Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini

I came here to talk about what a tragedy this feeble LMN attempt at storytelling was, between the terrible acting and the universal blandness, but what you need to do is go look at the VERY comprehensive review from back on 2/19/23 by goodpatron23. They nailed EVERYTHING I had to say and then some - - and with almost-perfect grammar, etc., so I have nothing to add except like I said above -- don't bother. (It has been my experience that ever since Lifetime went Canadian, it has gone tremendously downhill in terms of quality with regard to Lifetime movies. I just don't think the CBC filmmaking standards are the same.)

I've been looking forward to seeing this since it was first announced that it was a hoax. I smelled it when it first happened, I knew that the story Sherry Papini told was completely implausible. I don't ever expect Oscar level performances from TV movies, but Jamie King's performance was so awful, it was distracting. Josh Collins as Keith Papini was okay, but he overacted the "borderline abusive husband" role to such a degree that it ruined any sense of sympathy for him, when in reality, I felt that the real Keith was the true victim in this whole story. I thought the actress who played the investigator did a decent job, but otherwise, the only excuse I think of for how badly the movie was as a whole, was that it must have been directed by a seventh grader. Such a disappointment.

What or whose perspective is this story? The public? The husband? The direction of the story appears to shift blame to an inattentive husband. He over reacts, underreacts, seems wooden- offish. She a woman described as 'perfect' 'vivacious', 'energetic' 'put together', is portrayed as someone who would be described as dull, disheveled, is conveyed so differently-"depressed, Bored, abused, on the verge of a breakdown?" There is little to no depiction of the torture her husband endured, nor is there empathy.

Don't waste your time.

It's not the acting as eluded to in a previous review. It's the story arc. There's no point of view, no empathy, & the personalities too off.

Sherri Papini (Jaime King) is stressed trying to be the perfect wife to Keith (Matt Hamilton) and the perfect mother to her two kids. She has a contentious relationship with her mother. She is out jogging in the park when she's taken. It's actually her ex Chris (Josh Collins) and she's a cooperating partner. The kidnapping becomes big news and a big police search. Sherri and Chris orchestrates her supposed escape from two Hispanic women. Years later, her story falls apart.

I remember this case although I didn't remember the old boyfriend. For whatever reason, this Lifetime movie feels flat. I had hopes that I would love Jaime King's performance. She's always been great fun. This role is different and she's almost robotic. I never get a sense of her character. Also, the story is known from the start and none of it holds any surprise. All of it adds up to a flat telling of the story.

Whoever directed this movie missed a lot of key points, from what really happened. When Keith found her phone, he said he took a picture before picking it up. In this movie he said I didn't touch anything and left it on the ground. When Sherri was kidnapped and returned home, her hair was cut short, she shackled herself up with zip ties, chains and locks in the back of the truck, prior to being dropped off. Also she had bangs. Also the acting was horrific, I'm not an actor, but I thought the acting was done poorly. So badly written! I'm completely disappointed. I give it 0 stars, I wasted time that I can't get back.