: L.A. Seduction starts with a housewife and struggling actress Kathryn (Benson) finds herself spending a lot of time around her home alone. She gets a new gardener in Ben (Fernandez) who helps her around the home. They meet the new neighbour Oates (Miller), while spending days around the home together.
As Kathryn and Ben spend more time together, Kathryn starts getting tempted once again. Knowing she has cheated before, she leans toward that world again, but not everything is as it seems with Ben.
Verdict on L.A. Seduction
Characters
Kathryn is a housewife and struggling actress in LA. She spends most of her days around her own home alone, while her husband works, and auditions are sent out. Kathryn starts getting close to a new gardener, one that looks to help her find some more happiness in her life.
Ben is a new gardener for Kathryn, he offers her friendship while achieving the duties. He offers her conversation and other benefits by being around the home, something that Kathryn is lacking in life at the moment. Only he has something else up his sleeve, something much more disturbing.
The movie relies on these two interactions, even though a couple of supporting characters appear at times. Oates is the new neighbour, Ed somebody Ben meets earlier in his journey and Kathryn’s husband.
Performances
In the performances, we have Ashley Benson doing a solid job as the lonely housewife. Shiloh Fernandez is strong as the seductive gardener, but neither gets to shine to the top level of what this movie is aiming for. The supporting cast struggles to make an impact either, with the performances all around pulling the movie down.
Story
The story follows a lonely housewife and struggling actress that gets a new gardener. One that offers her a chance for some added excitement in her life, despite having his own plans for her.
This is a movie that plays heavily into a steamy seduction game between the two, only to go in a different direction. The split to show two days ago from Ben’s character’s point of view sucks most of the life out of the story. Making it feel flat in the final act. There isn’t enough to build any tension in the movie either. The location is the highlight being in the Beverly Hills remote home location, giving us a more isolated feeling for Kathryn.
Where to Watch: Signature Entertainment presents L.A. Seduction on Digital Platforms on 21st November
Final Thoughts – L.A. Seduction is a thriller that lacks any real life to it, it is slow and suffers from a lack of tension.
