Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret (2013 TV Movie) User Reviews (21)

Brutal revenge by a woman scorned, Lifetime's surprisingly good Travis & Jodi story

[hsolaf · 7/10 · 8 July 2013]

Surprisingly well done! I expected much less, so I was very pleased. The movie starts out strikingly flashing forward to the sensual, last photo shoot between lovers Jodi and Travis. It then moves back to the beginning of a story of love, hate and obsession, a modern day fatal attraction parable. Males, beware of unbridled sex without love, it seems to say. There's always a price to pay. For Travis, it was the ultimate price.Based on the infamous and horrible murder everyone's heard about,it shows how two attractive, smart, young people, Travis and Jodi, meet, in a Sin City Convention. Travis is a motivational speaker. Jodi goes gaga over Travis. Soon, they make passionate love. She falls for him,strongly! Trying to be his significant other, she even becomes a Mormon like him. According to the well written, credible script, Travis, however,soon realizes Jodi is not marriage material.He takes his religion seriously, which requires chastity, but he can't stop having great loveless sex with Jodi! Travis loving, close Mormon friends think Jodi's unfit and obsessed, want him to get rid of her. So he goes underground with Jodi, as his "dirty little secret", for a sexual relation. When he realizes he's getting in over his head, that Jodi wants more,he tries to break off. She doggedly pursues him with menacing and sick stalking. Hurt and disenchanted that Travis has a new, marriage-material girlfriend, Jodi plans revenge by horridly killing him in a gruesome bloodbath.

Visually, the cinematography is stylish, with lovely bright, photography of their lovemaking leading to its horrible, almost unbearable-to-look-at climax, in slow motion.Other visual water tricks are awesome,as when the camera moves from the spiritual to the sensual, from Jodi's Mormon baptism to her cavorting in a Jacuzzi with Travis. The actors are an unexpected treat, both the main ones and the supporting cast. Tania Raymonde as Jodi is uncanny-even better than the real Jodi! She's alluring and sexy, totally credible as a wolfish seductress posing as innocent Little Red Riding Hood. In minutes, the real Jodi blends into Tania,we forget Jodi for this better version. Her characterization is as good as can be, sassy, alluring, sexy,creepy. Her innocent, little girl act is as good as Arias'. Her angry, evil persona is terrible and fearful. Her look as she shoots Travis in the final ritual sacrifice is frightful.. I also found Jesse Lee Soffer very suitably cast as Travis. At first he looks lightweight and boyish, but as the story progresses he develops Travis into the charismatic and attractive guy Jodi would fall in love with. Soffer plays Travis with the right blend of innocence and roguishness.The scripted role makes his characterization human, sympathetic and likable. Not much is made in the script of Travis importance as big brother to his siblings.But the movie does make his awful death heartfelt, poignant and tragic. One is left with a sad sense of the pitiful loss of a valuable human being by an obsessed and vengeful monster,

For a Lifetime movie, this movie surpassed all my expectations. The way the script treats Jodi's relation to her grandmother and friends humanizes her.It helps to soften her image without justifying her horrible deed. The last ten minutes summarizes the arrest and trial kind of shoddily, not enough development. One wishes to have it more leisurely treated in a Part II. Even as roughly sketched, Jodi's weird behavior during interrogation with Detective Alvarez and also, the subsequent Martinez badgering during the trial are witty and interesting, leaves you wanting more. This is certainly not a masterpiece, but as Lifetime movies go, an above average, respectable representation of a compelling real story. The fatal love story of Travis and Jodi is credible, engrossing, even thrilling. Would you believe the director's name is Jace Alexander, like the victim? Pretty good direction, for a speedy job.

Cautionary Tale Fell a Little Short

[cinemaniac2002 · 5/10 · 29 June 2013]

I have been following the Jodi Arias murder trial, mostly out of fascination. Sociopathy has become more intriguing to me over the years - realizing that so many sociopaths walk among us and we are completely unawares. Much of what I have learned is from a book called "The Sociopath Next Door" by Martha Stout. The book is so good that it should be required reading in social studies. It could help a lot of people avoid tragedies like these.

I thought that Tania Raymonde did a great job of emulating Jodi and what many have come to believe her motives were. While what Jodi did was heinous beyond belief - the target of her affections which crossed into butchery was not entirely a saint. It was clear that Travis used Jodi for sex and then discarded her like yesterday's trash when he decided to pursue finding himself a suitable Mormon wife - but not entirely. He kept Jodi around like many men and women do to keep those booty calls handy.

Many of the true details of their relationship that I believe were critical were completely left out. For instance, the coy way that Jodi was heard to act like a little girl in real life phone conversations with Travis.

Also, the movie didn't cover any of the sordid sexual details that Travis himself admitted to on the phone. Tania seemed far more mature than Jodi has - and I didn't see any indication that she ever took on the role of a coy teenager.

I also got the feeling that Tania Raymonde's portrayal was more sexually mature than Jodi. I could not imagine Jodi being that appealing. Also, from the trial accounts there was some big todo about whether they were having regular, traditional sex or not. It seemed that they did certain things more regularly in an effort to conform with the Mormon faith that he espoused and she joined. Either way, they broke the rules because they weren't supposed to be having sexual contact prior to marriage anyway. And there is no doubt in my mind that Travis never thought of Jodi as marriage material. She became the booty call that he hid from people -- so the title really works here -- because she really was his dirty little secret.

Finally, the moments before Jodi murdered Travis indicated that she became especially peeved by a text message. The fact that she went to great lengths to dye her hair, get gas cans so she wouldn't have to stop for gas and turned her cell phone off -- all so she wouldn't be traced or recognized. It was always obvious to me that the murder was premeditated, making it ever more creepy and this was never even touched on in the film.

Travis Alexander, despite targeting Jodi directly as a sociopath in text messages - continued to have sex with her anyway. While that is not a crime and he does not deserve to be murdered for it - this should serve as a cautionary tale for anyone, man or woman who becomes resided to the fact that a romantic interest, friend or even family member is a sociopath. When you are sure of this - you must never confront them. Keep it to yourself and get as far away as possible. Make excuses and play a game, but do not let them close to you anymore. You've been warned from the second you know they're a sociopath. It never ends well. In my own personal experience, once sociopaths know they've lost, they are like animals who are out for the kill and will not rest until they either have control of you or they have done whatever they can to destroy you.

When Travis became aware of her evil, under no circumstances did he have any business letting her through his door ever again.

As I said before -- yes, Jodi is a sociopath. She will do whatever it takes to get what she wants, lying all the way through. Any tears she sheds is because she got caught. I wasn't expecting the film to go thoroughly into her psyche -- but I would have liked it if there was more emphasis on a lesson to take stalking very seriously. When a woman is stalked - films generally push how dangerous that is, but I didn't see that here. Perhaps it is a double standard since Travis was a male. Keyword: was. Had he gotten totally away from Jodi, perhaps he'd still be alive. But you don't get away from a sociopath by letting them back in your home at 4 am and having sex with them all day long.

I am pleased :-)

[dolly_valkyrie · 6/10 · 15 April 2018]

Tania Raymonde did an amazing job in playing Jodi Arias. I watched An American Mystery a few days prior to this and they are almost exact. I've seen Jodi in this movie as a human and the victim as a villain through the story till the actual murder. It is not Hollywood polished movie and it is a bit raw and yet it lacks something I can not be sure what. If I will recommend it, well if you have some extra time, why not :-)

a balanced portrayal of a sensational story

[woernerdavid · 24 June 2013]

I felt the made-for-TV movie about Jody Arias was actually very good and was a balanced presentation of a sensational story. Jody Arias is obviously unbalanced, paranoid, has super-low self-esteem, and many other psychological defects. But as the story is shown, it also balances this with Travis Alexander's duplicity. He wanted to maintain the appearance of being a good, pious Mormon but kept Jody Arias as his secret life and kept her out of the mainstream of his life. When he tried to break up several times, he always ended up back in bed with Jody. He certainly did not deserve the terrible thing that happened to him, but he contributed his share. I thought the film was balanced and worth watching.

Totally Misses the Mark & Tells Nothing but a Stalker Story

[sheepdater · 2/10 · 22 June 2013]

Everybody knows the Jodi Arias story, so the whole movie is pretty much an exercise in futility from the very start. This movie provides no insights, revelations or alternate theories. It's a 2 hour television movie that dramatizes a creepy girl stalking a guy who is "just not that into her" for all but the last 10 minutes. Who hasn't been involved, or at least know somebody who has been affected by, a significant other who just couldn't let go? The reason this story captured our attention as a nation was what happened the day Travis Alexander was killed and everything after. We are fascinated by the totally emotionless narcissistic liar that is Jodi Arias & her unstable behavior after the murder. This movie totally misses the mark by spending 99% of its time telling a boring story. A director that is responsible for a classic like Eight Men Out should have been able to provide a better perspective on a tragedy that captured the American imagination. It's not poorly acted, poorly directed, nor even really poorly written... it just totally missed the mark of what made this case stand out. They spent zero time establishing what caused Arias to become such a monster. She wasn't just a pretty normal girl who cracked one day. Jeffery Dahmer wasn't just a mixed up kid who got jealous one day & neither was Jodi Arias. This movie totally misses exploring anything that made this incident stand out. If you want to watch a movie about a creepy stalker, check out Marky Mark in the movie Fear & don't waste your time with this.

Pleasantly surprised!

[themoviebottom · 8/10 · 26 May 2015]

I have read some bad reviews of this film and I have to say, after watching the film I was pleasantly surprised.

There are parts of the story that have been altered as Hollywood expects a certain glossy finish to its films. The bulk of the story however remains the same. It is a little like fatal attraction and when you find yourself thinking that you stop for a moment and realise, "hang on, this actually happened".

The story, for anybody who knows about the case, is predictable for its genre but the lead actress Tania Raymonde is not bad in the roll at all. She plays the part of Arias quite well and her little jealous outbursts were that convincing she reminded me of an ex of mine! All in all its not a bad film. The only criticism I would have is they don't spend enough time on the trial. This film however is well worth watching!

this movie was TERRIBLE

[rmm0573 · 1/10 · 24 June 2013]

I've followed the trial. It's incredibly an interesting case. A young woman murdering her lover for one. Usually it's the other way around. The real prosecutor is brilliant and a real character. There is so much to work with. This movie barely skims the top. It has zero emotion and misses any chance of eliciting horror on the part of the viewer. This poor guy was butchered. The least they could have done is make the viewer feel sympathy for this guy. What he went through was scary and horrible. There is so much dysfunction and sex in their relationship and it's pretty much left out. Most of her stalking, driving across the desert to kill him, the effort she put into planning the murder, etc. was all left out. It's almost like they said "how can we take all this awesome material and make the worst movie ever?" BIG FAIL

Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret

[a_baron · 9/10 · 20 June 2014]

The 1997 film "Fatal Attraction" was nominated for 6 Academy Awards. This has been called the real life version for the 21st Century; sadly as a TV film it can't win an Oscar, even more sadly is the fact that it "is" the real life version. It probably wouldn't in any case because in spite of the excellent portrayal of "femme fatale" Arias by Tania Raymonde, like "To Catch A Killer" (about John Gacy) this was a film that was made with a higher purpose than mere entertainment.

Although Jodi Arias was convicted of the murder of Travis Alexander only last year, it cannot be said to have been made entirely in indecent haste because the crime happened in June 2008, but it was released only a month after her conviction.

The dialogue aims for realism rather than dramatic effect; the line "dildo with a heartbeat" was in fact used by Travis. As undoubtedly was Jodi's line "delete it and it's gone forever", except that it wasn't. Did she really expect to get away with murder?

She was indeed his dirty little secret, and he could have treated her better, but did a man who had never so much as slapped his lover deserve to die at her hands like this?

The only charge that may be made against this film – apart from the above one of indecent haste – is that it is bad taste to portray a real and recent murder so graphically. Far worse though was the release of the actual crime scene photographs, which could have been avoided even for a trial broadcast live on the Internet. In the UK this would not have been allowed, and Travis would at least have been granted dignity in death.

Totally Inaccurate!!

[toodalu98 · 2/10 · 21 January 2015]

I expected more out of this movie after reading the reviews. It was not nearly as good as others made it out to be. The relationship between Jodi and Travis that was depicted was completely inaccurate. Half the things they showed in this movie never even occurred and they grossly exaggerated how quickly their sexual relationship progressed. Other details were completely made up or changed for whatever reason, giving a different impression of how things actually happened. Why change names, events and other details when the public already knew them?! If you want to know how the relationship between Jodi and Travis really played out, read "Picture Perfect: The Jodi Arias Story". This movie should have had the disclaimer "Based on actual events", rather than "This is a true story".

Not bad

[perjensen-2 · 23 June 2013]

'Fatal Attraction' is an old story. Few cases have been chronicled, the most well known being Carolyn Warmus in the early 1990's. It too was in the national limelight, she was found guilty of murder, and not one but two movies were made telling the story. But as we know, the Jodi Arias story was more compelling because of the unexpected, lurid details of their deviant personal sanctum. No court case has ever presented to the public what should be rated X. All in all, "Dirty Little Secret" does the best it can do. There were only two people who could tell the real story, but one is dead and the other is a chronic liar. I'm sure there are many who will agree that Jodi Arias is a better actress than the woman who played her in this film. Thus there is no way a film can portray this story with pure accuracy. 'Artistic license' is unavoidable, and why this film struck me as an attempt to stay as close to what the producers knew at the time it was filmed. "Dirty Little Secret" may have its faults, but it's definitely worth seeing.

She's not the victim...

[map-08094 · 3/10 · 7 January 2023]

The movie was mediocre at best. I was able to get through it, but then I got to the end where she's portrayed as a victim. She was NOT the victim here, she premeditated her crime and had every intention of killing Travis. I get it, sometimes facts are altered for entertainment value. But to glamorize herself as a victim that snapped in the heat of passion? And to give her some type of justification behind her actions? Nope. I know there are two sides to every story, but the evidence was clear that she premeditated everything. I just wish that the movie stuck a little more to the facts is all...

They NAILED it! This was Spectacular. Riveting. Brilliant.

[jdkelleher · 10/10 · 2 January 2014]

This was BRILLIANT. Both actors nailed these parts and they were both very difficult to pull off. But they were utterly convincing and I think this TV movie was smashing. Not at all clichéd and stuck to the facts that I know of the case, having followed it, from London, for the last two years.

Jesse Lee Soffer not only got Travi's charm and obvious boy next door magnetism, but he also successfully reminded us that Travis was a flawed character, certainly sexist, perhaps ambitious at the expense of others, but most of all bound and brainwashed by his particular religious brand of zombieism, Mormonism. Also, it was clear from the show that the two of them had a very very powerful connection that went beyond the physical. Travis liked Jodi for quite a while, and intermittently throughout the saga. We like her too, in this reconstruction. We consider her point of view. At times we are totally on her side even.....until, of course, that fateful, epic, bloody road trip.

Production values are serious and classy and very effective. This is no regular daytime TV true story. This is a highly accomplished piece of work and everyone involved can be very proud of what they achieved. Im looking forward to seeing these two lead actors in other material.

I'm very fussy about I watch and what I enjoy and I give this an unreserved 10/10

Boring

[dickinsonjason-34081 · 1/10 · 12 June 2020]

This Movie Was Very Boring Hated Every Last Minute Of It Stay as far way from this movie

Real life is scarier than fiction

[phd_travel · 10/10 · 24 September 2013]

This is a very well made dramatization of the Jodi Arias murder of Travis Alexander. Most people who watch the news this year would have seen images of the photos or Jodi testifying at trial. Now it comes to life on screen in a thorough and clear manner. Of course all the elements of a good movie are there already from the facts of the case: attractive young protagonists, sex, photos, obsession and a terrible murder.

The story of the relationship is actually very interesting. The obsession and stalking behavior of Jodi is shown - a real life Fatal Attraction. Quite fascinating is seeing the values of the Mormon faith clash when a Mormon starts a relationship with a non Mormon. Felt sorry for the clean cut Travis struggling between his belief in abstinence until marriage and his desire for Jodi. The movie is balanced as it shows he was wrong to have keep sleeping with her after he know how obsessive and unhinged she was.

The acting is quite good. Jesse Lee Soffer is sympathetic as the conflicted Travis. Tania Raymonde is just wacko looking enough - not too much for the obsessed Jodi.

The murder itself is horrifying and they do show the killing - enough to know what happened though not too much that it would be sickening.

Well done. Be prepared - it's much more affecting than any fictional stalker thriller movie.

Not very accurate

[SuzanClark · 2/10 · 29 March 2015]

--Caution* Spoiler Alert--

Having followed this case from the beginning, I wondered why it did not follow the actual case. Though the characters do seem to look like the actual people this movie is written for, the acting does not match the personalities of those individuals. This movie also played a part in the hung jury in the actual case, as juror17 claims to have watched this movie, in that, it helped sway her decision to not vote for the death penalty. If that is true or not we will never know. In the end of the movie I had recounted at least a dozen issues with the movie matching the actual evidence obtained in the investigation of Jodi Arias. The actual movements of Jodi Arias would have been more appealing then the mocked scenes added for drama: In that, as an example, Jodi would not have had the time to develop film to plaster all over Travis's bedroom mirror the night she stalked him (having no way to develop film on the spot)- even with a viewer not knowing this case, that scene was impossible- and over reached credibility. With all the 'easy to reach' documentation of this case out there, I cannot understand why the script did not include an actual-factual story line. It causes me to second think any 'based on an actual' story in the future. Why is it important that facts are followed 'in reality movie making?', for the simple reason that juror 17 in the real case, based her inaccurate vote for a horrendous crime, based off of 'spin', from this movie.

Much better than expected

[chris-j-chuba · 9/10 · 11 August 2020]

I understand the negative reaction to the portrayal of the victim. He was brutally murdered and Jodi said very hurtful words to his family at the trial but this movie was trying to address the relationship before that jarring event.

The writers were depicting a relationship where the couples annihilate each other. Had Travis never met Jodi, he would have married a nice Mormon girl and had a normal life and Jodi might have had more conventional relationships. But together they both needed and consumed each other. I don't know if this is true to real life but it made for a great LFM movie.

She wanted both an intense sexual and stable relationship, she was drawn to his self-confidence and moral upbringing. He wanted to maintain his standing in the Mormon Community but craved her intense sexuality like a Heroin addict. Was he using her? There was some ambiguity there. It's human nature to want to choose a side but I found myself cheering for them and cringing when it turned bad.

A good example of this dynamic was the barbecue, she really tried to fit in but you see her insecurity leading to a possessiveness and his peer's disapproval behind their smiles. The sexual chemistry between the two actors was very convincing. Tania Raymonde was great to watch.

Tania Raymonde rocks as Jodi! A sexy provocative, obsessive, possessive take on the real life murder drama.

[blanbrn · 8/10 · 25 June 2013]

I for one never followed the real life Jodi Arias murder trial, because it always tied up HLN during the day so I never got to see any of the cute female news anchors on the network! No just kidding I'm not much into real life trials, anyway when a movie is brought to life about a shocking real life drama I'm in for a watch. And seeing that they would be plenty of eye candy in the form of Tania Raymonde made me a numerous watcher of this Lifetime TV movie. Boy if the real Jodi Arias looked this beautiful more people would have watched the real life trial! Tania Raymonde rocked with her performance her turn was cold and obsessive, and jealous possessive like a little devil. Yet the many scenes of Tania in those many sexy colored bras and panties was sexy it made the film thrilling to watch! Anyway starting in 2006 when Jodi(Raymonde)meets Travis at a motivation convention in Las Vegas, a sparkle is in the air. And upon a moment of hotel seduction where Jodi(Raymonde's such hot body) sports a green strapless bra with a lap dance showed that this was one wild push the limit get her way kind of girl! Yet from the get go Jodi showed signs of being jealous, and very possessive with being upset when another woman looked Travis's way she didn't even want any friends for him. The relationship was based on their hot and wild sex sessions that involved nude photos, online porn and of course Jodi wearing very sexy lingerie. This California girl was rocking the world of Travis now in his home state of Arizona.

Thru it all it proves that without real love the sex and lust will fail in the end as the obsession and jealous like possessive behavior of a wicked woman leads to tragic ends for all involved, a blood death and a life sentence as passion kills and dies with the wrong person and when no love is around it's doomed. Still the performance of Tania Raymonde is so hot and sexy she's one actress on the rise.

Lesson to Guys: When You Use Someone and Treat Them Badly, Make Sure They're Not Crazy

[Michael_Elliott · 25 June 2013]

Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret (2013)

* (out of 4)

A new crime tale overtook mainstream America so naturally Lifetime would turn it into a movie. Jodi Arias (Tania Raymonde) begins a torrid sexual affair with Travis Alexander (Jesse Lee Soffer) and soon she becomes obsessive and kills him. Am I the only person in the world who finds Travis to be a bad guy? I certainly don't agree or condone what happened to him but at the same time I must admit that I found him to be a jerk by the way he just wanted to use this woman for sex, keep her in the background and hidden from his friends and pretty much just use her whenever he needed her. Sure, thousands if not millions of guys do this to women but most of them don't do it to someone crazy, which is obviously what Jodi was. This Lifetime movie is pretty awful all around and largely because you really don't learn anything about either people and we're left with a story of unsympathetic characters and certainly no one to life. Director Jace Alexander takes a fairly interesting "case" and turns it into a pure case of boredom because there's no energy, no life or anything else going on here. The entire film seems to run on longer than the real-life trial because we just keep getting scenes that add up to nothing. This here is more like a low-rent version of FATAL ATTRACTION but without the performances, tension or style. The movie has all sorts of problems including how it goes all out to paint Travis as this clean-cut Mormon who did nothing wrong and just wanted to help people. We get at least two scenes where Jodi sexually comes onto him while he turns away. Yet, minutes later, we see them two in a steamy sex affair where he's the one using her. You can't have it both ways. Even worse is the fact that these scenes trying to make Travis look clean are done in such a way that you really can't help but laugh at them. Both Raymonde and Soffer are good in their roles but sadly they're just not given much to do. When one watches Lifetime you really don't expect quality but I must say this here is without question one of the worst products they've'e turned out.

It's about a girl

[michalbrazier · 8/10 · 5 August 2020]

I gave it a 8 because I love Tania. Straight up she's amazing. The movie was really good too.

Dirty little movie

[geoffox-766-418467 · 2 October 2015]

By dirty I mean the director and producer expect us to sit around watching this slut type prance around making off she's a winner. WRONG. She's not that terrific looking, too much hair, no body to lure anyone with and has this pouty mouth (like her lower jaw extends her upper.) Let's not talk of the plot as there are so many similar ones of the past and so much better. Like the leading vamp could act in those. This one just poses like she thinks all men are attracted to her looks. AGAIN WRONG.

You can also predict she will kill all those in her way. The same as before. I just get tired of looking at her with her dipity-do hair style. So, in summing this trash up, and I won't mention names to protect the rest of the unfortunate cast, this is a horrendous film with a bad leading lady, a stupid plot and not for any seeing eyes to sit through. Amen.

Terrible Writing & Direction

[tsmit67 · 10 April 2024]

Oh my goodness this was so cringe and poorly written. The piece feels like a student film and there's no sensitivity or skill to the writing and direction of scenes and how they play. Characters are not individuals, you can hear the same voice from the writers each time. The dialogue sounds so on the nose and cliche. The music plays awfully and feels like it was pulled from a royalty free library and placed carelessly - it sounds like The Bold & The Beautiful. The actors had potential but really needed a competent script and competent director which sadly they had neither. The cinematography isn't terrible, visually it looks passable, but the shot selection is so boring and vanilla. The subject of sexuality isn't treated in a sensitive, appropriate or clever way, feeling more like the writers idealised fantasy. The dialogue is so poor it taints the film with comedy, the bad kind. Sadly, there is no depth or substance here. It feels and plays like a rough 1st Draft of a script that needs some serious polishing, though I'm not sure the filmmakers (Writers and Director) carried the skill or taste to see it through or give it improvement.