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It’s hard to say whether this psycho-ex-wife-revenge thriller, courtesy of longtime producer-turned-director Denise Di Novi, is aware just how ridiculous it really is. However, although shamelessly trashy and hideously generic, there is still a bit of guilty-pleasure sort of fun to be had with Unforgettable, with an added bonus of an onscreen catfight that you definitely do not want to miss.

The story introduces us to Julia (Dawson); a successful publishing editor living in San Francisco who, after finally ending an abusive marriage with husband Michael (Kassianides), gets another chance at happiness with handsome brewer, David (Stults). Deciding to move in with him to a small town in Southern California, Julia is excited to begin a new chapter in her life which also involves caring for David’s six-year-old daughter, Lily (Kai Rice), whose custody he shares with icy ex-wife, Tessa (Heigl).

Naturally, Tessa – a control freak with a capital F– is not exactly pleased with the fact that her ex-husband is moving on with his life and is finding it difficult to conceal her hostility and overall disapproval to this new addition. Unwilling to sit back and watch another woman live her life, Tessa soon embarks on a major scheme of revenge which includes contacting Julia’s abusive ex-husband – who David doesn’t really know much about – among other things. Slowly growing aware of Tessa’s plans, Julia tries her best to maintain a cool head while also trying to convince those around her that whatever implications have been laid out by her fiancé’s crazy ex-wife, are simply not true.  

 In terms of story, characters and overall setup, Unforgettable is a movie you’ve seen before. Taking itself a little too seriously, the story beats to the same drum as hundreds of jealousy thrillers before it with writer Christina Hodson offering very little effort in reinventing this particularly trashy wheel, driving the movie into an exposition-heavy territory accompanied by awkward dialogue that is both painful and hilarious to watch.   Spending most of its time focused on Tessa who is either brushing her hair or staring at herself inexpressively in the mirror, the script is as predictable as they come with both actresses struggling to sell the necessary tension. Heigl in particular turns in a terrible, but then again somehow entertaining, one-note performance, though Dawson fares a little bit better in comparison, with the talented actress keeping the movie grounded and away from a melodramatic soap opera.

However, in spite of all its obvious mistakes and flaws, Unforgettable proves to be a lot of fun; it’s hardly in the league of the leading psycho classic such as Fatal Attraction for example, but there is still plenty of absurdity and silliness to warrant a fantastic night at the movies. Just don’t take it seriously and you’ll be good to go.