Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Doing Time on Maple Drive is a 1992 TV drama about an upper middle class family and their hidden dysfunction.
When Matt (William McNamara) brings his fiancée, Allison (Lori Loughlin), home to meet his family for a weekend, truths about them slowly come to light. The visit begins with a dinner in which one of Matt’s best friends, Kyle (Bennett Cale), comes up in conversation. It seems nobody knows why Kyle wasn’t invited to the bachelor party, and Matt seems uncomfortable talking about him. Luckily the conversation ends when their mother, Lisa (Bibi Besch), asks Matt to run out for some ice cream.
The next day, while the family plays tennis, Matt’s brother-in-law, Tom (Bodhi Elfman) takes pictures of the match while Allison watches. As he takes photographs, Tom gives Allison the rundown on the family dynamics. Tim (Jim Carrey) is an alcoholic; Phil (James Sikking), the father, is demanding and overbearing; Karen (Jayne Brook) had a promising literary career until she married Tom, which is why Phil dislikes him; and Matt seems to be the perfect son.
But Matt is hiding a secret, one that would tear his perfect world apart. Kyle wasn’t just a friend; he was his homosexual lover.
Some Thoughts:
Doing Time on Maple Drive is a made for TV movie with all the ear markings of one: the cinematography is lackluster, the script is uninventive, and the acting could be better. However, the plot moves along and is never dull and it has more drama than a soap opera.
The story never feels contrived or false, and not all of the acting is awful. Sikking, Besch, and Carrey give decent performances that seem even better against a cast of television talent.
The pivotal scene where Alison discovers that Kyle was Matt’s lover would have been better if McNamara’s acting wasn’t so bad. Luckily there’s more drama to come and the rest of the cast knows how to handle it.
This was my second viewing, the first was when it was on TV, and it has aged well. In fact, I would see it again.
The Final Verdict:
Doing Time on Maple Drive is a made for TV movie that makes up for its shortcomings with a healthy dose of drama.
