The Children Act makes for an imbalanced cinematic stew, with ingredients whose disparate flavors blend into an insipid cinematic concoction.

Here’s a sample of only a few of these misguided ingredients:

It’s scored and edited like a melodrama.

It’s acted and written like a serial courtroom drama — and I do mean drama, as in meant for the stage.

It’s shot and directed like a Lifetime movie, with no life other than the artificial.

It’s paced and structured like a character study.

Tonal clashes are my jam..and I guess a melodramatic, character study, Lifetime courtroom drama-on-screen, in theory, could result in a satisfyingly-flavorful dish…

But it sure as shit doesn’t here.