Review: Stockholm, Pennsylvania

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Of course this ended up on Lifetime.

Leanne (Saoirse Ronan) was kidnapped from a park when she was four years old. Ben (Jason Isaacs) told her the world had ended and kept her in his basement for 17 years. He renamed her Leia, gave her a different birthday, and teaches her different things. After she's freed (but don't expect an explanation because why the fuck would we want to know that?) she goes back to live with her parents (Cynthia Nixon and David Warshofsky) but has issues adjusting.

If you noticed my sidebar, this is a movie I was really looking forward to this year. It premiered at Sundance, but got lukewarm reviews. I ignored this, because I love Saoirse Ronan and this plot is very interesting. An intense study on Stockholm Syndrome and coming back from that? Count me in. Unfortunately that's not what this film was about. 

I tried to look at this objectively. Is the fact that it premiered on the Lifetime Network clouding my judgement on the film? This is a network that loves movies that show women objectified and empowered at the end of it. This has been the rapey, kidnappy, look at all the bad shit men do to women network for years. They even aired several other kidnapped theme previews during the commercials. One of them for Hannah Anderson, a girl that many think was actually an accomplice over a victim. Did this give me a negative cloud going in?

It didn't need to. The moment Cynthia Nixon came on screen, I can see why Lifetime probably creamed their jeans and threw money at this kidnapping film. She was terrible. Ronan was not, and she tried her hardest to carry this film, but Nixon was over the top and eventually overshadowed everything else. I wanted to learn about Leia, about how she handles life now. About what happened to her while she was gone, the film doesn't answer any of those questions. I tried to justify it to myself. When we read about kids like Shawn Hornbeck or Elizabeth Smart. People wonder what happened to them, but we never know the whole story. It's not our business, but this film didn't share those things because it was private. It's because they didn't think it through. Perhaps it can be forgiven for a first time writer/director. Instead of giving us details she went for a ludicrous twist and shock value ending that was worthy of the Lifetime network, but not of the cinema. It's disappointing. Saorise Ronan and Jason Isaacs deserve better than this.

Recommended: No

Grade: D (Seriously, I'd give it an F if it weren't for Ronan)

Memorable Quote: "What the fuck is this?" - Me. 

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 12, 2015 at 7:01 AM

    Wow -- this premise has so much potential, and I really like Ronan and Isaacs. What a waste. :-/ Thanks for sparing me from this one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 12, 2015 at 10:23 AM

    Stories like this give me high anxiety. Like...they make my heart hurt.

    It's a good thing this one is shitty so I can avoid it and spare myself 'all the feels'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 12, 2015 at 11:24 AM

      They do, and this director shit all over hers by turning it into a live action version of a clickbait article. "You thought this girl's life was rough when she was kidnapped, you will never guess what happens next."

      Delete
  3. MyerlaMay 12, 2015 at 12:23 PM

    Jesus, I hate the sound of this network. The branch of feminism (if you can call it that) that solely attacks rather than looks to create an equal society really isn't helpful in the slightest.

    I'm a Ronan fan too, terrific talent but this does sound terrible...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MyerlaMay 12, 2015 at 12:26 PM

      and it sounds like this channels almost revels in the position the women find theirselves in rather than actually sympathise with them...it sounds foul.

      Delete
    2. Brittani BurnhamMay 12, 2015 at 7:19 PM

      I hate Lifetime. I always have, my mom watched it when I was a kid and it was always the same thing over and over. Rapey, man hating bullshit.

      Delete
  4. JoshMay 12, 2015 at 6:46 PM

    Ouch. This was on the Lifetime Network?! I was also looking forward to it, but not so much now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 12, 2015 at 7:19 PM

      Yeah at first I had no idea how they managed to get their hands on this out of Sundance, but it makes sense after seeing this. They chose to go in a ridiculous, over the top direction instead of the more interesting one. I hope Ronan got paid a lot of money for this.

      Delete
  5. m.brownMay 12, 2015 at 7:04 PM

    Oh shit...are you saying I should watch this?

    I can't believe that these fine actors would end up on Lifetime, but stranger things have happened. Hmm.

    And can I just say...I bet she's a good person...but Nixon is the worst. I might punch my Samsung.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 12, 2015 at 7:17 PM

      Oh no, this isn't even funny bad. This is flat out fucking terrible. And Nixon is the worst.

      Delete
  6. thevoid99May 12, 2015 at 7:08 PM

    Lifetime... the channel for women to make them feel like idiots. I wanted to see this because of Ronan but I think you just saved me hours of my time. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 12, 2015 at 7:17 PM

      lol You're welcome. I only wish I was as strong.

      Delete
  7. m.brownMay 12, 2015 at 8:19 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Candice FrederickMay 13, 2015 at 12:15 AM

    damn.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Big Screen Small WordsMay 17, 2015 at 2:22 AM

    The premise sounded interesting, sucks that it was awful. I do like Ronan and Isaacs, but definitely skipping this. Loved the memorable quote!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 17, 2015 at 12:59 PM

      Lol far more memorable than anything said in the actual film. Also the first time in 5 1/2 years I used a quote from myself lol

      Delete

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