Customer Reviews

Woman Scorned

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I recently purchased the DVD "Betty Broderick: A Woman Scorned", as I have enjoyed this well acted movie on the Lifetime Channel.
To my surprise, this DVD has two movies on it. The first movie of the Betty Broderick story "A Woman Scorned" and the Sequel called "Her Final Fury". A total of 3 hours on this DVD! I also noticed that there is a special section on the DVD where you can see the real Betty Broderick and watch some of her actual testimony at the murder trial. Very interesting. I recommend this DVD highly. This is for anyone who enjoys movies bases on real life incidents, crimes and murders.

OK so i admit it I am a LIFETIME junkie and I make sure that i do not miss this one when it repeats, and it does ALOT. Meredith Baxter gives a convicning performance of "that woman scorned" and although she she murders in cold blood her x husband an his new wife as they lay sleeping peacefully in thier bed in the middle of the night, I still felt sorry for her. The movie starts from thier life together that she helped create while working to put her husband in law school, so that one day that they can have this wonderful life together, as she put it, he took her home, her kids, her friends and her life. Stephen Collins played her husband who after several years of marriage decides he wants a younger more attractive woman an they begin this affair, which is quickly found out by Betty. A lot of women can relate to the loss of love and freedom that Betty Broadwick loses but when i watched this movie withmy husband he could not help but saying "what a bitch she was." I think it depends on which side of the coin you look at it. One of my faviort lifetime movies. Baxter deserved a Emmey for her performace.

The movie "Till Murder Do Us Part" is the same movie as "Betty Broderick: A Woman Scorned" Both are for sale on Amazon.com.

I guess "Till Murder Do Us Part" was released first on DVD and VHS. "A Woman Scorned" is only on DVD, which, by the way, consists of two movies, a total of 3 hours in all: "A Woman Scorned" and "Her Final Fury".

I recommend this movie under either title. It is a very interesting true story, which the Lifetime Channel shows on occasion. I enjoyed it so much watching Lifetime that I wanted to purchase a copy for my own personal movie collection.

I've seen this movie a hundred times; I love it. I am going to order it from Amazon because I want a permanent copy for my huge DVD library.
This movie is a true story. It took place in SanDiego, California.
Betty Broderick started out as a loving wife and mother. She worked hard; worked very hard to put her husband who began as an ER md I believe....through law school. He becomes a renowned lawyer; is very successful and makes them both rich. Betty is finally able to stay at home to raise their 5 kids and the two of them are enjoying the good life. Right about this time, a new young attractive secretary begins employment at Dan Brodericks lawfirm. It doesn't take long for the two of them to become attracted to one another. Betty suspects and goes into a jealous rage, burning all his clothes for starters. One thing leads to another and he divorces her, and marries his secretary.
What the movie does not portray is the fact that Dan Broderick had a habit of screwing around on his wife. In the movie, he is portrayed as the injured party along with his new wife, who in my opinion, is a two bit home wreaker. She knows he is married, and still goes after him. The two are murdered in cold blood by Betty as they slept.
I don't feel they deserved what she did, however, I felt sorry for her as he took everything away from her that he had given her, that she helped to build. They built a great life together, money was no object, and then he throws her away for a younger woman. Granted, she is a spiteful, jealous lunatic that goes way overboard with some of her actions; however, he is no angel in this relationship, and that is the part that the movie does not show.
This movie is excellent because it is based on a true story; even though all the true facts are not portrayed. I think anyone that wants to see a really good courtroom thriller should buy this movie....it will keep you riveted to your seat right till the very end. It is a great movie and Amazon's DVD has both movies on it...the first one, "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story" and the sequel, "Her Final Fury; Betty Broderick The Final Chapter". Anyone loving a thriller will relish this great work.

I thought Meredith Baxter's acting in this true-life story film was exceptional ! Baxter had to take on all of Betty's moods and her behavioral changes and then display them realistically . I certainly do not agree with the murderous actions Betty took and she diffinately developed a stalker/O.C.D. mentality just for revenge . The whole story was sad . The children were left without a father and basically without a mother because of her unbalanced reaction. I would have given Meredith Baxter an Emmy for this one ... It was a very good drama .M.A.Fiske. pfiske1@bellsouth.net

I have watched both these "docudramas" over and over again on Lifetime, and I enjoy them every time I see them. The story of Betty Broderick, and her terrible descent into a homicidal rage due in great part to the vicious and foolhardy actions of her estranged husband, is certainly fascinating and great "entertainment." But if you're really interested in Betty's story, and you want a far more balanced retelling of the Broderick marriage than these two movies provide, I highly recommend "Until the Twelfth of Never" by Bella Stumbo. Betty Broderick says that Meredith Baxter never met with her before the movie was made, and that's pretty clear. The first movie, for instance, implies strongly that Dan didn't begin dating his new wife, Linda, until after he had left Betty. A complete lie. They were involved for over two years during his marriage, and his denials to his frantic wife that he was cheating more than contributed to her later breakdown. Read the book for the full story.

The fact that this movie was a true story makes it more thrilling than fictional dramas and thrillers. Betty Broderick (Meredith Baxter) had the perfect life. A wonderful family, a successful buisnessman husband, a humorous personality, and many friends. But she is pushed over the edge when her selfish husband divorced her for a much younger woman. Betty's enjoyable personality suddenly turns into a borderline personality as she repeatedly tries to get back at him in destructive ways. But this only results in restraining orders, charges, and Betty losing custody of her kids. But this dosen't stop Betty from terrorizing him and his new wife. Her extreme anger and jealousy turns violent as she watches her once perfect life being taken by another woman. It has a very progressive plot and shocking ending.

Men are horrifed and blame BB entirely; women have quite a different opinion. Meredith Baxter is sensational, as is Stephen Collins (this is the second movie Collins portrays a husband murdered in cold blood by his wife; the other was Nick Dunne's excellent book turned movie "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles", the true story of the Woodward family...and even sadder, both children of the couple committed suicide, one on Mother's Day) and it is like watching a train wreck; you can't turn away and you hope maybe this time they will wake up and escape and Betty will recover, but it is not to be.
DB did everything wrong; he, of all people, knew BB and how deeply she was affected by the loss of her children, her husband and her entire lifestyle; usurped by a young, thoughtless girl who took delight in sending her ads for wrinkle cream and weight loss products,
I also read in one book that Kolkena was a bit of a monster toward the children. Neither Dan nor Linda behaved in a way that was wise or sensible; they seemed to deliberately go out of their way to inflame and harass Betty who was already way over the edge; taunting someone already in deep rage and depression is simply not a good idea.
I in NO WAY condone the murder of two people; (I would have much preferred Betty to win by legal means, but it was just not in the stars.) but I absolutely understand WHY she did it. I am also not surprised to notice that the overwhelming majority of those sympathetic to BB are women and those who vilify her are men; it is common and acceptable, even admirable, for men to abandon their wives for younger women; it happens more than we like to think.
Baxter said she was more on BB's side in the first picture; much less in the second. Either way, she turned in great performances in both features.

Agree or disagree with Betty Broderick, this story is fascinating. Just like with the film "Fatal Attraction", it struck a chord with many women and fear into many men. Betty Broderick was raised to be a good Catholic wife who sacrificed for her husband and children. When Dan Broderick stood in a church and promised to love and cherish her forever, she believed him. However, to Dan, forever meant about 20 years. Then he went out and bought the required midlife crisis car -- a red convertible. And got himself a slutty 20-year-old to sleep with.

When Betty confronts him, he denies it, saying she's crazy. Finally, though, Dan decides he's having more fun with the ho and dumps his wife. But despite Betty having contributed to his professional success, he doesn't want to share 50/50. People may say, "What's she complaining about? She was getting $10,000/month!" But Dan was making like $100,000/month. Besides that, Betty's dreams of this successful life were taken from her. Not just her husband. She lost her prestige in the community, she was ostracized by their rich friends -- not invited to events/ parties/dinners. Dan took the new wife on vacations, parties, kids' soccer games. He basically cut her out of the photo and inserted wifey No. 2. And Betty simply lost it. She could not accept that she got royally screwed by Dan. Every minute of the day was consumed by her hatred of Dan and this skank. And she did what she had to do. I'm not saying it was right, but I UNDERSTAND. As she fought with Dan about her alimony and Dan was saying, "What? What do you want from me Betty?!" She seethed and said, "You OWE me!" For all the years of struggle, for everything she did for the family -- this life was supposed to be her reward and HE OWED HER.

Part One of the movie deals with life up to the murder and the first trial. Betty is shown in a much more sympathetic light. Part Two deals with the second trial and conviction and Betty is portrayed much worse. However, it appears to be an honest portrayal -- warts and all. Anyone who enjoys the Lifetime TV movies such as "Beauty's Revenge" and "A Mother's Justice" will enjoy this DVD.

Somebody in the review comment said this movie wasn't long enough. They must have not purchased the version I purchased from Amazon, wich was a total of 193 minutes long on a DVD! The movie was wonderful! Meredith Baxter was an excellent portrayal of Betty Brodrick, as I did follow the true story of it on Court TV. I must say, this is one of my favorite movies! Buy the movie- not the compressed version, the 193 minute version, so you can see the movie in it's entirety. It is definately worth it, and what a good deal Amazon has to offer on it! I got my DVD for under $10!!!