I was pretty excited to watch this film. Like much of America, I was fascinated by this bizarre, true story we witnessed in the news. Disappointingly this lifetime production was a. Dull retelling.
Even being based on a true story, it is typical in such films that liberties are taken, parts are exaggerated, and facts are changed. However, it seemed that this was unnecessarily done here; and worse, doing so actually took away from the story, rather than adding to it, as is usually intended.
For instance, legitimate details in the interviews and conversations we see/are all privy to online were altered, which made me question more of the film itself...and including them would've actually made the production more interesting!
I found Jamie King, the woman who portrayed Sherri, pretty dull and monotone, though she did at times capture Sherri's anxiety, deflection, and manipulative behavior.
There were a few times where some scenes were rushed or perhaps overedited, which only exacerbated viewer confusion AND boredom. It seemed apparent that this film had little-to-no cooperation from those actually involved In the ordeal. I'm sure that not many were cooperative, most especially Sherri herself, but it seemed so impersonal and amateurly crafted. There were moments where it was lightly comedic, and of course sad in theory, but even then and overall It lacked real soul. There is debate about whether or not the husband was at all aware before the conclusion of the investigation, but certainly their kids weren't; yet I found it difficult to be very sympathetic to anyone here.
The whole story/format felt rushed, and dare I say- after four+ years of that ridiculous case- even rushed to the screen. Like it felt a bit premature. I found the 1.5-hour recording of the concluding police interview online to be more intriguing than this movie of the same length. Perhaps after more time, those personally involved would be a bit more informative, thereby providing a more detailed telling, about which we could muster more understanding and compassion/empathy. Instead, I was actually ready for it to end.
Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini
2023
Crime / Drama
Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini
2023
Crime / Drama
Plot summary
Young mother Sherri Papini disappears while jogging and reappears three weeks later on Thanksgiving Day. She claims that two Hispanic women kidnapped and abused her. Four years later, new evidence reveals that her abduction was a hoax she perpetrated to spend time with an ex-boyfriend.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
May 30, 2024 at 10:02 AM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Disappointing retelling
Doesn't have much to say
Im not a fan of these sort of TV movies but once in a while there is a little gem out there... This wasn't one of them.
It at times can be pretty awful and inane to occasionally passable as a drama. Jaime French is about the only good thing in this and thats barely.
Everyone goes through the motions and tells this day by day account of a true story I knew nothing about. After watching this i had no interest in finding out more.
The psychology of something like this I'd probably find interesting but the story in itself is pretty dull or its made out to be dull.
If you are really bored and really want to watch a reenactment of this true story then you might get something out of it, sadly not for me
3 or 4 out of 10.
So disappointing
I've been looking forward to seeing this since it was first announced that it was a hoax. I smelled it when it first happened, I knew that the story Sherry Papini told was completely implausible. I don't ever expect Oscar level performances from TV movies, but Jamie King's performance was so awful, it was distracting. Josh Collins as Keith Papini was okay, but he overacted the "borderline abusive husband" role to such a degree that it ruined any sense of sympathy for him, when in reality, I felt that the real Keith was the true victim in this whole story. I thought the actress who played the investigator did a decent job, but otherwise, the only excuse I think of for how badly the movie was as a whole, was that it must have been directed by a seventh grader. Such a disappointment.