meezerfan123 Review of A Friend of the Family

A Friend of the Family (2022)

Absolutely enraging but compelling story of a textbook narcissist

[10/10 · 8 October 2022]

I agree with other reviews that recommend watching "Abducted in Plain Sight," the documentary, on Netflix so that you understand the story going in since this adaptation does jump around in time quite a bit. That said, it is an incredibly compelling dramatization of a malignant narcissist and pedophile and what he did to a family whose strong religious beliefs led them to expect the best from people and at the same time, left them extremely vulnerable to manipulation. There isn't a weak link in this cast. Anna Paquin is excellent as a good mother who gets no validation from her strict disciplinarian husband, Colin Hanks. Hanks is spot on as the kind of rule-follower who believes that's all he has to do to get through life. Jake Lacy is the creep, but handsome and charming enough that you understand why he got his own way in situations where it is mind-blowing that he did. Lio Tipton plays his wife, meek with a side of just-as-psycho, and quickly makes us forget we first met her as a model. Finally, all I can say about Hendrix Yancy is this kid deserves an Emmy nomination - her portrayal of an abuse victim who still loves her accuser is so accurate that it is chilling. It is hard to watch because you know someone should be protecting this vulnerable child, but no one is! The show is making me want to yell at the TV which I'm sure is what they were going for. I hate that this is a true story, but the dramatization makes for A+ television.