It looks as though the decision to cast Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor in Liz and Dick was both an inspired choice and a terrible one, all at once. The very idea that Lohan may have turned in a credible performance seems to have become a laughable notion, as the show’s premiere draws ever closer (it airs tonight – November 25, 2012 – at 9pm ET, on the Lifetime network).

Anyone still clinging to the hope that Lindsay’s career may have ben saved and thrust back into the land of credibility, by taking on the role of an iconic screen gem, may as well just loosen their grip now, to save the friction burns. A review from People magazine gives the TV movie a paltry two stars out of four, but suggests the project was doomed – Lohan, or no Lohan. In fact, even though she won’t be winning any awards (“she attacks the part with a relentless, huffing-and-puffing determination that throws any acting technique under the bus”), her performance still “rivets attention” – albeit possibly for the wrong reasons.

Lohan’s bullish performance even manages to overshadow the “flawless” performance from Grant Bowler as Richard Burton. The producers of the show must have known that they were onto a winner, casting a ‘just-off-probation’ Lohan as the lead in this low-rent biopic. She was always going to attract attention and bump up viewer ratings… and hey, if she turns in a good performance, that’s even better, right?