Peterson movie: It's not 'Perfect'

Made-for-TV movies never have been known for their tact. Crime capers ripped from the headlines and tear-jerkers about women done wrong are pretty much the bread and butter of this genre. Laci Peterson's story has both.

But watching the USA Network movie "The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story," one can't help but think, why?

Why rehash what we already know? Why leave so many questions unanswered? Why make a film about a case in which we haven't heard the opening statements in the trial?

In a story so thoroughly, exhaustively, unendingly covered by every news outlet in America, Hollywood is left with little to exploit. Seems truth beat fiction to the punch.

Just about the only thing filmmakers can do is get there first. In its rush to beat the pack, USA has done the seemingly impossible. It has made a movie that has no ending -- and the ethics of this are dubious at best.

"The Perfect Husband" spans the period from Christmas Eve 2002 -- the day the pregnant Laci Peterson was reported missing -- to April 18, 2003 -- the day Scott Peterson was arrested.

Title off the mark

For starters, the title is misleading. "The Perfect Husband" correctly conveys its focus on Scott Peterson. But the subtitle "The Laci Peterson Story" would suggest that she plays a large role. She does not.

Save for the once-ubiquitous missing posters and a few photographs, Laci Peterson never appears.

As the movie opens, police, family and friends swarm around the Peterson home. A seemingly bewildered Scott Peterson (Dean Cain of "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman") tells investigators, "Our marriage is perfect."

As is predestined in movies, those who brag about their blissful marital situations are headed for heartache, prison or both.

A chilling portrayal

The former Man of Steel is an interesting choice to play a man on trial for the alleged murder of his wife and unborn child. As Peterson, he mixes casual charm with creepy detachment. In several scenes, especially the "Good Morning America" interview, his dead-on portrayal is chilling.

The movie relies heavily on TV reports and press conferences to move the plot forward. And let's face it, not much entertainment value can be wrung from the re-enactment of a press conference. Composite characters fill in the rest and provide the most dramatic storylines.

Tommy and Kate Vignatti (David Denman and Sarah Brown), the made-up best friends of Scott and Laci Peterson, are at the heart of the movie. Their journey from support to skepticism and finally disgust mirrors the tide of public opinion.

The real-life turning points -- the New Year's Eve vigil; the emergence of Amber Frey, Scott Peterson's girlfriend; the sale of Laci Peterson's Land Rover; Scott Peterson's trip to Mexico; the discovery of the bodies along the shore of San Francisco Bay -- lead to his arrest near San Diego.

Modesto in name only

Modesto-area viewers will recognize little of the Central Valley. The first few minutes show a police helicopter spotlighting the Modesto arch, the McHenry Museum, Brenden Theatre and the old Southern Pacific train station. For the rest of the movie, sound stages and San Diego sites stand in for Modesto.

Scott and Laci's families have limited screen time, too. But their pain and anger come through, particularly in Dee Wallace Stone's portrayal of Sharon Rocha, Laci Peterson's mother. While none of the actors did any of the scenes in Modesto, Stone visited the city in September as part of a film festival.