verisww

I would have given 5 or maybe 6 stars but Ashton bumped it up. It was like his evil twin showed up...looks like him but a totally different person. For a comedy he played it straight and low key. It worked. It worked so well I had to keep convincing myself this is Ashton. Amazing transformation. His ability to take on a completely different person in this movie reminds me of Val Kilmer back in the 90s who was difficult to recognize in the first 5 mins of the movie.

As for the movie itself it was entertaining and good fun for watching at home All the actors were good but Ashton stood out.

I did not pick the movie deliberately. It was advertised. I was in the mood for a comedy. This was more of a drama comedy. I liked the smart script. Good writer(s).

You had the right elements for great story telling. The real story is better than the fiction so why did the movie not work as well as it could?

First the acting of the main character by actress Jessica Amlee just didn't seem quite believable. All the other actors did fine especially Brian McNamara playing the father. He was believable. Jim Patterson, the creepy villanous uncle, did a fine job but was challenged when acting up against the poor acting of Jessica Amlee.

Second, the scenes of key parts of the story were poorly done. Some scenes were too short and others too long in the story telling. That part I believe is caused by poor editing. It seemed choppy. There is a way to go back and forth in time sequences that makes sense and this movie didn't make the cut.

All in all the story has its own power and it is too bad there isn't a better production made with the actual input of the real character, the real person this happened to, Hannah Anderson herself. Maybe a docudrama would be best.

I gave it a higher score because of the story and the main characters. It starts slow, too slow, but stay with it for the story and the acting gets stronger as the movie progresses . If they had better editing and showed more of the background and emotions surrounding the coma in the first half it would have been a better film. Just the same...very good story. Really liked the acting by Toni Belafonte. Because of her, Jahmar Hill's acting improved immensely in the second half of the movie. Her boyfriend Streetz played by Talli Clemons and Antonio's Father played by Bill Johnson left a lot to be desired in believable acting. It is either that or they were not comfortable acting as an abusive man toward their woman. Lynia Love (Tammi) was totally not believable. I thought she was reading off a script for the first time. Nakia Dillard (Chris) who plays Streetz's Dad is in only a few scenes but leaves a memorable impression. Sade Whiting is on only briefly but also left an impression.