Desaparecida?

There's a real absence of dramatic tension here.

It feels like the story could have been told in 30 minutes. At around 90 minutes, the characters just amble along and events unfold so very slowly. It really feels like this goes on for hours and hours and hours. And it's such a boring and formulaic story, even if it is based on real events.

Gone Mom is completely intriguing from the first minute. I kept wondering what was next throughout. I enjoy Lifetime movies to varying degrees but THIS ONE was a standout, Annabeth Gish was perfectly cast in the leading role. She was believable and strong throughout. The actor who played the husband was also very good. It made me anxious and nervous wondering what was next. I would recommend it to anyone.

Based on a true story, Jennifer Dulos, an Ivy League-educated mother of five and an aspiring writer living in a gated mansion in tony New Canaan, Connecticut, seemed to lead a charmed existence. Her enviable lifestyle was cushioned by a substantial trust fund. Behind that comfortable life, she was far from happy.

Jennifer vanishes after dropping her kids off at school. It didn't take long for all suspicions to point to her charming, if mercurial, ex-husband, real estate developer Fotis Dulos, with whom she had been in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battle. But shortly after being charged with her murder in January 2020, Dulos committed suicide. Jennifer still hasn't been found.

This is all depicted well in a fairly gripping thriller that doesn't have the campiness and farfetchedness usually prevelant in a Lifetime production. It's well-acted by all. A bit slow and flat in places, but it's intriguing enough to make those points not too much of a viewing hindrance.

Relatively well done though the last 15 minutes lack spark. Sad story and fairly different from Dateline type coverage.

ABOUT MY REVIEWS:

I do not include a synopsis of the film/show -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it.

My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating). For Lifetime Movies for Chicks (LMFC), drop the above scale by 3 notches. A 6 is excellent and 7 almost unattainable.

I read the book (The Dollhouse Murder) and the movie just does not hold up. The children are almost ignored and they play a much bigger part of the real story. The script does not do justice to the terror and abuse caused by a narcissistic husband. I realize that a movie cannot include everything from the book but this movie just glided over the real story.