Buckle up for a thrilling ride based on a real-life scandal! Lifetime presents another captivating short film, “Bad Romance: The Vicky White Story.” This movie delves into the infamous story of a corrections officer and a convict caught in a web of love and escape. While real-life events have dominated news cycles, this film offers a fresh perspective. Lifetime stays true to its form with a tight plot and a talented cast. Wendi McLendon-Covey delivers a spot-on performance as Vicky, while Rossif Sutherland portrays Casey White with equal brilliance.
“Bad Romance” is a must-watch for true crime aficionados. While the action-packed climax could have benefited from a bit more realism, the overall film is a top-notch production from Lifetime this year.
Spoilers Ahead
Bad Romance: The Vicky White Story (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film starts with Vicky living a very boring life. She follows almost the same routine each day for a long time now. She is in the police department, indulges with her colleagues in the most uninteresting conversations, and guards the convicts who are already quite frustrated because of the four walls and nothing else. Then she comes back to her parent’s house and takes care of them. She goes back to her house, feeds her dog, and waits for the same day to begin again until she sleeps. Amidst this situation, one day, Vicky meets with a convict named Casey, who seems a bit flirtatious to her from the beginning.
During her long tenure, Vicky has handled persons like Casey so much that she is quite acquainted with how they behave. However, as time progresses, something feels different to her. She feels like, finally, someone really observes her presence. One of these days of friendly chats and casual flirting, Casey tells Vicky that she is a very good person. This right here, strikes Vicky as something that transcends the barriers of whatever is going on in between them as she realizes that Casey is in love with her. The romance starts flowing as they both start enjoying each other’s company.
What Event Leads to Casey and Vicky’s Separation?
One day, while everything is going on quite smoothly, Casey holds a knife to a guard and tries to escape prison. However, soon, Casey is outnumbered by the other guards and kept inside a cell. Vicky comes, and before she transfers Casey to the penitentiary, Casey confesses that he will miss not being around Vicky. This makes Vicky feel empathetic toward him as she starts writing letters to Casey, sending even her pictures inside them.
They start talking on the phone. That talk turns out to be quite romantic sometimes. They even take things too far, which is really not appropriate under the circumstances they are in. But, all in all, if not Casey, Vicky at least is living the best time in her whole life because she feels complete, finally. She feels that she is valued by someone. Vicky starts planning how to get Casey out of jail legally.
How does Casey Plan to Stay Close to Vicky?
Vicky knows that Casey’s parole is denied, and if they do not come up with an idea, Casey will end up serving 75 years of jail time. Casey is already faced with an attack inside the jail, so Vicky wants him removed from the prison as soon as possible. But, since the parole is rejected, there is no hope left for that to happen until Casey comes up with the idea of admitting the guilt of his crime.
Once he writes the letter admitting the stabbing and killing of Karen Lewiston, he is sent to the previous jail where Vicky works. But, now, since he has admitted to his crimes, all his hopes of getting out before serving the whole sentence seem to have been lost forever. Right now, the most important thing to Casey is to spend more time with Vicky because he is madly in love with her because no one has ever been more kind to him.
Why Does Vicky Decide to Run Away?
Now, understand the situation Vicky is in. She is divorced and almost 56 years old. Her father is struggling to remember anything as he is suffering from multiple diseases, thanks to all the drugs he has done in the past. Her mother is picking up random strangers just to get her married. When she once asked her father whether he would do drugs again and waste his life one more time, he replied that it would not be a waste to him because he would have had a great time anyway, unlike Vicky. So, Vicky understands that she doesn’t really have anyone to take care of her. Even when she goes to a pub, even if a man looks at her, she does not end up getting what she requires.
Meanwhile, she meets with Casey, who talks tenderly to her and shows that there is a slight hint of love in the way he talks to her. Vicky has pushed herself into her darkest corner for her whole life. Now, a man convicted of murder charges comes and greets her with warmth. A feeling perhaps can only be felt by a lonely person who has craved love for so long and denied every opportunity to get it. As an audience, we should not be morally policing a character because a character adopts a particular psyche that is beyond anyone else’s understanding. That is why the situation is very important here to understand what makes Vicky take the decision to run away with Casey. Vicky decides to follow her dead father’s last conversation as she decides to have a great time…with Casey.
Bad Romance: The Vicky White Story (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Why Did Vicky Throw Everything Away to Escape with Casey?
Knowing that Casey has already admitted to a crime he still says he has not committed, it is his urge to be around Vicky that forces him to admit it. Vicky decides no matter what, she will escape her fate with Casey. At first, she sees a faraway store where she can buy an old used car so that no one can track her down that easily. She knows that she cannot outrun the CCTV cameras. All she needs to do is buy themselves as much time as they want to get past the border.
Later, she submits her resignation, which initially surprises her superior because she only has a few days to retire, and resignation can mean the loss of her savings throughout her entire career. But, seeing her determination, the superior approves that. Moreover, Vicky has been a great colleague to everyone, as they remember and celebrate her birthdays together inside the department. After that, Vicky sells her house for more than 90,000 dollars, which is not supported by her mother.
How Did Vicky White Pull Off the Shocking Prison Break?
When Vicky feels like she is economically equipped, she even buys a couple of guns as well, just in case. No one knows what she is up to, not even Casey as when the day finally arrives, it is his turn to get surprised. Vicky comes to the department and asks one of her colleagues, Gus, that she is asked to get Casey to the courthouse for a psychic evaluation. Gus tells her that he needs to sign Casey out because since he has already tried to escape, at least two guards are needed to accompany her to the courtroom with him.
Vicky tells Gus that she has the orders straight from the Director. Moreover, every other guard is busy with their work. To make it more convincing, she finally tells Gus that she is not feeling well, so she will quickly drop Casey off at the courthouse and visit Urgent Care in the meantime. Gus has known Vicky for a very long time, so there is no reason for him to be cautious about her or suspect anything. He lets Vicky take Casey with her.
When Casey sees Vicky, he acts all frustrated with her. But somehow, Vicky manages to make him enter the police vehicle. When they get to the location where the new car is parked, Vicky tells Casey that she just helped him escape prison. They kiss intensely before entering the new car, which is recorded by the CCTV camera nearby. However, by the time the police learn about this, they are already gone.
Did Vicky and Casey Make it to Canada?
With time, it becomes very hard for Vicky to control Casey, but somehow, she manages to cope with the situation. They plan to cross the border and enter Canada to start their new life together. Vicky has planned to change the color of the vehicle she has bought to escape, but Casey tells her to change cars instead so that the police cannot catch them.
However, this plan backfires on them, as the police come close to catching them through CCTV footage and investigation. However, the media coverage starts giving Vicky the upper hand, so finally, the police decide not to give away too much information. Vicky becomes a bit confident with her plan. She decides to stay in a motel where their car is parked outside. The police already have the details of the last car they bought, and they finally find the car.
The following morning, when Vicky finally decides to go to Canada, the police chase them. Casey drives the car as fast as he can. Suddenly, a car crashes against theirs. In a dream sequence, Vicky sees themselves entering Canada, spending time beside a lake, knowing that they have successfully escaped from the police. However, in reality, their car crashes as Casey is being taken by the police.
At the end of the film, we hear a gunshot, which later was confirmed by the police that Vicky had shot herself right at that moment. Casey has already proposed to Vicky to marry him, and since he has given her a ring, they are kinda married together. Casey is sentenced to the maximum prison time, and he expresses his grief to Vicky’s mother, letting her know that the only thing Vicky ever regretted was to leave her family behind.
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