You don't need to come from a divorced home to know that watching your parents separate can take a significant toll on your life, both mentally and emotionally. And then, when/if your parents decide to start dating other people, things can get even more difficult. That's undoubtedly what will make the new Lifetime movie Dating a Sociopath feel so real since it involves divorce and parental dating. But is is based on a true story? As much as some of you may come to empathize with Jane's predicament, you can be rest assured that this harrowing tale is a complete work of fiction. But that won't make it any less terrifying.
The official plot synopsis for Dating a Sociopath reads as follows: "Heartbroken over her parents' breakup and recovering from a car accident, Jane becomes increasingly suspicious of her mother's charming new boyfriend." That doesn't exactly provide viewers with a ton of detail about what's going on here. Does Jane have a justifiable cause to think her mother's boyfriend isn't as great as he appears to be? Could she simply be having a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that her mother is moving on from her father and it's just easy to paint the new love interest as a villain? Does this in any way tie into the mysterious car accident that's also mentioned in the logline?
Regardless of how this all plays out, this definitely doesn't sound like a movie you want to watch all by yourself.
That's not to say that sociopaths don't actually exist. In fact, there have been firsthand accounts of how dangerous they can be as romantic partners. So the concept for the story definitely stems from real life. But when it comes to the characters and specific events that unfold during the film, it's all for sheer entertainment value and not inspired by anything specific. However, sociopaths can be difficult to detect unless you know the signs you should be looking for, so Jane may have her work cut out for her in trying to prove to her mom that her new beau is bad news.
So will Jane's suspicions prove to be right, and if so, can she convince her mom to kick this guy to the curb ASAP? All is sure to be revealed in due time, but given the ominous description, there's a good chance this journey won't have a happy ending. That's the beauty of some of these Lifetime movies, though. They make you laugh. They make you cry. They make you want to hide under the covers with all the lights on for weeks on end. But for better and for worse, they're irresistible to watch and we can help but come back for more time and time again. Let's just hope that in Jane's case her mom's love for her is stronger than her lust for this guy.
Dating a Sociopath will premiere on Friday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. ET on the Lifetime Movies channel.
