Directed by Stefan Brogen (Obsessed to Death), Twisted Neighbor is all about the NeighborNews app, which is a lot like the NextDoor app that Tubi has a Vice documentary about (VICE News Presents: Vigilante, Inc.) and how it takes over the residents of the gorgeous Sunny Vista gated community.
Ah yes, it’s Desperate Housewives without the multiseason commitment or budget, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.
Colleen Kirk (Kathryn Kohut, Obsessed to Death, Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist, Spare Parts) is the new girl on the block. She’s moved away from the big city and into this quiet suburb where she’s instantly judged by Jillian (Natalie Brown, The Strain), the leader of the neighborhood. She’s married to Dan (Zach Smadu), but cheating on him with Jared (Colton Royce) who is married to Kimberly (Josette Jorge) who is followed around by Ashton (Samantha Helt). Meanwhile, Theo (Oren Williamson) is the only one nice to her and is a schoolteacher who does mushrooms and is a cam guy. And oh, there’s also Quinn (Myles Erlick), who sells drugs.
As you can tell, there’s a lot of gossip going around this neighborhood and one of the homeowners who couldn’t keep her house up to par has already been killed. And she’s not the last person to die at the hands of an anonymous user on that app who wants Sunny Vista to stay perfect.
Colleen isn’t without her secrets, as she’s hiding the fact that her mother Vanessa (Fiona Highet) is a famous criminal who stole money from a charity that she had started. She speaks to her via a phone in jail and for most of the movie, she’s Colleen’s only friend until she decides that her past as a detective is much better than her present as a cookbook editor.
Twisted Neighbor is the kind of movie Tubi — and sick days or hungover Sundays — was made for. My favorite character was, of course, Shorty the chihuahua.
You can watch this on Tubi.