Lost Boy (2015 TV Movie) User Reviews

Does not deliver expectations...

[insomniac_rod · 4/10 · 22 August 2015]

Well, the premise is very interesting and makes you think about many possibilities regarding the "lost boy" character.

To be honest with you, I only watched it for morbid curiosity; I mean, I expected the "lost boy" to terrorize the family in unlike ways, not in the likes of "Saw", but, situations like in "The Hand that Rocks the Craddle" (1992). However, the situations are very lame and soon you lose empathy towards the main character.

The script is very weak and never fully explains the origin of the lost boy or who really "took him" when he was an infant.

Virginia Madsen is fantastic as always and her portrayal of a mother that cannot cope with the lose of a son but keeps the hope for many years is perfect.

Watch it only if it airs at 2:00 a.m.

Was he their son or not?

[lovejoiie89 · 6/10 · 12 January 2020]

Okay the ending still left me with unanswered questions. Is he the real son or not. I know either way mom was gonna let him go but still viewers needed to know. Was he THEIR LOST BOY or was he just A LOST BOY who was traumatized and wanted his family to himself. I never quite understood why he hated Jonathon maybe because he was the other son but we're still here left with unanswered questions. Why they didn't get him any therapy.? Why didn't she open the letter? It would've been best to know ? Is what Mitchell said about his childhood true.? It was okay but I mean I'm still left wondering .

Made me Angry!

[aceellaway2010 · 5/10 · 27 July 2015]

Not a particularly bad or good film. The only character that interested me was the 2nd wife, who seemed to be trying to behave responsibly and concerned. The ending really made me angry, in a sense they abandoned the "son" was abandoned again. As he is presented at the beginning of the film, as turning "tricks' to survive, one assumes that he will be back working the sex trade at the end, until drugs/ death or Aids gets him. If he survives then h will find the market drying up as he gets older.

Admittedly he exhibits anti-social and frightening behavior. But the DNA questions I viewed as his uncertainty that if he turned out not to be the missing son, then he would be abandoned, so rather than run the risk he tried to ensure the result by trying to get DNA form the younger brother. The anger and resentment displayed at the end. Well, as they never bothered to try and deal with the past- even though the father at least was presented with some of the details of his sexual abuse and torture, he was not given counseling-it was not even mentioned. We don't know at the end if he is really the son or not, but when both parents make the decision to just not pursue it or him, the feeling of emptiness and hopelessness I felt for the boy's character was upsetting. "Ok he's a problem let's just abandon him" was the message I got.

TERRIBLE ENDING

[ssparacino · 1/10 · 29 October 2022]

At first I thought this was a good movie and very much something like this could happen for real. Then the end of the movie showed me something completely wrong. I just don't see good people turning their back on a kid at the end ...regardless if he's her son or not HE NEEDS HELP. She could have made that happen for him even if it was not for him to stay with her of course but to just dump him back out to society. To just let him go and to continue to be unwanted...also when that very well could of been her son ...she's a terrible mother and person. I thought also her job was to help kids. I truly disliked the ending and wish I never saw it.

Not great

[wingedheartart · 4/10 · 19 August 2016]

With Lifetime and Hallmark movies there seems to be a trend. The mother is passive and has one or two children that talk to her horribly and she puts up with it. Why can't a mom just say, "I know you are you are pi--ed off that I have spent time blah-blah, but you know what? You are almost grown and acting like a spoiled brat isn't helping anyone."

Trust me, real moms have periods of time when their kids are being rude, where we are blunt and open with a situation/feelings. Showing moms in movies like this, is frustrating and makes the moms in the movies unrealistically ignorant and like doormats.

Another thing, there is technology now, that is IMPORTANT to use to verify a sibling/son. Hello, DNA test. Stupid not to have a test done, with the tests protected, not left on a freaking counter. "I trust this is my son." Please. And, trusting a total stranger, alone with your younger kid is RIDICULOUS. Would you do that with a person you met on the internet? If so, you are RIDICULOUS too.

So, am ready for these channels to grow up and get more real. Yes that is expecting a lot from fluff movies.

I watched because I love Virginia Madsen and she isn't in as many movies as she should be.

As for the typical move-on dad with a younger, pregnant wife....gag. The angry, bitter daughter? Grow up. The poor younger kid with a manipulative new brother? Sounds familiar.

So, watch with a grain of salt, a big one.

It's a rehash of "The Stranger Within"

[davenewsome-52255 · 4/10 · 3 October 2022]

So I was watchin the movie. Story of a child abducted, young man claiming to be teen returns home years later, mother is estatic, young man turns villianous and tries to kill people. I KNEW I had seen this movie before in the early 90s when I was a kid. It's The Stranger Within lol, look it up lol, has that guy from Silver Spoons, Ricky Shroder, playing the young man, that movie was better than this one with a better explaination of who he was and a better ending.

This wasnt a bad movie, it's just basically the same as The Stranger Within but not as good if an ending, watch The Stranger Within.

Lost Boy Will Keep You Looking

[krocheav · 7/10 · 9 February 2017]

This odd outing by LeGrand productions is one of those borderline movies that seem to be on the verge of very serious comment with leanings towards exploitation. The story has its beginnings in truth and it's ending in supposition. It's well acted by most all, well photographed, well written with a keen sense of character and suspense. Direction is better than average, if not perfect but, very good in terms of its television origins.

The premise is strong - locking into the nature of vulnerability and the desire for something to be true regardless of the accompanying possibilities. The characters are drawn from the sad situations we see happening around us daily and the outcomes are in line with their difficult situations. There are lessons to be learned from this tense situation, especially for those contemplating sharing their home and families with others from a troubled background (not that this cant be a rewarding experience). Just be aware the road to recovery can be fraught with challenges. Recommended for those who appreciate stories emulating from today's headlines.

"You Still Like Those Crackers"

[lavatch · 5/10 · 15 January 2020]

Little Mitchell Harris was abducted as a child when his parents were not paying attention at the lake for forty seconds. Years later, an adolescent boy returns to claim that he is Mitchell arriving home. To the viewer, it is obvious that the kid is an imposter. But to the loving parents who desperately want to believe that he is their son, they are unable to lucidly embrace the truth when it is in front of their faces.

There is a revealing moment when the mother, Laura, watches the imposter munching and says, "You still like those crackers." To the mom, this was projection rather than a rational appraisal of the son. The imposter was a brilliant actor, who could turn on the charm and, above all, the emotion to cleverly manipulate the mom and dad.

In the first quarter of the film, it was easy to feel the anguish of Laura and Greg Harris, whose lives were irrevocably changed by the loss of their little boy. But for the final three-quarters of the film, their unwillingness to confront the erratic behavior of the false Mitchell had life-damaging consequences for the other family members.

When the imposter arrived, there was a plan to get the boy into therapy and to conduct a DNA test. After the imposter switched his cotton swab sample with that of little Jonathan, he bought himself some time. But once Laura learned that the kid had manipulated the DNA results, she failed to follow through with a thorough investigation into the kid's identity. An obvious choice would have been to examine dental records, but that never happened.

It was frustrating to watch the Harris family implode due to the imposter. It should have been clear to the parents that the boy was a phony, and he should have been sitting in a juvenile detention center by the midpoint of the film.

***

[edwagreen · 6/10 · 15 August 2015]

The beginning of the film shows promise with a woman counseling parents whose children are missing despite the fact that her own son has been gone for ten years.

The story is dysfunctional in the fact that she has divorced her husband and she gets along beautifully with the woman he is about to marry who is carrying his child. The children live with the father and that is never explained.

The movie begins to take a nosedive with the sudden arrival of the missing son. The mother doesn't want to question him regarding where he has been all these years.

When you think that the boy is playing a fast one and is not really their son, we then see his rather bizarre and increasingly violent behavior and we are left to wonder what is going on here.

Interesting plot but there are unanswered questions and material hard to fathom.

Wonderfully unsettling

[cdewan · 10/10 · 5 August 2015]

This isn't your grandma's Lifetime movie.

LOST BOY is tense, suspenseful, and asks some tough questions that it leaves intentionally unanswered: an entertaining but also unsettling experience, with a strong, nuanced performance by its young male lead.

I had doubts about it at the beginning, as the movie seemed to be going down some over-familiar tropes: a mother who's unable to let go of her lost son, a father who's all too eager to let go, the siblings of the lost boy, who have grown up a bit neglected in their brother's shadow, etc.

But when the lost son returns, that's just the first of several twists, and before long this movie goes into some deep, interesting, and seldom-asked questions about this family and its sad situation.

I found the ending, in particular, very satisfying, and not in a "Hollywood" way: it lingered with me and unsettled me for some time after the credits were done rolling.

Way to go, Lifetime, for green-lighting this challenging fare.

Good movie, but silly outcome

[loueymc · 6/10 · 29 July 2015]

This movie is a watchable storyline and it does leave you wondering the whole time if he is or is not their Son, the cast all play good parts. Matthew Fahey plays his part quite well, he's basically a very damaged young man, due to years of abuse at the hands of people who took/raised him...is desperate to fit in with a good family, which is exactly what you would expect from a boy who had been taken, had years of abuse thrown his way and then finally see's a family which could be his. The Mother pretty much reacts the way you'd expect (considering she never gave up hope) she's just extremely happy to finally have her Son back, which is what blind sights her, but again, understandable. The Father warms to his Son a little more easily than I expected (I thought he'd at least be sceptical) considering in previous scenes he shows disinterest in keeping up hope or with the search for him. Carly Pope's character shows a more sensible approach to the initial situation (but given that she's not a parent to the boy, it'll be easier for her to think more logically) by suggesting a DNA test and providing the boy with much needed therapy-which for some reason does not happen!! Why?? He shows signs early on of needing this and even if he didn't, it would still be a responsible thing to do. Abused children DO NOT just slip right in to a normal happy family situation as easily as they seemed to attempt it. Finally, the ending....is what kills it, why wouldn't you open that letter??! Yes, he showed many signs of abusive behavior and dangerous...but wouldn't you still WANT to know if he was your Son, any normal real parent would not be able to keep themselves from at least knowing for sure. Fair enough, if you see the result as not a match for DNA, walk away, but if he was their Son, after years of waiting for him to come back, you could not just walk away....you'd want to get him help/therapy! So, as watchable storyline as I found it, it only gets a 6/10 from me, purely because of that ending

So was he the son or not

[lovejoiie89 · 6/10 · 12 January 2020]

Okay the ending still left me with unanswered questions. Is he the real son or not. I know either way mom was gonna let him go but still viewers needed to know. Was he THEIR LOST BOY or was he just A BOY BOY who was traumatized and wanted his family to himself. I never quite understood why he hated Jonathon maybe because he was the other son but we're still here left with unanswered questions. Why they didn't get him any therapy. Is what Mitchell said about his childhood true.? It was okay but I mean I'm still left wondering .

Well worth watching

[chadborne-22702 · 10/10 · 1 August 2015]

I found the film Lost Boy to be a really engaging thriller. There were a number of good twists in the story, which isn't always the case in a TV movie. In particular,I liked that it didn't wrap up in a neat and tidy way - that was this some mystery at the end. I don't mind (in fact I often prefer) that you don't know everything at the end of the story. The writing, especially with the dialogue, is quite strong. I enjoyed the use of the old home movie footage. Lost Boy is well worth watching. The movie isn't the standard, "based on true events" Lifetime movie of the week although it wasn't far removed from real life either. I thought Matthew Fahey was excellent as Mitchell, "the lost boy." I hadn't heard of him before but I suspect I will be seeing him in more roles in the future. Virginia Madsen and Mark Valley also worked well together too as the now-separated parents and Sosie Bacon was good at the rebellious teen sister.

Highly Entertaining

[sunsetlego · 9/10 · 5 August 2015]

A really enjoyable film that feels more like an edgy indie character driven thriller than Lifetime fare. Writing, Cast, and direction are all top notch. Terrific gem of a suspense film with plenty of twists and thrills that kept me guessing. I particularly was drawn into Virgina Madsen's characters journey-- her loss then acceptance of (spoiler alert) the young man coming into her life claiming to be her lost son. It was a fascinating turnaround of events which kept making me guess and wonder based on the unfolding clues-- (spoiler alert) whether he is or isn't really her son... and was finding the son's character journey equally as compelling -- whether he was or wasn't the true son... and how much did that matter if there is the same experience and loss in their lives and they match up like damaged puzzle pieces. Fascinating character stuff explored here.

Don't miss it!!

[jlwrising · 10/10 · 9 August 2015]

Thank you Lifetime for stepping outside the box a little and bringing us this enjoyable thriller!!

I was on the edge of my seat and could never guess where LOST BOY was going...I loved that about it. It was creepy in a really good way and refreshing to see such a deep script reminiscent of that old black and white film THE BAD SEED. I hate when people tell the whole story in reviews so I'll just say, the ending was just right and stayed with me days after.

The acting was spot on especially the young man, Matthew Fahey in the lead role and Sosie Bacon as his "sister."

I read a couple of surprising reviews here that leave me to wonder if we saw the same movie or if they are even Lifetime regulars. I love Lifetime and I really loved this movie. Keep surprising us with more like it.

I Loved this movie.

[justin35 · 9/10 · 26 April 2019]

Everyone has already said all there needs to know about the movie.

I just wanted to comment on the ending. She found with the DNA that IT WAS their son and She has decided to let him go. Especially since he is dangerous and other kids are suffering. He is not the same little lost 6 year old boy that they have lost and worried about. Good call.

Worth the watch

[sini-200 · 8/10 · 1 October 2019]

I found this movie surprisingly good, as not having much expectations. Even the story was a bit cliche and plot holes, it had suspense on and wanted to know what happened in the end. I just didn't understand how the mother just accepted the stranger as her son right away, didn't offer him any therapy at all (as he clearly would have needed it!!) and trusted him almost instantly, like the rest of his family. Even his sister didn't find his new "brother" at all suspicious the way he acted?? And i found it weird they just let the boy just go friends parties and all just after he was found, as if he didn't need any help process the fact he was kidnapped, abused and having serious issues. Anyhow, despite the plot holes in the story, it was surprisingly entertaining indie movie, with strong actors making it worth the watch.