Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story

Lifetime seems to be stepping up their game. They did a great job with the "Surviving R Kelly" series, and now they've released this TV movie. Is this movie perfect? NO. But it's a Lifetime movie, which are usually horrible and this is miles above their usual stuff.

The topic is fascinating - the horrors of an 1887 women's mental institution. Which is a terrifying premise given that back then women could be thrown into institutions for almost any reason, and with little to no rights, they were stuck there sometimes forever.

I'm not sure that they way the movie's story is structured best serves the story as there is a late reveal that might have been interesting to have known in advance and watched in real-time. I won't spoil that twist here, but I'll tell you that if you don't want to know, you should NOT read the movie descriptions in advance. Part of the problem is that I did read the description on my Comcast, so I knew way more than the amnesiac heroine and the late-story twist was no surprise to me. Still, despite that, I found myself entertained and there are plenty of small character twists to surprise you. Great performances from Christina Ricci and Judith Light!

After watching the movie, you can go online and read about the real Nelly Bly, and you'll discover that this movie veers pretty far off the actual historical events. However, it still makes for an interesting angle that is at least "inspired by" the real story.

Why would you post a major spoiler in the description IMBD?!

This was... fine. But on the low end of it. Also it is probably too late but don't read the description or watch the trailer as it just immediately tells you the "twist" lol

The beginning was confusing, and not in an atmospheric, tone setting way... just... confusing. As it went on it started to clear up but never got particularly "exciting" yet still kept your attention and intrigue. I know nothing about the historical accuracy of this portrayal but I bet they could have beefed it up a bit.

As far as the acting goes everyone did a fine job. The old timey affectation that more times than not goes with a period piece of this era felt a little too stilted at times and was distracting, particularly from Nellie and the doctor. They did a good job but weren't always fully convincing. Judith Light on the other hand did a fantastic job. Her professionalism, experience and tact as an actress really shines through here.

Over all this lands around a 4.5 rounding up to 5 as it wasn't BAD by any means... definitely a Lifetime movie if you know what I mean. As far as a recommendation... I'm indifferent.

The tragedy of Lifetime's presentation of Nellie Bly's story of her time in the insane asylum on Blackwell's Island is that reality of what happened to her and chronicalled in her book '10 Days in the Madhouse' is far more interesting than the fictionalized account presented in the film. What Nellie Bly did was remarkable and lead to significant reforms in the way things were done. Truth is frequently more interesting than fiction.

The best part of this movie was the fact that it made me go look up Nellie Bly and try and learn what really happened. The acting was decent and it was entertaining. I am disappointed, after learning what a bad ass Nellie Bly was, that the creators went the "damsel in distress" route. Nonetheless, a good watch for this snowy day.