Keaton delivers usual stellar performance in 'On Thin Ice'

There are some television movies that seem unbelievable. The Lifetime original movie "On Thin Ice" is one of those stories. The premise of a middle-aged mother dealing drugs seems too far-fetched, until you hear that the script is based on a true story.

Executive producer Stanley M. Brooks first read about Patsy McCartle in a "Reader's Digest" article 12 years ago. He decided her story needed to be shared with others.

Patsy's husband died five years before her drug adventures began. He left her with two young boys and very little money. She cleaned office buildings on the night shift and was a waitress during the day, yet she struggled to pay the bills. Her youngest son, Kevin, suffered from asthma attacks, which seemed to get worse when the heat in their small apartment was turned off in the middle of winter. There were not many options for Patsy in the small town of Leeville, Ill. Once she lost her job at the diner and Kevin needed to be hospitalized, Patsy was desperate.

"I'm not a ball," says Patsy, who is portrayed by Diane Keaton. "I'm a person. I don't want to bounce back. I've been bouncing all my life. I'm sick of it."

Patsy's friend, Carrie (Lynda Boyd), offers a chance at easy money. Carey and her boyfriend sell and distribute crystal meth.

Carey convinces Patsy that drug dealing is the only way to take care of her boys.

"This isn't about lying," says Carrie. "It's about feeding your kids and putting shoes on their feet."

Patsy dreads having to travel all over town and the country to deliver an illegal product to unsavory people. But once she starts counting her share of the money, Patsy quickly adapts to the lifestyle. That life includes becoming a drug addict.

It's heartbreaking to watch Patsy spiral out of control while her two boys watch. The once-devoted mother now leaves her older son, Jason, (Michael Seater) to do the grocery shopping and raise Kevin (Colin Roberts). She loses all control and yells at Jason to find her money, and when she can't buy a fix she resorts to licking the plastic baggies for the smallest traces of drugs.

Her sons are afraid and threaten to leave her. It's a rude awakening for a woman who prided herself on raising her boys. Patsy is determined to break her drug addiction on her own and leave the business. But her boss, Roger Hopkins (Michael Rooker), has other ideas. Patsy's life and those of her boys are in danger.

To save her children, Patsy becomes an undercover informant for the FBI, which has been trying to shut down Hopkins drug ring for years.

"On Thin Ice" is a gripping story of how desperation can lead even the strongest women to abandon their morals. Keaton delivers her usual stellar performance. Only she can be so hysterical without turning the role into a farce.

The movie provides a realistic look at the affects of drug abuse and how it can ruin everyone in a family.