Gone Mom (2021) User Reviews

Gone Mom

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 2 September 2022]

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.

Being trapped/committed within toxic relationships has very sad consequences

[kysta · 5/10 · 20 June 2021]

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.

"My days of pleasure are over"

[evening1 · 7/10 · 2 January 2022]

There are so many if-only's in this tragic tale about choosing the wrong man.

If only Jennifer (Annabeth Gish) hadn't recognized hunky Fotis Dulos (Warren Christie) from college in a bar one fateful night! But, once she had, if only she'd taken seriously her seeming hunch that Fotis was out for her money. Though this better-than-average Lifetime film reveals that Jen had wealth, Wikipedia points out that she had blood ties to the Liz Claiborne fashion line.

Bad signs abound for Jen, but it seems she doesn't take them seriously till too late. After sex upon their unexpected reunion, Fotis doesn't call! Still, Jen subsequently marries him -- despite apparent reservations by her parents and best friend, Audrey (Laura Harris). Could Jen be "settling" for the pro water skier because she's 35 years old? The wedding arrives quickly, and, while literary Jen gets the kids she craves, she also gives up a lot, telling Audrey, "I'm writing whenever I can."

Fotis "couldn't quit his job fast enough after they got married," Audrey tells Det. Perez (Kendra Westwood) after Jen's disappeared. It's through Audrey's police report that we learn about big problems in the Dulos mansion. Once Jen files for divorce, and Fotis's behavior brings sanctions from the court, we observe an inexorable spiraling toward disaster. (What I can't grasp is why Jen didn't hire bodyguards and security. What's a 70-mile buffer zone with an adversary like Fotis?)

This film is a wakeup call for any woman wary of the biological clock. Let it tick, and proceed with caution.

I got absorbed

[adh-08851 · 7/10 · 4 April 2023]

Knowing nothing about this movie, I turned it on as background noise while I played word games on my phone.

I had no idea this was a true story and I think I actually rolled my eyes and nearly turned it off when I saw a woman past thirty whose rich parents supported her in luxury homes while she futzed around like some spoiled dilettante playing at being a writer.

I started to get interested and put my game down when Jennifer told Fotis during their first night together that her father "kind of" owned a bank. Fotis obviously saw dollar signs and began seriously wooing her.

His affairs finally force her to try to divorce him. The fairy-tale lifestyle with the mansion, the rich parents, the handsome, attentive husband and 5 beautiful children unravels in the most horrific way and nothing could save her being brutally murdered.

A very sad story and one that is all too common for many women who are unable to get protected from vindictive partners.

Decent LMFC

[bt698nhj · 6/10 · 30 March 2023]

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.

Gone on too long

[frukuk · 1/10 · 26 March 2022]

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.

Gone Mom is based on a true story

[catfanatic888 · 8/10 · 12 June 2021]

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.

Simple dialogue, simple acting and simple story

[Xavier_Stone · 2/10 · 13 June 2021]

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.

Jennifer Dulos: Missing!!!

[lavatch · 8/10 · 28 December 2021]

"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.

We have to stop this

[parkerchar-70574 · 1/10 · 26 August 2023]

When I was in 2nd grade, Jennifer Dulos went missing. The Dulos family lived in my town, and I knew the family. All 5 of the Dulos children went to my school, one of them was in my class. We were very good friends. I remember everyone being distraught, we had seen Mrs. Dulos probably the day before she went missing. There were missing posters up for her, and in a town park, there is now a memorial. This whole thing is so horrible and if you really find this movie to be an enjoyment to watch, think about a family with 5 kids, a dad who committed suicide, and a mom who was killed. How do you feel watching this movie and knowing that the only way they were able to make this movie was for a family to be completely destroyed, traumatized, but there are people out there that are enjoying it.

If you knew these people, you wouldn't be watching this movie. Why are we becoming so entertained by others' downfall? Just imagine being in 2nd, 5th, or 6th grade. Your mom is dead, your dad killed himself. Your lives are ripped apart. Now there is a movie being made about your family's tragedy all for people's entertainment. Sure, true crime is an industry, but once it happens to you, and they make films about how your family was wrecked, would you still support it?

Annabeth Gish Made It Real To Feel...

[sohaibtalat-00132 · 10/10 · 6 June 2022]

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...