‘Love at First Lie’ is the new Lifetime drama film directed by Amy Barrett. The film is written by Adam Rockoff, Jeffrey Schenck, and Pete Sullivan. It stars Lexie Stevenson, Greg Kriek, Jon Bridell, Katelin Chesna, Alicia S Mason, Skye Coyne, Eugenia Tempesta, Talia Asseraf, and Jessi Laday.
It tells the story of Kate, who decides to find a perfect match online. She stumbles upon Walker’s profile and decides to meet Walker, a wealthy art dealer. While the romance begins on a sweet note, it soon takes a swift turn. Let’s find out what happens in the film and what its ending means.
*Spoilers Ahead*
Love at First Lie (2023) Movie Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis
‘Love at First Lie’ begins with a chaotic incident. Eliza (Skye Coyne) enters a house worried about whether someone followed her on the way. She speaks with Walker (Greg Kriek) on the phone, who asks her about it. He sends the photo of a bodyguard with a wound on his head. Walker says he needs to take care of this man. While he must go into hiding, he assures they will marry soon. She takes out the cash from her bag and feels relieved.
Then, we meet Kate Burns (Lexie Stevenson) at her office. She looks at Walker’s profile on a dating app and checks his social media account. She sees that he travels to many places and gets mighty impressed. So, she swipes right on his profile. Her colleague, Vivian (Katelin Chesna), notices her spending time on this app. She walks up to Kate and asks her about the pending work. Kate shares details about Walker, her new love interest.
Vivian gets concerned since Kate recently had broken up with someone named Frank. When Kate tries to convince her with all of Walker’s impressive details, she finds it too good to be true. So, she tries to join Kate when she meets Walker to ensure her safety. Eventually, she agrees not to get in between Kate finding happiness.
Later on, Kate goes on her date with Walker and notices him with another woman. He mentions that it is his ex-girlfriend and there is nothing romantic between them. Kate decides not to let that be an issue. Once they start talking, Walker shares that he is an art dealer for some wealthy individuals. She reveals that she is a real estate agent. He manages to charm her by ordering an expensive bottle of champagne. She trusts him and reveals some personal details.
In the following days, Walker starts showering her with gifts. One of them reaches Kate’s office, and Vivian finds Walker’s approach worrisome. Still, Kate assures that there is nothing to be worried about. She later receives a call from Walker, who says he will be out of town for two weeks. She hopes to see him once he returns. During that time, they keep communicating through text messages. She gets more and more interested in being with him.
Eventually, Walker comes back and meets her at her home. They go out and keep talking about their pasts. They also speak about the kind of dogs they once had. That’s how close they get in such a short period of time. He asks her to be his girlfriend, and she accepts. Meanwhile, despite Vivian’s apprehension, Kate continues to trust Walker.
One day, Walker calls Kate and asks her to pick him up with the coordinates he shares. While she finds that request strange, she still goes to meet him. He gets in with a hoodie on to hide his identity. They go to a hotel room, where he reveals that some people are onto him. He gives her a painting to keep it safe, saying that it is an expensive piece of art. His client wants no one to know he has that painting. She asks him to go to the cops about the life threat. But he says he needs to work off the grid. She chooses to trust him.
Later at night, Kate takes off the painting’s cover to see it. Soon after, Vivian joins the couple for dinner. Vivian has doubts about the source of Walker’s money. Kate says they won’t know the art trade since they work in real estate. Vivian cross-checks him, and he answers her queries. After the dinner, he gives his credit card for the payment. But it gets declined. So he pays by cash, which seems like another red flag to Vivian.
Back home, Walker asks Kate to lend her a credit card for a while until he gets his issues sorted out. He gives her a lot of cash in exchange for assurance. She gives him the card. The next day at the office, Vivian speaks with Kate. She believes Kate keeps making excuses despite Walker’s dubious behavior and actions. Still, Kate continues to believe in Walker’s claims. Suddenly one day, he shows up at her doorstep with a swelling on his face. He says it happened because of the guys trying to get that painting.
While Kate goes out to a nearby store, Walker stays at her place and takes photos of her personal documents. He goes through her stuff to find more and more details about her. Once she returns home, he says he can stay at a hotel. She tells him to stay at her place. Then, she asks him about the gallery he spoke about before. He agrees that it doesn’t exist. She trusts his explanation and goes out of her way to help with his credit card limit.
The next morning, Walker says he suddenly needs to leave the country. He asks her for $20,000 and promises to return it back. She decides to get him the amount from her funds but starts getting worried about his intentions. Later at the office, she stumbles upon a profile of Eliza Porter (Skye Coyne), whom Walker had mentioned as his ex-girlfriend. She looks at the café name on one of Eliza’s photos and decides to go find her there.
Upon meeting, Kate asks Eliza for the details about Walker. Eliza starts praising Walker and says Kate should consider herself lucky for having him. Back at home, police officer Carmen (Alicia S Mason) arrives at her doorstep. She informs Kate that her credit card status is over the limit. She also shows a photo of Walker using her card, who mentioned himself as her fiancée.
Carmen also says that Walker’s real name is Steven Khamel. She says Steven has been doing this – conning women out of their savings, racking up debt, and disappearing for a while. So, Kate starts doubting Walker even more. Once Kate mentions the painting he gave her, Carmen tears it apart to reveal that it is a cheap poster from a gift shop. She asks Kate to help him catch Steven without letting him know she is onto him.
Eventually, Kate realizes Walker tried to transfer loads of amount from her savings account. He managed to do that because she was too open about her personal details with him. The bank recognizes the spam and does not let it happen. The bank manager suggests she contact the police.
Later, Kate meets Carmen, who reveals how Steven’s past victims did not cooperate with him because they felt too embarrassed to accept that they had been conned. She suggests Kate attack his pride. So, Kate speaks with him in an interview, and he sees the broadcast. Kate ends it by saying that Steven Khamel needs to be stopped. For some reason, this podcast gets a video version, which Steven watches from his place. Back home, Kate notices a voice message from Steven. He threatens her life for ruining his reputation.
Love at First Lie (2023) Movie Ending, Explained:
What happens to Kate in the end?
After Kate’s interview episode, Steven keeps an eye on her from outside her house. Later, Eliza shows up at her house, crying. She says Steven did the same thing to her. But instead of going to the cops, she threatens what the criminals might do to her. Kate starts getting suspicious about Eliza’s intentions. How did she even get her address? One thing leads to another, and Eliza takes out a knife to threaten Kate’s life. She still believes that Steven loves her.
The two start fighting, which ends with Kate attacking Eliza with something. Soon after, Carmen advises Kate not to let unknowns enter her house. Vivian offers her a place to stay for the time being. But Kate decides to stay at hers. Carmen keeps a vigil throughout the night outside Kate’s house. She notices a movement and starts walking in that direction. Steven reaches up to her and attacks her.
Do the police manage to arrest Steven / Walker?
The next morning, Steven takes Kate hostage at her house. He warns her to go along with his demands. He keeps asking her for the password for her phone. But she refuses to cooperate with him. She offers to help him in the scam by changing their appearances. That’s how she slowly starts getting him to trust her.
Around that time, Vivian soon arrives outside her house and finds Carmen tied up. By the time they could reach Kate, she manages to save herself after a brutal fight with Steven. While Kate manages to save her own life for the time being, Steven goes on to con another woman.
