Bizarre


The basic premise: A family outing in the RV turns dark when the couple's young daughter disappears. Local law enforcement takes up the search and investigation, but the couple also take it upon themselves to find her.

The directing is competent. Where this movie goes totally off the rails is the story and the acting.

At times my wife and I weren't sure whether it was meant to be a black comedy or not. In the course of their misadventures, the couple end up killing a few people unintentionally. So they are trying to find their daughter, while simultaneously trying to avoid getting caught for their crimes.

Other times it drops in some sexual thriller stuff when the husband starts lusting after the wife in a nearby RV who puts on a sex show through the window for him.

Shady characters abound EVERYWHERE! The guy who runs the campground has a dark secret. The mentally challenged kid who maintains the park is sure sketchy. The strangely untalkative, unfriendly husband in the next RV... what's his deal? And who is that shirtless guy sleeping on the ground next to a fire deep in the woods... is he the escaped convict on the loose in the area?

And, omg, did they just use that corny old cliche where the wife -- nervously exploring a dark room -- is startled by the cat that jumps out?!

Anne Heche gives new meaning to the word "histrionics". As times she seems less "extremely upset mother" and more "screeching homeless woman off her meds". Even the normally reliable Thomas Jane is reduced to high school drama level acting here. Jason Patric as the local law officer is the only one who gives a credible performance.

One reviewer described it as "an unexpectedly twisty psychological thriller". They clearly haven't seen enough movies because you'll figure out the ending long before you get there.

The sort of movie that would be good only if you were drunk or high and made up your own dialogue as you watched it.

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I had to turn it off after 40 min because of AH. She was so annoying and yes seemed off meds. I kept waiting for a hint that she had a severe mental illness. But then I realized I just didn't care.

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Ya know maybe she seemed off her meds cause the character at the end is revealed to be a bit crazy, and her and her husband lost their daughter over 17 years ago and in their minds they think shes still alive sometimes. So their performances are understandable and make sense for the characters they're playing.

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So their performances are understandable and make sense for the characters they're playing.


Yes, it's Exhibit A in why you shouldn't give up on a movie prematurely because there may be things going on that are deeper than the dubiously simplistic set-up.

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Thanks, I didn't know they had lost another daughter 17 yrs before. But still, I just didn't like AH's performance anyway.

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I know what you mean about turning it off at the 40 minute mark. Around that same mark I was thinking to myself 'there's a whole hour & 15 minutes left, so this set-up can't be as cut-and-dried as it appears.'

And like the other poster pointed out, Heche's performance makes more sense as the story progresses and insights about what's happening in her character's life emerge, along with her husband.

Actually the movie nicely fleshes out several of the main characters -- the sheriff, the socially awkward kid and the shopkeeper.

A good side theme is that everyone has their issues, no one's exempt, no matter how good or noble. Anyone can fall into a situation that unexpectedly spins out of control, like the couple in the boat.

I also appreciated the beautiful (haunting) sylvan cinematography, like the many aerial shots of the lake area (Northeast of Tuscaloosa, Alabama).

Lastly, I respect how the flick makes the viewer think you have it all figured out and then pulls the rug out from under you. And it all makes sense if you chew on it, even the survivalist guy sequence.

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It was seven years ago they lost their daughter. She would’ve been 17 if still alive. I enjoy Anne Heche as an actress.Always gives a believable performance as she does here. The story isn’t original but it was involving and well-made. I’m not a fan of Facinelli as an actor but I was impressed with this which I assume is his first.

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I so badly wanted to throw her into the lake, the father as well but more so her. It got to the point where I felt like they deserved to have their child missing? She was so annoying, not at all how a mother in this situation would act I felt? It was just a bizarre movie

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SPOILER ALERT

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I agree with some of your assertions, but keep in mind the parents were in the middle of one of their manic episodes (where they believed their daughter was still alive), so that can easily explain their strange behavior (or broad histrionics). Less believable, at least for me, was the amount of red herrings in such a remote location. I think those were to keep viewers from figuring out the solution to the mystery.

The “sexual” subplot was about the only real thing in the story. The husband had cheated on his wife years before, and she was still dealing with the betrayal. Those emotions rang true. Add that to their grief - and mental illness - over losing their child, and it explains much of their actions.

The Vanished will probably frustrate viewers who want a more traditional happy ending, but it may also irritate those who like mysteries where all is not as it seems. I give it **1/2 out of ****.

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