Ricki Lake stars as a single woman returning to the dating scene after having a mastectomy in the upcoming Lifetime Original Movie "Matters of Life & Dating," based on breast cancer survivor Linda Dackman's book, Up Front. The film explores universal frustrating, complicated and often comedic insights into looking for Mr. Right, while grappling with ingrained notions of beauty and finding unexpected strength and support from friends and family.
In "Matters of Life & Dating," Linda Dackman (Lake) is a thirty-something successful single woman living in Boston. She's always had a boyfriend but wants to play the field before getting married and settling down. Her life plan comes to an abrupt halt when she finds out she has breast cancer. She undergoes a mastectomy, which shatters her body image and self-confidence, believing that she will never be desirable to a man again.
Filled with anger, resentment and fear, Linda attends a support group where she reconnects with Nicole (Holly Robinson Peete), a childhood friend. While undergoing reconstructive surgery, Linda re-enters the dating world, meeting a succession of "Mr. Wrong's." She even returns to an old boyfriend but realizes that being in a safe and comfortable relationship isn't what she's looking for. To be fulfilled, she must take chances to find real love, despite her insecurities. With the help of her friend Carla (Rachael Harris) and Nicole, Linda rediscovers her self-confidence, and proudly learns what being sexy is all about.
Matters of Life & Dating premieres during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month as the centerpiece of Lifetime's 13th annual multi-platform Stop Breast Cancer for Life public service and advocacy campaign, which reaches women and families in more than 93 million homes across the country in partnership with the Network's cable affiliates, advertising sponsors and twelve leading nonprofit organizations. The film echoes the creative concept of this year's campaign, "Be My Support, Be My Strength, Be My Bra," a playful but forceful depiction of the universe of strength at hand and within ourselves when facing breast cancer, based on the slang term for friend, "bra." Lake and Peete also will appear in the Network's original PSA campaign throughout October.
The film also touches on many important messages of Lifetime's campaign, including promoting early detection of breast cancer, ensuring access to health care for all women and ending "drive-through" mastectomies, when women are forced out of the hospital sometimes hours after surgery and before they and their doctors feel they are ready to go home. The Network has now collected more than 18 million signatures on a petition on LifetimeTV.com urging Congress to pass critical bi-partisan legislation that would stop this practice.
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Ricki Lake stars as a single woman returning to the dating scene after having a mastectomy in the upcoming Lifetime Original Movie "Matters of Life & Dating," based on breast cancer survivor Linda Dackman's book, Up Front. The film explores universal frustrating, complicated and often comedic insights into looking for Mr. Right, while grappling with ingrained notions of beauty and finding unexpected strength and support from friends and family.
Matters of Life & Dating premieres during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month as the centerpiece of Lifetime's 13th annual multi-platform Stop Breast Cancer for Life public service and advocacy campaign, which reaches women and families in more than 93 million homes across the country in partnership with the Network's cable affiliates, advertising sponsors and twelve leading nonprofit organizations. The film echoes the creative concept of this year's campaign, "Be My Support, Be My Strength, Be My Bra," a playful but forceful depiction of the universe of strength at hand and within ourselves when facing breast cancer, based on the slang term for friend, "bra." Lake and Peete also will appear in the Network's original PSA campaign throughout October.