A Rose for Her Grave: The Randy Roth Story

This is one of the better lifetime movies. For what it is, I liked a lot about it including the pacing, acting and the overall plot. It's based on a true story so, at least to me, made it more interesting. They also were able to create good characters including the best friend who probably has the best performance. She did well conveying a genuine authentic friend who really cares. That's not easy to do! It helps drive the story as it moves along. Overall this LTM avoids the tropes of many failed ones, not devolving into horrendous dialogue, craptastic acting and trash characters. I enjoyed it as a casual watch. 6/10.

Everybody likes Randy Roth when they first meet him, and the word that always comes to mind is charming. Underneath the veneer, however, Randy is a psychopath whose first wife "accidentally" fell off a mountain top. Now, Randy is preying on a lonely widow, Cynthia "Cindi" Baumgartner. The couple cannot even get past their honeymoon stage before it is apparent that Randy has a little problem in the bedroom. He also has a hair-trigger temper, abuses his son Greg, and has an all-too-cozy relationship with Dana, the teenage daughter of his friend and fellow mechanic John. He has even given a "promise ring" to young Dana, who, unbeknownst to him, is bulimic, in part due to Randy's monetary incentives for her losing weight. The tawdry story of Randy Roth and the unfortunate death of Cindi Baumgartner are told from the point of view of Cindi's best friend Lori. A steadfast and selfless soul, Lori has supported Cindi through five years of widowhood following the death of Cindi's first husband. The actress playing Lori was successful in developing the tenacity and courage of a saintly character in the pursuit of justice and the well-being of Cindi's little boy Tyson. It was unfortunate that Cindi did not listen to Lori's sage advice as she witnessed the danger signs in Randy's behavior. But along with a dedicated detective, Sue "Soupie" Peters, and a shrewd prosecutor, the circumstantial evidence and eyewitness testimony were cobbled together in the trial. There was a thoughtful compositional moment on the part of the director, who lined up four women in a spotlight as they confronted Randy in the hall of justice. Randy always hated the color pink, and he berated Cindi for wearing any pink clothing. Perhaps the color orange will have a greater appeal to Randy's exquisite tastes, as he will have the opportunity to model an orange jumpsuit for the next fifty years.

Everybody likes Randy Roth when they first meet him, and the word that always comes to mind is charming. Underneath the veneer, however, Randy is a psychopath whose first wife "accidentally" fell off a mountain top. Now, Randy is preying on a lonely widow, Cynthia "Cindi" Baumgartner. The couple cannot even get past their honeymoon stage before it is apparent that Randy has a little problem in the bedroom. He also has a hair-trigger temper, abuses his son Greg, and has an all-too-cozy relationship with Dana, the teenage daughter of his friend and fellow mechanic John. He has even given a "promise ring" to young Dana, who, unbeknownst to him, is bulimic, in part due to Randy's monetary incentives for her losing weight. The tawdry story of Randy Roth and the unfortunate death of Cindi Baumgartner are told from the point of view of Cindi's best friend Lori. A steadfast and selfless soul, Lori has supported Cindi through five years of widowhood following the death of Cindi's first husband. The actress playing Lori was successful in developing the tenacity and courage of a saintly character in the pursuit of justice and the well-being of Cindi's little boy Tyson. It was unfortunate that Cindi did not listen to Lori's sage advice as she witnessed the danger signs in Randy's behavior. But along with a dedicated detective, Sue "Soupie" Peters, and a shrewd prosecutor, the circumstantial evidence and eyewitness testimony were cobbled together in the trial. There was a thoughtful compositional moment on the part of the director, who lined up four women in a spotlight as they confronted Randy in the hall of justice. Randy always hated the color pink, and he berated Cindi for wearing any pink clothing. Perhaps the color orange will have a greater appeal to Randy's exquisite tastes, as he will have the opportunity to model an orange jumpsuit for the next fifty years.

This is one of the better lifetime movies. For what it is, I liked a lot about it including the pacing, acting and the overall plot. It's based on a true story so, at least to me, made it more interesting. They also were able to create good characters including the best friend who probably has the best performance. She did well conveying a genuine authentic friend who really cares. That's not easy to do! It helps drive the story as it moves along. Overall this LTM avoids the tropes of many failed ones, not devolving into horrendous dialogue, craptastic acting and trash characters. I enjoyed it as a casual watch. 6/10.