Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother's Fight to Save Her Daughter

No, seriously, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

Most people (but certainly not all) my age went through the whole cult stupidity in the 1970s when glittery-eyed friends came back from an evening of not urinating and shouting "I got it" with Werner Erhard. They then watched those friends tank promising careers and disappear into a series of increasingly stupid human potential classes to "get it."

NXIVM is est, Amway, $cientology, LulaRich, the Big Lié, Mary Kay, etc., but with sex. Lots of sex. It involves the same love bombing, confessional/extortion, pop psychology, manipulation and guru. Just give us your money, sell our products and we will TRANSFORM you.

And, they all went back again and again to be told that they "just weren't doing it right, but we are the only ones who can show you how to do it."

This show dramatizes the material HBO set forth in "The Vow," as well as similar documentary series by STARZ, CNBC, NBC, BBC, and other networks. It is taken directly from Catherine Oxenberg's book, "Captive: A Mother's Crusade to Save Her Daughter." This seems to be a movie for people who don't read or watch documentaries.

For most of us, this particular cult seems like it targets wealthy young women who have too much money and no meaning in their lives. Had they been taught something more than exercising, make up and conspicuous consumption, maybe they wouldn't be so empty. People with bills and deadlines don't have the money to give to gurus, and, if they were tempted, might think twice about giving away something it took them so long to earn.

My low rating is for the soapy way the story is told.

3 words-worst acting ever! It was very true t Catherine Oxenberg's book. It is a story that needs to be told but this movie was sooooo cheesy!

The acting, direction and screenplay could have been better. But it's worth watching because it's a relevant and fascinating true story. It's a good warning for anything that seems vaguely cult like whether it's an offshoot religious organisation or business improvement scheme. With the coverage about Leah Remini there are eerie similarities. Trust your instincts and be wary of fraudsters.

The acting is uneven. Catherine Oxenberg herself looks great but the actress Andrea Roth playing her isn't very expressive and has a strange way of copying her accent that's hard to understand. The actress who plays India Oxenberg is pretty. All the blonde actresses look similar.

There is a good story that in the news right now. Its just the execution felt stilted.

I'm sure Catherine Oxenberg's real life experience of trying to free her daughter from a horrific sex cult was a dramatic, emotionally harrowing experience. You will find none of that experience here. The film lacks any urgency or sense of terror. It offers practically no insight into just how horrific this cult was supposed to be. The documentary that followed the film offered more insight in just an hour! The film also did not effectively convey timeframe. In real life Catherine Oxenberg herself was in the cult for 2 years and then her daughter was in it for 6. The movie made it seem as if it all happened in a year or so. There was a lot of talking about what was happening but the movie never really showed anything and didn't delve deeply into the subject matter. As a result, the whole movie just seems superficial and doesn't make the viewer have a clear or deep understanding of the leaders motivations and why and how the women were so completely won over by the cult and so devoted to it.

As for the acting...well! Andrea Roth looks and sounds NOTHING like Catherine Oxenberg! I thought she had an Australian accent at some points and she seemed to have some kind of filler Botox situation going on, because her expression NEVER changed throughout the movie! I guess this type of movie is already difficult to make believable because of the famous real life people involved such as Catherine Oxenberg and her husband Casper Van Dien. But, seeing unconvincing actors portray them makes for a jarring, weird experience. I kept wishing Catherine Oxenberg, an actress in her own right, would have portrayed herself. I guess that was something she didn't feel like reliving, but nothing really dramatic or traumatic actually happens onscreen anyway. Joan and Melissa Rivers, Patty Duke, and a few others have played themselves in movies about traumatic things that happened in there life.

In the end, this movie was not dramatic enough to be captivating, and not campy and lurid enough to be the so bad its good Lifetime movie you want. Skip the movie and watch the documentary instead.

You can't have a cult without gullible people. Likewise, you can't have a great movie without good acting and professional cinematography. This film lacks both.