Background"Like Mother Like Kid: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes" is a 2001 television film directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman. The film dramatizes the true story of a mother-son con-artists duo, Sante Kimes and her kid Kenny Kimes, who were founded guilty in a series of thefts, forgeries, and murders.
PlotMary Tyler Moore and Gabriel Olds star as Sante and Kenny Kimes respectively. Moore, in a striking departure from her usual light-hearted roles, plays the ruthless and manipulative Sante, a female with a dark previous filled with deceitful activities and violent crimes. Olds plays Kenny, her relatively impressionable kid who becomes deeply entangled in his mom's harmful exploits.
The film begins by revealing Sante's early childhood and progression into a life of criminal activity. Her criminal activities intensify in intensity in time until her kid, Kenny, is ultimately drawn into her web of deceit and criminal undertakings. Their criminal activities vary from identity theft and fraud, to extortion, arson and ultimately kidnapping and murder.
The Relationship in between Sante and KennyA significant focus of the film is the complex and unhealthy relationship in between Sante and Kenny. Sante is brilliantly portrayed as a manipulative, managing, and shrewd character, controling her child and enticing him into a life of criminal activity. Kenny, on the other hand, is at first shown as a naive and dependent character, who eventually changes into a cold felon under his mother's influence.
The Infamous Murder CaseThe significant pivotal moment of the movie lies in the prominent murder case of Irene Silverman, a rich widow and a previous Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Sante and Kenny conned their way into Silverman's luxury Manhattan townhouse with a plot to take her home. When Silverman became suspicious of their objectives and began examining their background, she went missing under mysterious circumstances.
"The film concludes with Sante and Kenny's supreme capture by authorities, following an international manhunt. They were charged and later founded guilty for the murder of Silverman, despite her body never being recovered.
Crucial Reception"Like Mother, Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes" is a chilling representation of the Kimes' hazardous spree. Moore's portrayal of Sante Kimes got particular appreciation for recording the manipulative and enormous nature of the character. Some critics, nevertheless, found the film to be a romanticized variation of real-life events and felt that the movie stopped working to totally expose the depths of Sante's wickedness. In spite of this review, the movie offers a riveting view into the dark and disturbing world of the notorious mother-son con artists.
Overall, the 2001 movie catches the true scary of Sante and Kenny Kimes' story, showing the tragic outcomes of manipulation, unsafe aspiration, and absence of empathy towards their victims. It raises significant concerns about the nature of family, loyalty and the dangerous lengths to which some individuals will go in the pursuit of wealth and power.
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