Murder in the Hamptons (2005 TV Movie) User Reviews

Could Have Been Better!

[BreanneB · 5/10 · 23 June 2007]

This movie could have been a lot better. I'd be lying if I told you otherwise. That Generosa Rand Ammon was a real bitch. The only thing that was good about this movie was Poppy Montgomery's acting in her portrayal of Generosa.

I am not at all convinced that Danny Pelosi acted alone in the murder. I think Generosa was actually the big masterminded manipulator in this whole thing. After all she expressed great hatred toward Ted Ammon and was a very vindictive woman.

Another one of this psycho woman's traits was; paranoia. She always thought that someone was out to get her. One good example is when she makes it clear to single woman at a dinner they were having with friends that Ted was her husband.

Although, it is very likely that she was involved she was never charged. There was not enough evidence. She died of cancer soon afterward.

True story becomes a TV movie

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 6 July 2006]

I read the magazine story on which "Murder in the Hamptons" is based, but alas, when I sat down to watch this movie, I didn't recall much of it. Starring Poppy Montgomery as Generosa Rand Ammon, the movie tells the story of the Ammon family - Ted, Generosa, and their adopted twins - and the horrific murder of Ted in their palatial Hamptons home - a case that stayed open for a long time before an arrest was made.

Generosa is an attractive artist when she meets Ted Ammon and marries him. After a while, it becomes evident that she's wound a little too tightly on one hand and one sandwich short of a picnic on the other. Her paranoia becomes worse and worse as time goes on, and she and Ammon eventually separate as she becomes convinced that he's cheating on her and has an illegitimate child. Neither of which was apparently true. She soon takes up with an electrician, Daniel Pelosi, who is renovating her house. Generosa is presented as an extremely disturbed woman. She emotionally abuses her children, she brainwashes them against their father, and she keeps Ted's sister from seeing the kids. She has surveillance bugs planted in the Hampton house so she can watch all of Ted's activities on a laptop - which after the murder was never found.

Though it's a fascinating case, "Murder in the Hamptons" is the stuff of routine TV movies as it meanders through the story. Montgomery is very good, acting completely normal in her scenes - as a result of her demeanor, one then never knows when Generosa is going to totally lose it, so you're waiting for the next blow-up. The rest of the performances are okay, with the nanny giving an especially chilling performance.

Naturally there are things that were omitted, and for some reason, Pelosi is presented in a decent light. In fact he's a total waste. Also, assuming the will referenced near the end of the movie was filed in New York State - which it was - it's not possible to eliminate one's husband from a will. You can disinherit a child in your will as long as you specifically mention them by name. But no matter what your will directs, your husband is entitled to a third of the estate. So that business was a foolish plot device. Stick to the facts - they're usually more interesting.

Incredible story of greed and spite - it must be true

[montysmith-slp · 5/10 · 7 November 2005]

Ambitious Manhattan estate agent Poppy Montgomery hooks Wall Street hotshot David Sutcliffe and is soon manipulating his every move. An outburst in the street should have tipped him off about her red-mist rages but, hey, love is blind. Soon ensconced in his East Hampton holiday home with adopted trophy twins (one of each), Poppy displays traits that are touchy to the point of looney-tunes. A poisonous story of greed and insanely spiteful behaviour which leads to unbelievable resolutions – of course it's true! Poppy is Without A Trace's sweet Sam Spade – here, she's a paranoid narcissist who could be fairly described as a deplorable human being and a despicable mother. Actors kill for this kind of role. And Ms Montgomery is nothing if not determined - like her Without A Trace co-star Anthony LaPaglia, she's Australian, not American. She arrived in California aged 18 carrying a book called How To Make It In Hollywood. By the way, this Canadian-made movie plays on TV in south-east Asia and in the UK as Million Dollar Murder.

Murders just don't happen in the Hamptons!

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 12 July 2005]

***SPOILERS*** Made for TV movie about the brutal murder of multi-millionaire banker/financier Ted Ammon,David Sctcliffe, and the twisted logic that lead to that crime by his estranger wife the former Generosa Rand, Poppy Montgomer, and her boyfriend and later husband Danny Pelosi, Shawn Christian.

Having what had to be the perfect marriage both Ted and Generosa had everything that a couple could want. A ten million dollar waterfront home in the exclusive Hamptons out in Long Island NY, the playground of the rich and famous on the east coast, and a palace almost the size of Buckingham in jolly old England.

With Generosa not being able to conceived the Ammons adapted two beautiful children twins Alexa and Gregory, Alliasen Misclone & Mitchell Nye, and then settled down with Ted starting his own financial firm which was highly successful and Generosa becoming a full-time housewife and part-time artist.

The one thing that was wrong, fatally wrong, with the Ammon's "Perfect Marriage" was Generosa's deteriorating mental state which had her erupt over the most minute details in her life with Ted like a slight variation of colors of the tulips planted in the Ammon estate's backyard. Incident like that lead to the disintegration of their marriage and the death/murder of Ted Ammon.

Suspicious beyond belief Generosa had Ted followed all day by private detectives at his job showing Ted photos of him and a woman, who worked at his firm, and connecting them with him having an illicit affair with her. Generosa even accusing Ted of having a baby with the woman just about convinced him to move out of the house. Ted soon came to realized that Generosa was insane just like her mother was.

While working out divorce papers with her and Ted's lawyers Generosa and the kids moved out of the Hampton estate and bought, with Ted's money of course, a nine million dollar apartment in Manhattan. It was there where she met fell in love and involved in her husbands murder the ruggedly handsome Danny Pelosi who was working as a construction contractor at her new apartment.

True story with a penetratingly performance by Poppy Montgomer as the unstable Generosa Ammon who's paranoia lead not only to her marriage dissolving but to the death/murder of her husband the hard working and loving family man Ted Ammon. David Sctcliffe is just as good as miss. Montgomer as the ill-fated Ted Ammon who despite giving in to almost all of Generosa's demands in their divorce, all Ted wanted was the house in the Hamptons and visiting rights to the children. Despite getting everything that she wanted Generosa just had to have him killed to be able to "live" with herself and Danny. Shawn Christian as Danny Pelosi is both scuzzy and, in his own way, likable at the same time.

Even though Danny had a criminal record that includes violence he never mistreated Generosa or the children, as well as his own kids that he had from his previous marriage. In fact both Alexa and Gergory genuinely liked Danny and excepted him as their father after he married Generosa.

It was Generosa who had to push a noticeably reluctant Danny to murder Ted and in the end it was she who, in an ironic twist of fate, got off Scot-free due to her dying of cancer and it was Danny who ended up getting 25 to life in the state pen.

You put greed, mental illness and a ton of money together and It has all the makings of a Hollywood movie.

[MJohnsontalker · 7/10 · 11 July 2005]

If you do not know this movie is based on a true story. It's not surprising either, because You put greed, mental illness and a ton of money together and It has all the makings of a Hollywood movie. It's a horror story, complete with love hate, greed and murder.

I can't believe how far people will go for money. I can't believe how far people will go when it comes to 100 million dollars. Hey it's only money.

I found this movie to be very appealing. It has a cast of outstanding actors and actresses. It keeps you interested until the very end. It is even more thrilling if you do not know the facts of the actual case.

I highly recommend this one. Pop up the popcorn and turn it on….

Cleaned up for Your Protection

[ldavis-2 · 3/10 · 31 December 2005]

With two of the principals dead and the other in jail, I don't understand why the film makers skipped and/or took liberties with key details, and didn't delve headfirst into the sleaze fest that was the real story. Pelosi has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever, but, here, he's a pretty decent guy. It didn't show how he ate up his 15 minutes while he plowed through Generosa's (or Ted's) money. He couldn't keep his fly zipped or his big mouth shut, either, both of which proved to be his undoing. It doesn't even mention that he was an unlicensed electrician or how desperate he was, he just showed up at Generosa's because he heard she might be hiring. Ted here is a wuss and Generosa is your standard-issue wack-job. Other characters tell us what was going on between this unholy trio instead of just showing Ted, Generosa, and Danny interact (except when she goes off her nut.) The actors try to overcome the limitations of the Z-Grade script, but the performances are merely passable, although the actor playing the nanny was suitably creepy. Seeing what she did in "Blonde," Poppy Montgomery's performance here was a real letdown. Come to think of it, "letdown" sums the movie up very well.

Celestial capital punishment

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 23 October 2016]

I suppose there's a lesson in her somewhere in the Ted Ammon murder case. It's a lesson that says stick to your own kind in choosing life partners. No Pretty Woman dreams in this life.

It seems like Generosa Rand LeGaye hit the jackpot when she barged into Ted Ammon's office one day after he brushed her off to deal with a client. Generosa was a real estate salesman who had insanity in her family, but she was as beautiful as Julia Roberts and her moxie intrigued him. It was love and they adopted two Ukranian orphans when they could not have kids of their own.

David Sutcliffe and Poppy Montgomery play Ted and Generosa. Maybe one can't live on love alone and some common interests help. She was never accepted by his set and soon the insanity creeped out. She was great at spending his money.

Montgomery dominates this film with her descent into a kind of narcissistic madness. When they separate she takes the kids and takes up residence in a swank hotel. Montgomery takes up with contractor Danny Pelosi played here by Shawn Christian. His business does not prevent him from dealing with her pleasures.

Eventually after Ammon's murder in unseemly haste she marries Pelosi, a mistake Mary Queen Of Scots made when she married Lord Bothwell. Poppy and Mary both regretted that move.

We will never if or how much culpability Generosa had in the death of her husband. A celestial capital punishment was exacted on her when she developed breast cancer.

After she died Pelosi was convicted of murder. The film was light on showing the evidence of his guilt. I suspect the Suffolk County DA was light on evidence also. But Pelosi was the only one standing and his public image was in the toilet. A lot like Scott Petersen in the drowning death of his wife Lacy.

Murder In The Hamptons is an interestingly told tale. But I think the message of stick to your own kind won't resonate. People have the right to dream and even think dreams can come true.

Well worth the wait...

[samanthaspade_wat · 9/10 · 8 December 2005]

I'd waited to see this for ages - heard about it from all my US friends and on various Without A Trace boards and then missed it when we finally got it in the US. Luckily one of my friends sent me it and it was well worth the wait.

Of course, I only wanted to see it because of Poppy, but once I started watching it I completely forgot it was her, I got so wrapped up in the story. I love everything about the story itself, which I guess can't be credited to anyone since it actually happened. I think Poppy did an amazing job of portraying Generosa, though I wasn't surprised at all. She has a great range.

There wasn't a dull moment in the film - it had its funny parts, its sad parts and its downright weird parts. I loved the whole Generosa telling the kids one thing, Ted telling them something else. It was well structured throughout, especially with the different people from the neighbourhood talking about what happened and hearing all the rumours before seeing it all for yourself.

Great movie, I definitely want to watch it again.

Excellent throughout!

[[e-mail] · 8/10 · 13 July 2005]

WOW! The girl from "Without A Trace" did an awesome job! She is an excellent actress. The movie was well done. Unfortunately, a 2-hour TV movie has to move fast and I wish this movie had really been a 4-hour miniseries so that the story could have been expanded.

****SPOILER**** I give it an 8/10. The use of the different characters, such as Ted Ammon's sister, his coworker, the boyfriend's ex-wife, telling the story was extremely powerful as it showed how the people connected to the story saw their relationship, marriage and eventual breakup/murder.

My only complaint was that although we know that the new boyfriend/husband killed Ted Ammon, we did not get to see how it "happened" nor did we get to feel any of the emotions that a high-profile trial like this usually brings.

Enjoyable but sad

[superiorrendering · 8/10 · 9 July 2019]

Really goodmovie. Poor husband everyone just seem to want and waste his money. Money is the root of all evil. Felt sorry for the twins

Murder in the Hamptons-Money Can't Buy Happiness ****

[edwagreen · 10/10 · 5 June 2012]

Poppy Montgomery of the recent canceled television show "Unforgettable" gave a truly unforgettable performance in this 2005 television movie. As the conflicted, emotionally distraught woman, she gave a gripping portrayal of woman who didn't know she had it so good, and threw it all away, only to come to a terrible end.

Insanely jealous and emotionally unbalanced, she weds Ted Ammon and could have had anything she wanted. Instead, even after the couple adopted two children, she wrecks the marriage and takes up with a builder. Despite his wealth, Ammon came across as the good guy who just fell in.

It was only after Ammon's death when a fatal diagnosis strikes her, Gennarosa tries to set things straight somewhat, even though it's too late for her.

Just about everyone else in the film is depicted as greedy. This is a well done film.

One of the best true life murder movies

[phd_travel · 8/10 · 20 July 2013]

This is one of the best true life murder movies. There have been quite a few documentaries about this case but it's good to see it done on screen in an easy to follow manner.

The well chosen cast is watchable. David Sutcliffe plays Ted Amon the wealthy man who marries realtor Generosa Rand played by Poppy Montgomery. They should have had it all but things start to go wrong and he is murdered by Gererosa's lover. The story is stranger than fiction with Generosa dying of cancer. One can't but feel terribly for the adopted children.

David Sutcliffe gives a sympathetic portrayal of the victim. And Poppy is excellent as the enigmatic and out of control Generosa. Shawn Christian is good as the almost comical Danny Pelosi.

The commentary by friends is actually quite useful to consolidate what is going on. Highly recommended.

Well made true life drama

[nicholls_les · 8/10 · 20 June 2019]

I thought this was well made and well acted throughout. How accurate it was I do not know. Poppy Montgomery was excellent in the role of the mentally unhinged Generosa Rand/Ammon. I am not sure the Danny Pelosi character was portrayed as evil as the real person. would also add that the young actors playing the adopted twins were very convincing.

Great true crime movie

[bl-754-896966 · 10/10 · 1 February 2021]

A riveting true story. As tragic as this story was, the movie is compelling and very entertaining.