Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell are way outside their comfort zones in the trailer for the new Lifetime movie "A Deadly Adoption," their surprise project set to air June 20. But is it for real?
When word of the film first broke on April 1, many thought it was a joke or that Ferrell and Wiig were making a
Lifetime movie spoof, according to The Wall Street Journal. But the trailer indicates the movie may actually be the drama the network says it is.
"You could have had everything," a voiceover says in the clip as a truck comes speeding toward Ferrell standing on a bridge. "You could have had a happy life together."
"Inspired by a true story, 'A Deadly Adoption' is a high-stakes dramatic thriller about a successful couple (Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig) who house and care for a pregnant woman (Jessica Lowndes) during the final months of her pregnancy with the hope of adopting her
unborn child," reads a caption on Lifetime's YouTube channel.
The 20-second teaser trailer has been viewed nearly a half-million times since it was posted Thursday.
Some, though, still aren’t convinced it's a serious film.
"Whether it's intended to be a spoof of Lifetime movies or a real thing, remains to be seen," WSJ noted.
Cindy Clark, of USA Today, expressed her doubts about the drama aspect with tongue-in-cheek comments she made on her "Entertain This" blog this week.
"'A Deadly Adoption' (so Lifetime, right??) is inspired by a true story (of course it is!) and is a dramatic thriller (what else would it be??) starring Ferrell and Wiig as a successful couple who take in and care for a pregnant woman ('90210's' Jessica Lowndes) during the final months of her pregnancy with the hopes of adopting her unborn child," Clark wrote.
People magazine's Tom Gliatto said the giveaway comes at the end of the trailer when Ferrell makes an unusual comment to costar Lowndes.
"The clearest indication that the whole thing is a deadpan sendup — apart from the cast, the producers . . . comes at the very end, when Ferrell gives a complacent little laugh," Gliatto wrote. "That's exactly how Ron Burgundy might react just before the world collapses once again on his vain, fat, hair-sprayed head."
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