Ellen Clark lives in a comfortable relationship with her husband Paul and her daughter Kelsey from a previous marriage. The only problem is that Paul is on the road frequently as a salesman. But, as Ellen is to discover, what Paul is selling is primarily himself!
Through some careful research on the part of the quick-thinking Ellen, she discovers that Paul has been leading a double life with a second family. Paul is a man who believes in “order.” He also firmly believes in the notion of “family” and is convinced that “men have needs” different from women.
When Ellen visits the other home, she is able to photograph Paul and Grace in an act of fornication. The major conflict is how Ellen can dump the bigamist, and it proves to be a formidable task, even with a kind detective who appears to be on call at all hours to attend to Ellen’s dilemma.
An inherent problem with the film was that the daughter looked much older than her mother! The film audience was in a state of double-take when Kelsey would say, “Mommy,” because she looked and acted more mature than her mom! When Ellen compliments Kelsey that she is “wise beyond her years,” that was as great an understatement as asserting that Paul belongs in a nut house.
Still, the characters were well-developed and the performances on point. The actress playing Ellen was adorable even if it stretched credibility that she had raised an eighteen-year-old. Perhaps there will be a “director’s cut” version of the film in which the mother and daughter switch roles! ?
