Escaping Dad (2017) Reviews

• Hanging out on a motel roof...

  darkavenger772017-06-05

  Typical Lifetime movie involving an abused wife. This time the Lifetime Bad Guy (LBG) is District Attorney Darren, who has been married to Lifetime Heroine (LH) Erin for 11 years. They have two kids, Amy and Charlie. Amy is the LH's daughter from a prior marriage and the requisite Lifetime rebellious teen (RT), while Charlie is their son and is a diabetic. Erin looks like a younger Emily Deschanel. It's an average movie and yet another ripoff of Sleeping With The Enemy, this time with kids. The movie opens with the LH driving with two kids and a police car is then behind them. Before we find out what happens next, flashback to 6 days earlier. The LBG shows early on he is an abuser and micro-manager control freak. The LH is not allowed to wear red lipstick, and he questions every dollar she spends. In the first domestic violence incident, the LBG knocks down the LH and she gets a cut on her forehead. The LH has lunch with a friend that picks up on her being abused and offers her a place to stay in California. We get a title drop as they are talking and an Amber Alert comes across the LH's phone. After another incident of domestic violence, the LH packs up and leaves the next day. It looks like the LBG may have a skeleton in his closet after an investigator arrives and mentions the Martinez case. He goes along with filing an Amber Alert even though there has been no threat of violence since the LH supposedly took a gun. The LH picks up the RT and then barely gets away with getting Charlie from camp. There is a funny exchange using the term "psycho" in the car afterward. The LBG and the investigator talk about how all the LH needs is his passport to link him to Martinez and the cartel, and she took it along with hers. First overnight stop is a motel. The girls bond and Charlie has a seizure, but is OK. RT screws up and calls her boyfriend and the local deputies arrive. The trio hides out on the roof of the motel. They learn after the car is towed that the LH left like $6K in the car. The hoof it to a truck stop and the phone rings. The LH figures out RT used the phone. The local cops narrowly miss the trio at a truck stop. A trucker named Wes, who the LH had literally run into in a convenience store earlier gives them a lift. In a departure from the usual guy in need of a shave, he has an actual beard. Looks like he could be a Lifetime Good Guy (LGG), even if he wears a wife beater (ironic based on the movie's plot). He feeds them, and then has some quality talk time with the LH at motel #2, to include more time on the roof. I have to say I have never seen anyone spend time on a motel roof, but it happens here twice in one day. The LH locks herself out of her room, so she crashes in the LGG's truck. RT wakes up and can't find mom, so she then goes to the truck and flips out when she assumes they slept together- they didn't, the LGG was in the front seat. They see the LBG on a TV show and RT bails, trying to hitchhike. The LBG says the LH has mental issues. The LH fesses up to RT about how all of her old injuries were caused by the LBG. More reconciliation. Time for Charlie to have another attack, and LGG doesn't know what to do. We learn the LH suffered from postpartum depression years ago. More discussion between the LBG and investigator about the Martinez incident, the investigator is ready to bail. The trio is now back on the road with the LGG. The LBG visits with RT's boyfriend and convinces him at gunpoint to gt into the car. He gets info from him that they are headed to Stacy's. The trio hits California as the LBG figures out who Stacy is and where she is. The trio arrives at Stacy's boat, and the LGG says he'll be back for the fireworks in a few days. The LBG is locked and loaded and coming after them. Not sure how he's going to fly to California from Virginia with a loaded gun though. The LH then looks at the LBG's passport and figures out something is wrong due to the Mexican stamps. Some girl time with Stacy and she lets on Stacy is pregnant. We've been a long time w/o a female in jeopardy, so the last 5 minutes see the LH being assaulted by the LBG on the boat, he has bound & gagged RT and is now threatening them at gunpoint. The LGG shows up and Stacy directs him to the boat. The LBG is choking the LH, but she uses a convenient wine glass to the head to break the hold. Some more fighting and choking and a knee to the groin and she's free again. She follows up with two shots to the head via a convenient paddle, which knocks the LBG overboard. The LGG shows up and is being strangled by the LBG using a convenient rope. Fortunately, the LBG conveniently left his gun where the LH was, so she picked it up and ganked the LBG with a headshot. The movie ends with laughter, the LGG and Charlie fishing, and Stacy holding her new baby. It looks like the LH and the LGG will be sharing a cabin. Real move score: 5/10 (higher is better). Lifetime movie score: 5/10 (higher is stupider).

• Good on a budget

  jamiealexmoore2019-05-04

  The movie was good very interesting until you get to the end it seems as if they ran out of time and just hurried up with it as if they were late for lunch. The women I thought could have been more strong than timid especially if she is running from her hubby with her two kids.

• Male bashing Lifetime does it again.

  amwjobhunt2018-12-17

  ????Typical Lifetime movie. Why are men, fathers, and husbands constantly demonized? TV stations that target male viewers don't demonize wives, mothers, and women in general. A majority of those stations show good old action flicks or shows such as "Cops" which I enjoy as well. A woman can be empowered without demonizing a man. Thank you.

• Pretty good LMN Thriller! The title is the only part that doesn't jive!

  huggibear2017-09-11

  I thought the title wasn't appropriate, but overall this movie was really good. The movie wasn't about Dad, more than it was about an over-bearing, controlling and abusive 'Husband'. The couple was married 10-11 years, so I'm assuming the younger son was probably his, but not the older teenage daughter. So it was the daughter's stepdad and the son's real dad, but it was the wife who had been taking this man's abuse and not the children. Anyway, it was worthy of watching.

• Fast paced and satisfying thriller

  phd_travel2017-08-13

  Although there have been quite a few abused wife on the run LMN movies, this one is better than average. The pace is fast and the escape is quite exciting with the way too efficient cops on their tails. The cast is likable. Sunny Mabrey is quite believable and pretty as abused wife on the run from her A type cop turned DA abusive husband with her daughter and diabetic son. Grace Van Dien daughter of Casper plays an irritating brat older daughter who in turns stupidly leaking information on their whereabouts and uncooperative. Along comes trucker played by Trevor Donovan who helps drive them to safety. The conclusion is quite feel good. Worth a watch.