Gone Mom

Based on a true story, Jennifer Dulos, an Ivy League-educated mother of five and an aspiring writer living in a gated mansion in tony New Canaan, Connecticut, seemed to lead a charmed existence. Her enviable lifestyle was cushioned by a substantial trust fund. Behind that comfortable life, she was far from happy. Jennifer vanishes after dropping her kids off at school. It didn't take long for all suspicions to point to her charming, if mercurial, ex-husband, real estate developer Fotis Dulos, with whom she had been in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battle. But shortly after being charged with her murder in January 2020, Dulos committed suicide. Jennifer still hasn't been found. This is all depicted well in a fairly gripping thriller that doesn't have the campiness and farfetchedness usually prevelant in a Lifetime production. It's well-acted by all. A bit slow and flat in places, but it's intriguing enough to make those points not too much of a viewing hindrance.

This feels like a paint by numbers lifetime movie however bearing in mind it is the "true" story of missing woman and her murder. I'm not certain how factual the storyline is but seems close to the media reporting. Looking into the private lives of others always makes you wonder how and why things happen as they do, it's a scary reminder it could be anyone, someone you know or love. My thoughts are with the children and family members who still don't have closure. Sadly evil comes in forms.

Not much here, just very slow story telling. Lots of questionable lines uttered by the characters and the acting resembles a high school drama. I made it 25 minutes before fast forwarding to skip ahead to an ending that doesn't make sense at all. Plays like a rich wife who loses her husband to cheating and isn't shown to have any qualities other than being a trophy wife.

Gone Mom is completely intriguing from the first minute. I kept wondering what was next throughout. I enjoy Lifetime movies to varying degrees but THIS ONE was a standout, Annabeth Gish was perfectly cast in the leading role. She was believable and strong throughout. The actor who played the husband was also very good. It made me anxious and nervous wondering what was next. I would recommend it to anyone.

"Gone Mom" recreates the true story of a devoted mother of five, who allegedly was murdered by an abusive husband. The screenplay is well-conceived and told through effective flashback sequences. Jennifer was a talented writer and independent woman in her 30s when she was swept off her feet at a Colorado resort. She and Fotis Dulos were classmates at Brown University. Their reunion appeared to be a match made in heaven for Jennifer. But it turned into a match made in hell. Jennifer's bestie, Audrey, suspected right away that Fotis was a gold digger. During their marriage, Fotis quit his old job, then used Jennifer's money to become a salesman of mansions, a market that he soon discovers has dried up. Fotis is also a playboy who jet-sets around the world on Jennifer's tab. Eventually, he meets and falls in love with the South American beauty, Michelle Traconis. Jennifer discovers the affair and confronts Fotis, who demands that a "mistress" should be one of his perks. A great surprise comes to Fotis when he learns that Jennifer is divorcing him and seeking full custody of their five beautiful children. It is then that the violent side of Fotis emerges. After Jennifer's disappearance, the Connecticut police use data from his cell phone and footage from home security cameras to speculate on how Fotis murdered Jennifer. A new law was passed in Connecticut called "Jennifer's Law" to broaden the definition of domestic abuse to avoid future calamities like the loss of Jennifer, whose body was never discovered. The film is successful in raising consciousness about a vital social issue. The performances were top-notch, and the film was moving in its depiction of the senseless loss of the mother of five.

Relatively well done though the last 15 minutes lack spark. Sad story and fairly different from Dateline type coverage. ABOUT MY REVIEWS: I do not include a synopsis of the film/show -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it. My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating). For Lifetime Movies for Chicks (LMFC), drop the above scale by 3 notches. A 6 is excellent and 7 almost unattainable.

Such a brilliant acting performed by Annabeth as a central heroin... She is really amazing... I was just feeling as she were Jennifer herself while watching the movie...

Based on a true story, Jennifer Dulos, an Ivy League-educated mother of five and an aspiring writer living in a gated mansion in tony New Canaan, Connecticut, seemed to lead a charmed existence. Her enviable lifestyle was cushioned by a substantial trust fund. Behind that comfortable life, she was far from happy. Jennifer vanishes after dropping her kids off at school. It didn't take long for all suspicions to point to her charming, if mercurial, ex-husband, real estate developer Fotis Dulos, with whom she had been in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battle. But shortly after being charged with her murder in January 2020, Dulos committed suicide. Jennifer still hasn't been found. This is all depicted well in a fairly gripping thriller that doesn't have the campiness and farfetchedness usually prevelant in a Lifetime production. It's well-acted by all. A bit slow and flat in places, but it's intriguing enough to make those points not too much of a viewing hindrance.

There's a real absence of dramatic tension here. It feels like the story could have been told in 30 minutes. At around 90 minutes, the characters just amble along and events unfold so very slowly. It really feels like this goes on for hours and hours and hours. And it's such a boring and formulaic story, even if it is based on real events.