Love You to Death

If you've never watched anything related to this story before, please don't start with this movie. It completely downplays the real story and kills every interesting part of it.

First off, I don't really understand why another adaptation to the same story was even needed to begin with - there were multiple documentaries covering it already (I recommend "Mommy Dead and Dearest" the most), as well as the drama series "The Act", all of which were much closer to the real story than this.

But if you are already making a movie that might introduce new people to the story, at least do it well. This movie was not only super different than the actual story, but has also completely cut out all of the really shocking and interesting parts of the story, some of which were very important parts of this story that were not even slightly mentioned here, making the story in the movie much more dull and boring compared to the real one. And then there are the parts of the story that were included here, but those were changed so much that they have ruined the whole build up into the finale (which as I mentioned before, was nowhere near as shocking as the real story).

This is such a poor adaptation to the story, that I feel like the only way anyone could enjoy it is if they've never heard of the story before, but if you've never watched it before, then what reason would you have to start with this failed attempt to present the story when there are so many better alternatives out there?

If they were going to change so much, I feel like they should have went completely different and do something like the movie "Run" did where it's just a complete fiction story about the same condition, but this movie was clearly trying to tell Gypsy's specific story, which is why it being done in such a poor way is so disappointing.

So as someone who is really familiar with this story and has watched anything possible related to it, I can't stress any more how much I recommend that you don't start with this movie as your introduction.

When you have an outstanding performance from Patricia Arquette and Joey King in The Act, this film fails short, it's a remagining and based on the true story but at times its more visual than trying to tell you the story.

....watch The Act instead much more gripping and interesting than this so called take on the real life story of Dee-Dee & Gypsy Rose Blanchard. The acting was pretty poor in my opinion they should have just saved their money and not even made it.

This TV docudrama based on the lives of Dee Dee and Gypsy Blanchard was at times very difficult to watch. The abuse from the mother, Camille (Marcia Gay Harden), was frightening. She was very scary and relentlessly in control. And Harden was amazing as always. Emily Skeggs (Esme) did the best she could with what she had and Tate Donovan was wasted, which was too bad. What was missing in this movie was some kind of revelation as to why people suffer from Munchhausen Syndrome. It only shows the effect on Esme. Having a look inside the character of Camille might have made this a little more interesting. While definitely not a major motion picture, it was entertaining.

Lifetime movies seldom rise above mediocrity ("Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story" was a notable exception), but they usually have some entertainment value. This misbegotten misfire has none. The sad tale of Gypsy and Dedee Blanchard is a real-life horror story that would tax the abilities of Ann Rice or Stephen King. The subject is simply too unpleasant for a fictional treatment. Emily Skeggs is good, but Marcia Gay Harden gives a one-note performance as the mom and the rest of the cast are cyphers. Do yourself a favor and skip this turkey. Watch ID's riveting 2-part documentary "Gypsy's Revenge" instead.