50 best Lifetime movies

While Lifetime movies might seem like a tradition as sometime equally cable itself, the first one debuted in 1990, six years after the network was established. Chosen "Memories of Murder," it centered on a woman with amnesia, who suddenly gets her memory back and becomes convinced there'due south another adult female out to get her. Consider it a relatively tame preview of what was to come, as it was followed by tawdry fare such as "Abducted: A Male parent's Dearest," "Co-Ed Telephone call Girl," and numerous other titles. Needless to say, the recipe worked, and the network even set up its own corresponding channel just for movies.

Nowadays, Lifetime movies are commonly divided between a few respective categories: soapy biopics like "Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance," child abduction stories, thrillers involving family unit secrets (such every bit the infamous "Female parent, May I Sleep with Danger"), teen dramas, and romantic comedies.

Aimed primarily at the female demographic, these films come in well below most cinematic standards, merely still correspond a qualitative jump over the network's earliest output. In fact, Lifetime is no stranger to the occasional Emmy nomination or positive review. The network has also become a veritable hub for female person talent, both in front of and behind the photographic camera. Many now-famous A-list and B-list actors got work in Lifetime movies early on in their careers or when they were struggling to break through. Some notable names on this list include Mahershala Ali, Alia Shawkat, Regina Male monarch, and Kristen Stewart. And occasionally, Lifetime provides roles for truly cracking actresses who have trouble finding piece of work in a sexist industry that tends to discard women as they age (come across Angela Bassett in "Betty and Coretta" and Cicely Tyson in "The Trip to Bountiful").

Admirable qualities aside, Lifetime movies namely persist equally the stuff of pure TV melodrama. These are films people beloved to detest or detest to love, with precious few exceptions. Most subjects are ripped directly from the headlines and treated with a heavy hand. Every at present and then, however, an accurate story slips through the cracks. Examples include "Phenomenon Run" and "A Girl Similar Me: The Gwen Araujo Story," both of which offer deft takes on important bug.

To celebrate these iconic cable fixtures in their cheesiness and glory akin, Stacker used IMDb user ratings data to rank the top 50 Lifetime movies, with ties broken by votes. To qualify, the movie had to be produced or distributed by Lifetime and accept at least 250 user votes. Counting downwards from #l, hither are the best Lifetime movies.

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i / 50

#fifty. Hitting and Run (1999)

- Director: Dan Lerner
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 88 min

Margaret Colin returned to her soap opera roots with "Hitting and Run," starring as Joanna, a woman who accidentally hits a girl with her auto. She does the right thing—at offset. Fleeing the scene to get help for the girl, when she returns she stays mum about her identity. But the guilt might be too much for Joanna.

2 / 50

#49. My Proper noun Is Sarah (2007)

- Director: Paul A. Kaufman
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 98 minutes

Her name is Sarah (Jennifer Beals) and she's not a recovering alcoholic, though her fellow AA members are none the wiser. To give up the ruse is to compromise her budding romance with an bodily alcoholic named Charlie. Empathic label keeps the viewers on Sarah's side throughout this romantic dramedy.

iii / 50

#48. When Innocence Is Lost (1997)

- Managing director: Bethany Rooney
- IMDb user rating: 6.ane
- Runtime: 91 minutes

Before her breakout performance in the Telly series "Felicity," Keri Russell starred in this family drama. Similar a soapy take on "Kramer vs. Kramer," it finds a immature unmarried mother (Russell) fighting for custody over her newborn baby. Expect a pivotal twist as the courtroom battle unfolds.

iv / 50

#47. Unstable (2009)

- Managing director: Don McBrearty
- IMDb user rating: vi.1
- Runtime: 85 minutes

At the eye of this psychological thriller is a wealthy adult female named Megan Walker (Shiri Appleby). Even so grappling with past trauma, Megan enters into a new and seemingly perfect marriage. When strange events unfold, she must determine whether her husband has ulterior motives or if it's all in her head.

v / l

#46. Not Similar Everyone Else (2006)

- Director: Tom McLoughlin
- IMDb user rating: 6.1
- Runtime: 120 minutes

This Lifetime drama tells the story of Brandi Blackbear (Alia Shawkat), a Native American teenager accused of witchcraft. Suspended from school for casting a spell, Blackbear sues for Civil Rights violations. As bizarre equally information technology may sound, this one'south based on actual events.

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6 / fifty

#45. Missing at 17 (2013)

- Director: Doug Campbell
- IMDb user rating: 6.1
- Runtime: ninety minutes

After running away to find her biological mother, a teen gets seduced by a criminal. When she never returns domicile, her adoptive mother sets out to find her. And then goes this dramatic thriller, in which both mothers bring together forces to save the young girl.

7 / 50

#44. Double Daddy (2015)

- Director: Lee Friedlander
- IMDb user rating: 6.one
- Runtime: 85 minutes

Despite its express mirth-out-loud title, this teen moving picture unfolds in the vein of a soapy drama. The double daddy in question is high school playboy Connor, who impregnates two different girls around the same time. It was later followed by a stand-alone sequel called...wait for it..."Double Mommy."

8 / 50

#43. Bail of Silence (2010)

- Managing director: Peter Werner
- IMDb user rating: 6.1
- Runtime: 98 minutes

Ripped straight from the headlines, this small-town drama kicks off with an adventitious murder and the air of silence that follows. When a doubtable finally emerges, the victim'due south widow resorts to empathy in lieu of spite. The subsequent bond betwixt these two characters entails themes of compassion and forgiveness.

nine / 50

#42. Starving in Suburbia (2014)

- Director: Tara Miele
- IMDb user rating: vi.one
- Runtime: 84 minutes

Every bit the title would propose, this Lifetime drama examines the ongoing threat of anorexia among teenage girls. It centers on 17-yr-old Hannah, who takes her eating disorder to unsafe extremes. Viewers appear to be divided as to whether the movie delivers an authentic experience or actually romanticizes the very thing it's trying to demystify.

10 / l

#41. Fugitive at 17 (2012)

11 / 50

#twoscore. Flowers in the Attic (2014)

- Director: Deborah Chow
- IMDb user rating: half-dozen.ane
- Runtime: 89 minutes

Follow the 4 Dollanganger children equally they motion into Grandma's house after their begetter'due south decease. Unfortunately, Grandma (Ellen Burstyn) is a heartless psycho who locks them in the cranium. Like the best-selling novel from which it was adapted, this picture show kicked off a number of sequels.

12 / 50

#39. One-half a Dozen Babies (1999)

- Managing director: Douglas Barr
- IMDb user rating: 6.ii
- Runtime: 89 minutes

While struggling to excogitate, a married couple partakes in i terminal circular of fertility treatment. That gives fashion to Indiana's first-e'er sixtuplets and a host of new problems for both partners. It's all based on the true story of Keith and Becki Dilley.

13 / 50

#38. Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart (2016)

- Director: Vondie Curtis-Hall
- IMDb user rating: vi.2
- Runtime: 90 minutes

A nautical chart-topping vocal past rhythm and dejection creative person Toni Braxton became the title of her subsequent memoir and this movie accommodation. Following her meteoric rise to success, the singer battles with Lupus, a public divorce, and her son's autism. What emerges is a portrait of perseverance and self-healing for the sake of family.

xiv / 50

#37. Bringing Ashley Home (2011)

- Director: Nick Copus
- IMDb user rating: six.ii
- Runtime: 87 minutes

A trouble-laden teen (Jennifer Morrison) goes missing and her older sis (A.J. Cook) is determined to find her. The story unfolds over the course of years and depicts both sisters on their respective journeys. Patricia Richardson (of "Domicile Improvement") co-stars.

15 / 50

#36. Jodi Arias: Dirty Piffling Hole-and-corner (2013)

sixteen / 50

#35. Montana Heaven (2007)

- Director: Mike Robe
- IMDb user rating: vi.2
- Runtime: 96 minutes

A wealthy stock trader bequeaths his Montana farm to his three daughters, who are half-sisters and complete strangers to one another. There's just i take hold of: the daughters must live on the property together for a year earlier they tin officially own it. This Lifetime drama is 1 in a long line of Nora Roberts adaptations.

17 / 50

#34. Betty and Coretta (2013)

- Director: Yves Simoneau
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Runtime: 88 minutes

From the manager of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" comes this biographical drama with e'er-prescient themes. After the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King and Macolm 10, widows Coretta Scott King (Angela Bassett) and Dr. Betty Shabazz (Mary J. Blige) go on the fight for racial justice. Both stars were nominated for Women's Image Network Awards, with Bassett taking home the prize.

18 / 50

#33. Dear Secret Santa (2013)

- Director: Peter Sullivan
- IMDb user rating: six.3
- Runtime: 88 minutes

A busy Beverly Hills banker (Tatyana Ali) comes home for the holidays in this romantic Christmas comedy. The plot takes a twist when she starts receiving mysterious messages from a hugger-mugger admirer, who may very well be expressionless. Has her wish to find truthful dearest actually been fulfilled?

19 / 50

#32. Lies in Plain Sight (2010)

- Director: Patricia Cardoso
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Runtime: 89 minutes

After the sudden suicide of her shut cousin, a blind woman (Martha Higareda) goes looking for answers. During the investigation, she uncovers a dark past of long-buried secrets. This is a remake of the 2006 Israeli picture show "Out of Sight."

20 / 50

#31. Expecting Amish (2014)

21 / 50

#30. Lies My Mother Told Me (2005)

- Director: Christian Duguay
- IMDb user rating: 6.three
- Runtime: 87 minutes

Con artist Lauren Sims (Joely Richardson) violates her probation and skips boondocks with her daughter Haylei (Hayden Panettiere). They terminate upward in Las Vegas, where Lauren marries a wealthy attorney. The grim story that follows is loosely based on bodily events.

22 / fifty

#29. Kept Woman (2015)

- Director: Michel Poulette
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Runtime: 83 minutes

This dramatic thriller peels back the layers of bourgeoisie to find something dour and dangerous lying underneath. Upon moving into her new dwelling, a woman (Courtney Ford) quickly becomes suspicious of her kindly neighbor. Despite her instincts, she's before long lured into a twisted trap.

23 / 50

#28. The Trials of Cate McCall (2013)

- Manager: Karen Moncrieff
- IMDb user rating: 6.three
- Runtime: 89 minutes

After failing to find an audience elsewhere, this movie was picked up by Lifetime and aired in 2014. Kate Beckinsale plays disgraced lawyer Cate McCall, who takes on a pro bono entreatment to regain both her credentials and the custody of her daughter. An credible case of wrongful conviction delivers unexpected twists every bit the drama unfolds. Nick Nolte and James Cromwell also star.

24 / 50

#27. For One Nighttime (2006)

- Director: Ernest R. Dickerson
- IMDb user rating: vi.4
- Runtime: 89 minutes

A Georgia town experiences a long overdue reckoning in this Lifetime drama, loosely inspired by actual events. Fed upwards with her high school's segregated prom policy, teen Brianna McCallister (played by Raven-Symone) advocates for change. Embarrassingly enough, the story takes place in 2002.

25 / fifty

#26. Taken Dorsum: Finding Haley (2012)

- Managing director: Mark Jean
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Runtime: 85 minutes

No stranger to the premise, Lifetime released yet another missing kid moving-picture show in 2012. This time around, a mother named Karen (Moira Kelly) goes to drastic extremes in her decade-long pursuit of the truth. She finally tracks down her daughter in a schoolyard...or is information technology but someone who looks similar her daughter?

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26 / fifty

Muse Amusement Enterprises

#25. Reviving Ophelia (2010)

- Director: Bobby Roth
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Runtime: 92 minutes

Based on Mary Pipher'southward non-fiction book of the same name, this drama chronicles the trials and tribulations of two sisters and their teenage daughters. Wrapped upwards in the narrative is a taut examination of mod adolescence. Like the book before it, the motion picture argues that many teens still come of age in "a girl-poisoning culture."

27 / 50

#24. Honey at the Christmas Table (2012)

- Director: Rachel Lee Goldenberg
- IMDb user rating: vi.v
- Runtime: 89 minutes

What better fourth dimension than Christmas for ii close friends to fall in dear? Those friends are Sam and Kat and their bail goes dorsum decades, to when they used to sit at the kids' tabular array. To quote the movie's tagline, "information technology was dearest with every bite."

28 / 50

#23. Twist of Organized religion (2013)

- Manager: Paul A. Kaufman
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 85 minutes

Later witnessing the murder of his family, an Orthodox Jew wanders from big city New York to pocket-size-town Alabama. He'southward taken in by the local gospel community and their talented lead singer (Toni Braxton). Awash with organized religion-based themes, the movie is a testament to the healing power of honey.

29 / 50

#22. The Wronged Human (2010)

- Director: Tom McLoughlin
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 85 minutes

Based on a magazine article of the aforementioned name, this legal drama depicts the 22-year battle to clear an innocent man of faux rape charges. The man's name is Calvin Willis and he'south played by then-rising star Mahershala Ali. For both Willis and his pro bono paralegal (Julia Ormond), it's a life-irresolute journey from which an unbreakable friendship is forged.

30 / fifty

#21. The Pregnancy Project (2012)

- Director: Norman Buckley
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 89 minutes

Witness the truthful story of Gaby Rodriguez (played by Alexa PenaVega), who grabbed headlines in 2011 for her high school senior project. Determined to expose the stigmas surrounding teen pregnancy, Rodriguez pretended to be pregnant herself. Her experiment is the subject of both this Lifetime drama and an award-winning memoir.

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31 / 50

#twenty. Daughter, Positive (2007)

- Director: Peter Werner
- IMDb user rating: half dozen.6
- Runtime: 88 minutes

High school teen Rachel Sandler (Andrea Bowen) appears to take a perfect life and a promising future. But everything changes when she discovers that a former fling—who has since died in a car accident—was HIV positive. "90210" alum Jennie Garth co-stars as a substitute teacher who'due south been secretly grappling with the very same disease.

32 / 50

#19. Odd Girl Out (2005)

- Director: Tom McLoughlin
- IMDb user rating: six.6
- Runtime: 84 minutes

Hot on the heels of 2004'south "Mean Girls" came this similar-sounding Goggle box motion-picture show, in which a teen daughter flirts with the object of someone else'due south affection. Now in the crosshairs, she suffers relentless bullying as a outcome. The book it adjusted likewise brought the overlooked issue of female teen bullying to much wider attention.

33 / 50

#eighteen. Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story (2008)

- Director: Paul A. Kaufman
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Runtime: 89 minutes

This fact-based melodrama has all the ingredients for a formulaic Lifetime movie, including a missing child and desperate mother. What's surprising is the hostage and authentic delivery, according to one Hollywood Reporter review. Information technology's based on the shocking true story of Delimar Vera, a baby who was presumed dead in a fire only actually kidnapped.

34 / 50

#17. Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2012)

- Director: Vondie Curtis-Hall
- IMDb user rating: six.7
- Runtime: 86 minutes

Culling from another true abduction story, this drama puts a slight twist on the standard template. Instead of focusing on the mother, it centers on the kidnapped baby turned immature developed. It'southward merely at the age of 23 that Carlina White realizes the people who raised her aren't her biological parents.

35 / 50

#18. No I Would Tell (1996)

- Director: Noel Nosseck
- IMDb user rating: half dozen.seven
- Runtime: 96 minutes

Sitcom stars Fred Cruel and Candace Cameron Bure headline this fabricated-for-Tv drama, which chronicles an calumniating loftier schoolhouse relationship. What starts every bit an unlikely romance takes on deadly dimensions when the boyfriend (Savage) reveals his darker side. Lifetime updated the flick with a 2018 remake starring Shannen Doherty and Mira Sorvino.

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36 / 50

#15. Mom at Sixteen (2005)

- Manager: Peter Werner
- IMDb user rating: 6.seven
- Runtime: ninety minutes

Lifetime over again explores teenage pregnancy in this 2005 film about 16-year-old Jacey Jeffries (Danielle Panabaker). After giving birth, Jacey attends a new high schoolhouse and tries to blend in with the local populace. To hide her hush-hush, she pretends that her girl is actually her younger sister.

37 / 50

#xiv. The Memory Keeper's Girl (2008)

- Director: Mick Jackson
- IMDb user rating: 6.seven
- Runtime: 90 minutes

Ane of Lifetime's most aggressive efforts adapts a best-selling novel and stars Dermot Mulroney as Dr. David Henry. Upon discovering that one of his twin babies has Down's syndrome, David gives her away to a nurse (Emily Watson) in 1964. The following story takes identify over decades, every bit he tries to reconcile with both his abandoned girl and his selfish deed.

38 / fifty

#13. Cleveland Abduction (2015)

- Director: Alex Kalymnios
- IMDb user rating: half dozen.vii
- Runtime: 88 minutes

This merciless outing tells the true story of Michelle Knight, who was held captive by rapist Ariel Castro for over xi years. Taryn Manning plays the struggling survivor and Raymond Cruz her sadistic abductor. Variety critic Brian Lowry called it "ugly, brutal and hard to watch."

39 / 50

#12. Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story (2005)

xl / 50

#eleven. The Trip to Bountiful (2014)

- Director: Michael Wilson
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Runtime: 102 minutes

Cicely Tyson stars in "The Trip to Bountiful" equally the elderly and overprotected Carrie Watts, who makes an impromptu journey to her quondam hometown. Both this movie and a previous Oscar-winning film are based on Horton Foote'southward 1953 play of the same proper name.

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41 / 50

Alberta Film Amusement

#x. Dawn Anna (2005)

- Manager: Arliss Howard
- IMDb user rating: six.9
- Runtime: 88 minutes

Debra Winger plays real-life mother Dawn Anna Townsend in this harrowing drama. While recovering from a deadly brain disease, Dawn loses 1 of her daughters to the Columbine High School massacre. Bring tissues.

42 / fifty

#9. Living Proof (2008)

- Director: Dan Ireland
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Runtime: 125 minutes

Clocking in at over ii hours, this biographical drama follows Dr. Dennis Slamon (Harry Connick Jr.) on his quest to cure breast cancer. The existent-life Dr. Slamon hoped that the viewers took away the importance of philanthropic donations and trial volunteers. Regina King, Amanda Bynes, Tammy Blanchard, and Angie Harmon co-star.

43 / l

Braun Amusement Grouping

#8. The Gabby Douglas Story (2014)

- Managing director: Gregg Champion
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Runtime: 86 minutes

Run into Gabby Douglas (respectively played by Imani Hakim and Sydney Mikayla), the first woman of color to win gold in the women's all-round Olympic Gymnastics. This acclaimed biopic highlights the sacrifices she made when going from gifted prodigy to global champion. Information technology was nominated for iv NAACP Epitome Awards.

44 / 50

Larry Thompson Organization

#seven. Amish Grace (2010)

- Director: Gregg Champion
- IMDb user rating: 7.ane
- Runtime: 89 minutes

The school shooting epidemic found its way into a pocket-sized Amish community in 2006, resulting in the decease of five young girls. Rather than demonstrate hatred, the customs showed compassion and forgiveness instead. This is their story.

45 / 50

#half dozen. Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003)

- Director: Peter Levin
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Runtime: 104 minutes

Based on the real-life exploits of its title character, this inspiring biopic follows Liz Murray (Thora Birch) as she flees from an abusive home and lives on the streets. After losing her mother to AIDS, Murray turns her life around for good. Not only does she complete high school, but she ends up getting into i of the state's near prestigious universities.

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46 / 50

#v. Speak (2004)

- Managing director: Jessica Sharzer
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Runtime: 89 minutes

A pre-"Twilight" Kristen Stewart stars aslope Elizabeth Perkins in this award-winning drama. Based on a acknowledged YA novel, information technology follows a mute teenager (Stewart) as she comes of age in the wake of a traumatic consequence. Information technology premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before arriving on the Lifetime Network.

47 / 50

Craig Anderson Productions

#4. For the Love of a Child (2006)

- Director: Douglas Barr
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Runtime: eighty minutes

This historical drama tracks the creation of Childhelp United states, a existent-life charity that helps victims of child corruption. Through a series of flashbacks, information technology tells the story of two earth-travelling entertainers turned non-profit pioneers. Also depicted is the journey of Jacob Fletcher, who comes to the organization seeking help as a young male child.

48 / 50

#iii. Miracle Run (2004)

- Director: Gregg Champion
- IMDb user rating: 7.iv
- Runtime: 120 minutes

This Emmy-nominated drama finds a single mother (Mary-Louise Parker) struggling to raise two autistic twins. Her personal ordeal provides a broader examination of the stigmas surrounding autism. Zac Efron stars as twin Stephen Morgan, representing ane of his earliest screen roles.

49 / 50

Braun Amusement Group

#ii. A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story (2006)

50 / 50

#1. Gracie's Choice (2004)

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