Fatal Honeymoon

Last updated
Fatal Honeymoon
Written byTeena Booth
Mac Gudgeon
Directed by Nadia Tass
Starring Billy Miller
Amber Clayton
Gary Sweet
Harvey Keitel
Music by Robert J. Kral
Country of originUnited States
Australia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers David Parker
Nadia Tass
EditorGary Woodyard
Running time99 minutes
Production company Lifetime
Original release
ReleaseAugust 25, 2012 (2012-08-25)

Fatal Honeymoon is a 2012 made-for-television movie directed and produced by Nadia Tass. It is said to be based on the true story of the suspicious death of Tina Watson, a twenty-six-year-old American on her honeymoon with Gabe Watson whilst scuba diving near the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia. As a dramatisation, however, the majority of the movie is not based on known facts from the evidence presented at the various trials or independent investigations.

Contents

Plot

Eleven days into their marriage, Alabama couple Gabe Watson and his wife Tina Watson go scuba diving near Australia's Great Barrier Reef, where Tina drowns in what appears to be a freak accident. But her father Tommy Thomas begins to suspect that his daughter's death was by no means an accident, a belief shared by authorities in both America and Australia, including Detective Gary Campbell. An investigation ensues, as does a media frenzy and a series of legal battles.

Cast

Release and reception

It premiered in the United States on Lifetime on August 25, 2012 and received a cinematic release in Australia in 2014.

Variety's Geoff Berkshire remarked that with "its strict fidelity to genre cliches and steadfast focus on the true-crime formula, Fatal Honeymoon plays like warmed-over comfort food for armchair detectives. Not even the unexpected presence of Harvey Keitel is enough to distinguish the pic from any number of similar efforts." He further criticized the lack of character depth in the film, commenting that writers Mac Gudgeon and Teena Booth 'seem more interested in dropping clunky references to scuba diving ... rather than providing the characters with any psychological depth or shading. There’s no sense that these stick figures trapped in a by-the-numbers melodrama could be real people swept up in tragic circumstances.

"There’s little for the actors to do other than go through the motions. Keitel has a few flashy scenes as a grieving father, but the largely dull role remains significantly below his skill level." Technically, Berkshire concluded, the film is "in line with low-budget telepic standards." [1]

David Hinckley, of the New York Daily News gave the film two out of five stars, praised the performances of Clayton and Miller, commenting that she "suppresses what we know should be all her legitimate worries while Miller makes Gabe thoroughly unlikable at best and often downright sinister." He surmised that men "tend to be a miserable lot in Lifetime movies, most of them anyway, and it can make for tough viewing. ... In the end, “Fatal Honeymoon” seems vaguely unsatisfying — not because of its conclusion, but because it feels like an extended dramatization that in the end tells us less than a straight news report or documentary could have done. ... Whatever the truth, Gabe should go into Hallmark’s Male Villains Hall of Fame on the first ballot." [2]

Many experienced scuba divers have expressed dissatisfaction with the movie based on claims made in the movie about diving. One of the defense's diving expert witnesses at the Alabama murder trial, Michael McFadyen, has stated that the movie bears little resemblance to what actually occurred and what witness statements say happened. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Keitel</span> American actor (born 1939)

Harvey Keitel is an American actor known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with director Martin Scorsese, starring in six of his films: Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967), Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and The Irishman (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wreck diving</span> Recreational diving on wrecks

Wreck diving is recreational diving where the wreckage of ships, aircraft and other artificial structures are explored. The term is used mainly by recreational and technical divers. Professional divers, when diving on a shipwreck, generally refer to the specific task, such as salvage work, accident investigation or archaeological survey. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificial reef sites. Diving to crashed aircraft can also be considered wreck diving. The recreation of wreck diving makes no distinction as to how the vessel ended up on the bottom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan</span> Married couple who were unintentionally abandoned in the Coral Sea

Thomas Joseph Lonergan and Eileen Cassidy Lonergan were a married American couple who were unintentionally abandoned in the Coral Sea off Australia's northeast coast on 25 January 1998 during a group scuba-diving trip aboard MV Outer Edge. The boat crew did not note their absences until two days later, on 27 January. While search efforts resulted in the discovery of personal effects presumed to be those of the Lonergans, the discoveries did not lead to their rescue. Neither has been found, and both are presumed dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shark cage diving</span> Diving inside a protective cage to observe sharks in the wild

Shark cage diving is underwater diving or snorkeling where the observer remains inside a protective cage designed to prevent sharks from making contact with the divers. Shark cage diving is used for scientific observation, underwater cinematography, and as a tourist activity. Sharks may be attracted to the vicinity of the cage by the use of bait, in a procedure known as chumming, which has attracted some controversy as it is claimed to potentially alter the natural behaviour of sharks in the vicinity of swimmers.

Ronald Josiah Taylor, was an Australian shark expert, as is his widow, Valerie Taylor. They were credited with being pioneers in several areas, including being the first people to film great white sharks without the protection of a cage. Their expertise has been called upon for films such as Jaws, Orca and Sky Pirates.

Lindsay Jane Simpson is an Australian journalist, university teacher and a writer of true crime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shark tourism</span> Tourism industry based on viewing wild sharks

Shark tourism is a form of eco-tourism that allows people to dive with sharks in their natural environment. This benefits local shark populations by educating tourists and through funds raised by the shark tourism industry. Communities that previously relied on shark finning to make their livelihoods are able to make a larger profit from diving tours while protecting the local environment. People can get close to the sharks by free- or scuba diving or by entering the water in a protective cage for more aggressive species. Many of these dives are done by private companies and are often baited to ensure shark sightings, a practice which is highly controversial and under review in many areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Miller (actor)</span> American actor (1979–2023)

William John Miller II was an American actor. He was recognized for his work on American soap operas, including his award-winning work as Billy Abbott on The Young and the Restless and his dual portrayals of Jason Morgan and Drew Cain on General Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tina McIntyre</span> Fictional character from Coronation Street

Tina McIntyre is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Michelle Keegan, the character first appeared on-screen during the episode that was shown 7 January 2008. The character was central to many key storylines relating to issues such as perjury, abortion and surrogacy, and had relationships with David Platt, Graeme Proctor, Tommy Duckworth, Dr. Matt Carter and Jason Grimshaw, and had an affair with married man Peter Barlow. Tina has also had feuds with Kylie Platt, Tracy Barlow and Kirsty Soames.

Tina Watson was a 26-year-old American woman from Helena, Alabama, who died while scuba diving in Queensland, Australia, on 22 October 2003. Tina had been on her honeymoon with her new husband, American Gabe Watson, who was initially charged by Queensland authorities with his wife's murder. Watson pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Halstead</span> Underwater photographer, author, journalist and commentator on the recreational diving industry.

Bob Halstead, has made significant contributions to the sport of scuba diving in a multitude of capacities: photographer, author of eight diving books, early innovator in the development of dive tourism, pioneer in the dive liveaboard industry, diving instructor and educator, marine-life explorer and influential diving industry commentator. An ardent diver since 1968, Halstead has over 10,000 logged dives.

SS Catterthun was a nineteenth-century cargo and passenger ship. It sank with considerable loss of life on the east coast of Australia in 1895.

Secrets of Eden is a 2012 suspense television film directed by Tawnia McKiernan, based on a book by Chris Bohjalian and published in 2010. The film was set and recorded in Toronto, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism on the Great Barrier Reef</span> Service industry in Australia involving recreational diving

Tourism is one of the major industries in the Great Barrier Reef region. Approximately 2.19 million people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year. According to the WWF, tourism of the area contributes $5.89 billion a year to the Australian economy, and employs approximately 69,000 people. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg sees the key competitive advantage of the Great Barrier Reef as opposed to other, closer, reef tourism destinations is the region's reputation as being "the most pristine coral reef on the planet". The GBRMPA states that careful management, which includes permits for camping and all commercial marine tourism within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, seeks to ensure that tourists have minimal impact on the reef. However, rising incidences of widespread coral bleaching, coastal development, and tourism impacts have taken a toll the biodiversity of the reef.

Damien Richardson is an Australian film, television and theatre actor. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, Richardson has appeared in a variety of Australian films and television shows, including Blue Heelers, McLeod's Daughters, Redball, The Hard Word, Rogue, Conspiracy 365 and Wentworth. He and co-writer Luke Elliot won the Best New Comedy-Drama award at the Melbourne Fringe Festival for their play The Belly Of The Whale. One of Richardson's best known roles is Detective Matt Ryan in the crime drama City Homicide, which he played from 2007 until 2011. Since 2012, Richardson has starred as Drew Greer in the Jack Irish television films and subsequent 2016 series. He played Gary Canning in the soap opera Neighbours from 2014 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of underwater divers</span> Alphabetical listing of articles about underwater divers

The following index is provided as an overview of and topical guide to underwater divers:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scuba diving tourism</span> Industry based on recreational diver travel

Scuba diving tourism is the industry based on servicing the requirements of recreational divers at destinations other than where they live. It includes aspects of training, equipment sales, rental and service, guided experiences and environmental tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental impact of recreational diving</span> Effects of scuba diving on the underwater environment

The environmental impact of recreational diving is the effects of recreational scuba diving on the underwater environment, which is largely the effects of diving tourism on the marine environment. It is not uncommon for highly trafficked dive destinations to have more adverse effects with visible signs of diving's negative impacts due in large part to divers who have not been trained to sufficient competence in the skills required for the local environment, an inadequate pre-dive orientation, or lack of a basic understanding of biodiversity and the delicate balance of aquatic ecosystems. There may also be indirect positive effects as the environment is recognised by the local communities to be worth more in good condition than degraded by inappropriate use, and conservation efforts get support from dive communities who promote environmental awareness, and teach low impact diving and the importance of respecting marine life. There are also global coral reef monitoring networks in place which include local volunteer divers assisting in the collection of data for scientific monitoring of coral reef systems, which may eventually have a net positive impact on the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valerie Taylor (diver)</span> Australian underwater photographer

Valerie May Taylor AM is an Australian conservationist, photographer, and filmmaker, and an inaugural member of the diving hall of fame. With her husband Ron Taylor, she made documentaries about sharks, and filmed sequences for films including Jaws (1975).

My Husband, My Killer is a 2001 Australian TV film about the Murder of Megan Kalajzich. It is based on the book of the same name by Sandra Harvey and Lindsay Simpson. It stars Colin Friels as Detective Inkster and Martin Sacks as Andrew Kalajzich.

References

  1. Berkshire, Geoff (August 22, 2012). "Fatal Honeymoon". Variety. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  2. Hinckley, David (August 25, 2012). "TV Review: Lifetime's 'Fatal Honeymoon'". NY Dailey News. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  3. 'Fatal Honeymoon - Review', Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site [website]