A Recipe for Seduction
A Recipe for Seduction is an original Lifetime mini-movie sponsored by KFC, starring Mario Lopez as Colonel Sanders.[2] The movie premiered on December 13, 2020.[1] It tells the story of a young heiress who struggles to choose between a wealthy suitor chosen by her mother, and the new house chef Harland Sanders.
A Recipe for Seduction | |
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Written by | Eric Eckelman Armand Prisco Natalie Prisco |
Directed by | Eric Eckelman Armand Prisco Natalie Prisco |
Starring | Mario Lopez Justene Alpert Tessa Munro Chad Doreck |
Composer | Jay Lifton |
Country of origin | United States |
Production | |
Producer | Josh Rothfeld |
Cinematography | Don Davis |
Editor | Angela Cheng |
Running time | 15 minutes[1] |
Production companies | JEAN Kentucky Fried Chicken |
Release | |
Original network | Lifetime |
Original release |
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Plot
At a dinner party featuring fried chicken at the lavish Mancera house, Billy Garibaldi III (Chad Doreck) proposes to Jessica Mancera (Justene Alpert). She is taken aback and turns him down, angering her mother Bunny (Tessa Munro).
The next day, Bunny confronts Jessica, explaining that her marrying Billy is the only way to solve the family's financial woes. They are interrupted by their new live-in chef, a fictionalized Harland Sanders (Mario Lopez). Harland and Jessica are immediately smitten with each other. Jessica later offers Harland a tour of the grounds, and they quickly share their life stories. Harland mentions a secret recipe that he envisions changing the world, when an angry Billy interrupts and makes a thinly veiled threat towards Jessica.
Later, Jessica's friend Lee (Martin Morrow) prepares for a date at a country club. While Jessica is showering, Bunny takes Jessica's phone, and posing as Jessica, tells Billy to meet at the same country club by coincidence. When they meet, Bunny tells Billy about Harland's secret recipe. Billy scoffs, and then it is revealed that Bunny and Billy had an affair and that they still have feelings for one another. Lee sees the two meeting and tells Jessica to call her right away, but she does not have her phone with her.
Later at the house, Billy searches furiously for Harland's secret recipe in the kitchen, finding it when Harland walks in. Billy then offers Harland a $500,000 check to leave town and cut off contact with Jessica. Harland refuses, and then Billy reveals that he knows of the secret recipe, and lies that Jessica has agreed to marry him.
In another part of the house, Lee, looking for Jessica, confronts Bunny about her meeting with Billy. Before Lee can reach Jessica, Bunny knocks him out with a broom.
Elsewhere, Harland talks to Jessica, upset that she supposedly chose to marry Billy and also that she revealed the existence of the secret recipe. He gives her Billy's check and wishes her the best. Jessica tells Harland that she never agreed to marry and confesses her love for him and not Billy, and they kiss. Bunny sees them through a window, telling Billy over the phone that they have "a problem."
The next day, Jessica confesses her love for Harland to Bunny, who tells her that Harland left in the middle of the night. Jessica finds his belongings have disappeared. While walking forlornly around the grounds, Jessica hears muffled screaming coming from a storage room. Inside she finds Harland, gagged and tied to a chair. As she approaches, Billy steps out of the shadows brandishing a knife, saying he is trying to get rid of Harland. Bunny rushes in, but to Jessica's horror, she reveals she is a part of the scheme and tells Billy to kill Harland at once. Harland headbutts Billy, and while Jessica and Bunny look on in shock, Lee, who has been hiding in the room, knocks Billy out. Bunny is consumed with rage and tries to attack Harland, but she is pushed aside and knocked out by Jessica.
One year later, Jessica and Harland are being wed with Lee officiating. Meanwhile, Bunny appears to be confined to a "health and wellness center". She is told she has a visitor by a worker. It is Billy, who says he has found "them", He then eats a piece of fried chicken.
Cast
- Mario Lopez as Harland Sanders
- Justene Alpert as Jessica Mancera
- Tessa Munro as Bunny Mancera
- Chad Doreck as Billy Garibaldi III
- Martin Morrow as Lee
- Emily Lemos as Nurse
Production
The film was conceptualized in 2018. It was filmed in October 2020. Filming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
The trailer was released on December 7, 2020. The film is Lifetime's first custom branded content production.[4]
Reception
Alexandra Del Rosario of Deadline said that the film had "an unusual casting for an even odder title."[5]
Christine D'Zurilla of the Los Angeles Times gave the movie a more favorable review, calling it "a tongue-in-cheek take on the Lifetime romance movie genre" and a movie "aimed at women who love men who love chicken".[6]
References
- Curtis, Charles (December 7, 2020). "Mario Lopez's bizarre Colonel Sanders Lifetime movie, explained". USA Today. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- Lynch, Jason (December 7, 2020). "Mario Lopez Is Colonel Sanders in 'A Recipe for Seduction'". AdWeek. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- Rosen, Christopher (December 7, 2020). "KFC's New Commercial Is A Lifetime Movie with Mario Lopez as Col. Sanders". Vanity Fair.
- Dawn, Randee (December 7, 2020). "Mario Lopez stars as Colonel Sanders in steamy Lifetime mini-movie". Today.
- del Rosario, Alexandra (December 7, 2020). "Mario Lopez Stirs Up 'A Recipe For Seduction' As KFC's Colonel Sanders In New Lifetime Mini-Movie". Deadline Hollywood.
- D'Zurilla, Christie (December 7, 2020). "Recipe for disaster? Mario Lopez is KFC's Colonel Sanders in new Lifetime mini-movie". Los Angeles Times.
External links
- A Recipe for Seduction at IMDb
- A Recipe for Seduction at Rotten Tomatoes
- A Recipe for Seduction on YouTube (full movie)