Eight Days to Live

Really great movie; Good job CTV for making movies like this. Families need more movies they can watch together. This was perfect to watch with your teenagers...some real emotions were shown. I really didn't expect to watch the whole movie, but it really hooked me; I cried, laughed and was on the edge of my seat. It was very realistic, some great scenery of our West Coast. Loved the actors in it... Ryan McDonell especially, who played the older jerk of a brother, but had an emotional breakthrough in the end played his part so well. Would love to see him in a lead role soon! I would highly recommend this movie to anyone...I would love to see it again as well. I'll keep my eyes open for it.

This is a pretty good movie. It has a good story and good acting. It's based on a true story a son, Joe Spring, who goes missing after he doesn't return home when he said he would. His mother, Teresa Spring(Kelly Rowan from Fox's "The OC") learns that he never made it to the party he said he was going to, so she goes searching for him.

It's a different kind of movie, the kind that can teach you stuff. I think it was good because it's a Lifetime movie and they usually turn out pretty good. Next time this movie's on, I suggest watching it. I know I will. I think it can teach parents to always make sure you know where you're kids are because you never know if you will see them again.

I am giving this movie a 7 out of 10 because of its very real portrayal of our Canadian RCMP and Police systems and how they respond when a person goes missing. This portrayal is exactly how it happens and so real it is eerie. The fact that Joe is nineteen, a teenager and male is also a big factor in the reaction to his being missing. The Mother in the movie with the hair in her face, this is just for effect. The family would never be allowed to search with Search and Rescue as they are not trained. A boy showing up in the middle of the road, very out of place and why?. Drugs and young girl on face book very believable and possible though not in this case. I have a son that is missing and never been found. He also travelled in the PG area though that is not where he is missing. It has been extremely difficult and painstakingly slow over the years to get the RCMP and police to follow up on my missing son. It is exactly what this family went through for the week extended over years. I was very grateful that Joe lived. The helicopter pilot in real life would never have gone up in the air against orders. In real life the Mother would never be allowed to touch Joe at the accident scene as in the case of another scenario she would contaminate evidence. my real life opinion e

Eight Days To Live is one of those films I found myself questioning how I got around to watching, it wasn't on my watchlist and I'd never even heard of it.

It's a Lifetime original movie, it looks great and it's cast is brilliant. It stars Kelly Rowan, Michael Eklund and the always excellent Katherine Isabelle.

It tells the story of a 19 year old who goes missing enroute to a party and his families efforts to find him, pretty simple stuff.

Thing is it's actually really quite well made, some of the characters aren't overly likeable but the cast make the best of what they've been given and actually impressed me.

The story though simple is paced perfectly and I found myself really quite gripped and looking forward to seeing where it was building to.

Then it all goes wrong, then it delivers a finale that kills the film stone dead. The finale is unbelievable on many levels and I'm so disappointed with it. I was enjoying the film, this is something I would have gone on to recommend but then THAT happened. Oh dear.

Watchable film if you just close your eyes and imagine your own ending.

The Good:

Gripping

Great cast

Very well made

The Bad:

One of the worst endings I've ever seen

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Someone needs firing for coming up with that ending

Cheating protagonists are really a thing now aren't they!

Michael Eklund was born to be a bad guy

Nineteen-year-old Dustin Milligan (as Joseph "Joe" Spring) likes fast cars and fast women. He's reckless behind the wheel, but mother Kelly Rowan (as Teresa) thinks Mr. Milligan has become a "good driver" now that he's back on the road, after losing his license for six months. Milligan wants to take the car out to a party for the weekend. While they have some reservations, mother Rowan and father Shawn Doyle (as Tim) disagreeably give him permission to make the trip. However, he loses his cell-phone during a pre-trip sex date and doesn't call home as promised. Rowan calls the police, but they can't declare Milligan a missing person right away. Beginning the investigation on their own, the family soon discovers something has gone terribly wrong...

"Inspired by a true story," according to the introduction, this starts out as a very believable drama. Milligan is convincing as a good looking young man interested in sex and cars. Rowan is fine as his increasingly frantic mother. For a supposedly true story, there are some notable problems, however. Matthew Matheson (as Powell River) plays a young boy who stands in the middle of an oncoming car – this suicide attempt (?) and his later solo (?) trip to the police station are not credible. Younger (?) siblings Tegan Moss (as Becca) and Ryan McDonell (as Will) seem older. Perhaps most puzzling is a crash victim's exposed body not attracting wild life. Still, director Norma Bailey and the crew manage to keep the story engaging – and the music is terrific.

****** Eight Days to Live (4/2/06) Norma Bailey ~ Kelly Rowan, Dustin Milligan, Shawn Doyle, Tegan Moss