The Client List

The Client List is an American television film that premiered on the Lifetime Network on July 19, 2010. It starred Jennifer Love Hewitt and was directed by Eric Laneuville. The film is a fictionalized dramatization of a 2004 prostitution scandal in Odessa, Texas. It follows Sam Horton, a mother of three who becomes a prostitute to meet her financial obligations. Plot Samantha and Rex Horton are unemployed and struggling to provide for their three children and keep their home. Desperate to stave off foreclosure, Samantha takes a job at a massage parlor, but quickly learns it is a house of prostitution, with the internal motto "beats the hell out of waitressing". As the Hortons are down to their last dollar, Samantha stays, and quickly becomes one of the most popular employees, being very personable with her clients. While her earnings increase, she hides the true nature of her job from her family and friends, even while lavishing them with expensive gifts. Rex later finds work again himself. Sam's popularity causes another problem: exhaustion, affecting her relationships. One of her clients gives her cocaine to keep her going. Meanwhile, a very young masseuse has revealed the true nature of the parlor to a church group, and public pressure on the mayor, who is up for re-election, leads to a police raid, even though many on the force are also clients. Sam's arrest is shown live on television at the bar Rex frequents. Her drug supply is also found, leading to an additional charge for possession.