The Client List

For the television series based on the film, see The Client List (TV series).
The Client List

Promotional poster
Written by Suzanne Martin
Directed by Eric Laneuville
Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt
Cybill Shepherd
Teddy Sears
Lynda Boyd
Chelah Horsdal
Sonja Bennett
Theme music composer Richard Marvin
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Producer(s) Ted Bauman
Howard Braunstein
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Michael Jaffe
Dannielle Thomas
Editor(s) Lisa Robison
Running time 97 minutes
Release
Original network Lifetime Network
Original release July 19, 2010 (2010-07-19)

The Client List is a 2010 television film that premiered on the Lifetime Network on July 19, 2010, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and directed by Eric Laneuville. A fictionalized dramatization of a 2004 prostitution scandal[1][2] in Odessa, Texas, the film follows Sam Horton, a mother of three who becomes a prostitute to meet her financial obligations.[3]

Plot

Samantha Horton (Jennifer Love Hewitt) - a former Texas beauty queen and mother of three kids - struggles with financial difficulties and the threat of foreclosure on her home, after she loses her job and her former Texas football star husband loses his construction job due to a nagging knee injury. Sam desperately starts looking for a job and when she applies for one at a massage parlor, she discovers the masseuses who work there are actually prostitutes serving prominent members of society.

At first, Sam refuses the job offer, but after one night when she is unable to pay for gas, she realizes how badly her family needs money. Seeing that she has no other options left, Sam reluctantly accepts the position. Lying to her mother (Cybill Shepherd) and her friends about the real nature of her job, Sam starts bringing in a lot of money and hiding it in her freezer. In addition to the abundant money, Sam soon becomes the most popular masseuse among the clients. Due to the stress of her job, Samantha starts sniffing cocaine as a means to keep up with her busy schedule.

The police raid the massage parlour after a tip off. Her husband leaves her after he sees the bust on TV. Sam gets help from a lawyer friend. She is tried and gets 30 days in jail on a plea bargain after spilling a list of 69 prominent clients in the small town. After being in jail for four weeks, Sam gets paroled. When she goes back home, several of the client's wives came to her house. Samantha is scared that they are going to lynch her, but they didn't and asked for sex advice.

Samantha gets a job as a waitress, goes to Narcotics Anonymous meetings and went back to college. She also reconciles with her husband.

Cast

Reception

The Client List drew in an audience of 3.9 million viewers and was the highest rated program for the evening amongst female viewers between the ages of 18 and 49.[4] Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker considered it a typical Lifetime film that "offer[ed] cheap thrills … while offering moral uplift." Calling it "malarkey," he felt that Hewitt was able to sell the film to the audiences due to her "talent for communicating sincerity and charm."[5]

Awards and nominations

The film received a Golden Globe nomination for Jennifer Love Hewitt in the category "Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television," but lost to Claire Danes starring as Temple Grandin in the film of the same name.[6]

Release

The film was released on DVD in January, 2011 in North America. No release has been confirmed for other regions.

Television series

On August 10, 2011, it was announced that Lifetime has ordered production of The Client List television series based on the film. Hewitt reprised the lead role and also serves as executive producer. The series, however, is a re-imagining of the film (with Hewitt's character having a different name from the film), and is not a direct continuation of the film's storyline. The series premiered on April 8, 2012.[7] On November 1, 2013, Lifetime cancelled the series after two seasons, the final episode of series aired on June 16, 2013.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ Vine, Katy (January 2005). "She Had Brains, a Body, and the Ability To Make Men Love Her". Texas Monthly. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  2. ↑ Lee, David J. (June 28, 2004), 61 arrested in Healing Touch case, Odessa American, retrieved 2014-02-22
  3. ↑ Pantera, Gabrielle (July 19, 2010). "Tonight on Lifetime: The Client List". Hollywood Today. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  4. ↑ Levine, Stuart (July 20, 2010). "'Client List' fares well for Lifetime". Variety. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  5. ↑ Tucker, Ken (July 19, 2010). "'The Client List' review: Jennifer Love Hewitt shook her money-maker". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  6. ↑ "'The King's Speech,' 'Glee' Lead Golden Globe Pack With Most Nominations". Fox News. December 14, 2010.
  7. ↑ Seidman, Robert (August 10, 2011). "Jennifer Love Hewitt to Star in and Executive Produce New Lifetime Series 'The Client List'". Tv by the Numbers. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  8. ↑ Ng, Philiana (November 1, 2013). "Lifetime Cancels 'The Client List'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  9. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (November 1, 2013). "Lifetime's 'The Client List' Cancelled After Two Seasons". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
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