Family Sins (2004) WebRip.mp4

Filmed in Calgary by Sony Pictures Television. Executive producers, Susan Levitan, Bettina Viviano, Ricka Fisher; producer, Peter Lhotka; director, Graeme Clifford; writer, Donald Martin;

For those who want a little Stockholm Syndrome with their "Flowers in the Attic," CBS offers Sunday night movie "Family Sins." Based on the true story of Frances Burt, a Rhode Island woman whose cruelty to her foster children knew no bounds, the made-for details the most appalling abuse imaginable: beatings with electrical cords, forcing kids to shoplift and then hitting them when they get caught, withholding food for minor infractions. Though it's only a skin-deep treatment of the subject -- those interested in a Ph.D-level exploration of deviant psychology need not apply -- salacious nature of the plot will keep auds hooked.

Burt is fictionalized as Brenda Geck, a New Hampshire housewife whose generous, church-going, upright-citizen demeanor belies a role as the head, more or less, of her own crime family.

Played by a blowsy Kirstie Alley, Geck's vile nature is inherent in both broad strokes and little details. It sounds hopelessly over the top, but Alley gives a touch of dark humor to the proceedings to make it bearable. After maliciously being teased by Geck for being fat, foster daughter Marie (Deanna Milligan) reveals she's pregnant. Alley's shrill sneer as she wonders if the rapist was either her husband or her son sets the tone for the rest of the movie.