Good actors, well filmed and holds your interest for the whole movie. The reason for the 5 is the script needed more tweaking and the story is lacking a lot of depth.

Spoiler alert: the psycho realtor who seems to teach (income) and sell houses (income), even offering her "assistant" Shelby the commission of 12k despite the fact she lives next to her office, struggles to pay rent and the assistant is just newly qualified (unbelievable). Where does she shower? Why is living in an office? Why can't she afford the rent despite having successful sales and a job? You don't see her using drugs or gambling so it's just unanswered.

So Shelby randomly opens the door for a room next to the office, discovers the realtor is living there. When a complaint is made against Shelby, Shelby reports that the realtor is living in the office and then backstabs her to take millions from the woman by stealing her 'deal'. Bc living in a windowless room isn't punishment enough. Shelby thinks she's amazing with all 2 mins of experience, completely unaware as to why she "backstabbed" the realtor even though the buyer confirms that she did backstab. However the deal itself is too vague. The whole deal is based on Shelby having a better idea for the property but is she developing the entire land? Or just selling the property on behalf of someone else. The idea one real estate agent is some how a developer and the buyer is investing in one single agent is just not realistic. But if you ignore the unrealistic elements then it's quite a good film.

BACKSTABBED (TV Movie 2016)

BASIC PLOT: Shelby (Brittany Underwood) and Grant Wilson (Micah Alberti) have been struggling financially. They both have student loans, but Grant can't seem to get anything but temp work, and Shelby is still working on her real estate license. After hearing a talk by a real estate broker, Paulette Bolton (Josie Davis), Shelby offers her services as an unpaid intern. She soon realizes Paulette doesn't always play fair, and sometimes crosses the line into illegality. Grant is against Shelby working with Paulette any further, but Paulette's not the type to take no for an answer. Can the Wilson's untangle themselves from Paulette's web, in time to save their future?

WHAT WORKS: *This is a perfect melodrama! Over the top characters and motivations, with a good vs evil plot, what more could you ask for?

*Kevin Spirtas as Max Rhymer, the sleezy investor, is played to perfection! His Scotch drinking, hipster clothing and bad come-on's are spot on for the type of tool he is portraying. Even his choice of hot-tubbing, for the "business meeting," is right.

*Finally a decent trailer, with no silly voiceover!

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *I know this is a melodrama, which means there are lots of stereotypes, but this husband is too goody-goody. People who are hurting, even good people, don't tend to stick to their principals this much. Grant's (Micah Alberti) moral outrage over the cheating, just doesn't play. He might be worried she'd get caught, but not that she passed. He'd be relieved Shelby got her license, and could bring in a paycheck. Grant's been the sole breadwinner, and he's working as a temp receptionist. He'd be mollified she's employable, not that she cheated, especially since she didn't know ahead of time.

*The setup of the bar scene, with the high class hooker Charlotte (Amanda Musso) is terrible! She's a beautiful woman, but they way it's shot, makes her look like she has a double chin, and hawk nose. This is a prime example of bad blocking. Eric Anderson, the cinematographer, and Doug Campbell, the director, should be ashamed of what they did to that poor girl.

*Why, if you're Grant, would you not record the conversation with the hooker, as she confesses? In world of ubiquitous cell phones, this plot device IS NO LONGER VIABLE! Bryan Dick and Raul Inglis, who wrote this, should know everybody records everything! You guys put a cell phone in his hand, but we are supposed to believe Grant wouldn't record the confession that would save his marriage? Really?

*The cover art could use some work, it's not the worst, but definitely not the best either.

*What is with Josie Davis's walk? I've noticed this before on other movies, it's like she stomping everywhere she goes.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *If you like made-for-tv melodramas, you'll like this. It's a fun ride, sit back, make the popcorn, and enjoy the hilarity! NOT TOO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a Made-For-TV movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.

From start to finish, "Backstabbed" is eminently watchable "high camp" due to the over-the-top characterization of Paulette, the sleazy realtor who is always looking for an angle.

The film's most interesting relationship is the ongoing connection of Paulette to Shelby, an apprentice realtor who volunteers to work for Paulette gratis in order to learn the business. Paulette's mentoring is to show Shelby the tricks of the trade that involve every conceivable unethical practice to close a deal.

The best scene in the film is when Paulette opens the door to a service room next to her realtor's office. It turns out that she is living in that broom closest because she is broke, in debt to elements of organized crime, and has committed murder to keep herself afloat. That is the situation that little Shelby finds herself in as she begins her career in real estate!

The cast of characters is rounded out with a sleazy investor who becomes obsessed with Paulette's young apprentice, a feckless husband who finds it difficult to hold down a job as a receptionist in an insurance office, a thug who has been scammed by Paulette for $17,000 and seeks revenge, and a hooker paid for by Paulette in order to administer a knock-out drug to Shelby's husband and take compromising photos.

This film should be watched in conjunction with "Chinatown" that portrays the same kind of real estate fraud that occupied schemers in the 1920s during the Los Angeles water wars. Paulette would have fit in perfectly to the world of "Chinatown."