Missing at 17 (2013)
Directed by Doug Campbell
Written by Christine Conradt
Produced by Marianne C. Wunch, Robert Ballo, Ken Sanders, Tom Berry, Christine Conradt, Pierre David
Starring Ayla Kell, Tricia O’Kelley, Ben Gavin, Alex Carter, Micah Alberti, Marin Hinkle, Gary Hudson, Jonathan Camp, Jacob Hopkins, Brandi Glanville, Brittany Beery, Ramon Camacho, Connor Clayton, Lucas Durham, Cali Fredrichs, Paul Zies
Shadowland’s kindliest of many perils at 17 is a modest diversion by director Campbell and his frequent collaborators (co-producer/screenwriter Conradt, co-producer/DP Ballo, composer Steve Gurevitch, et al.), who’ve but one surprise: no annoyances! The shocking patefaction of her adoption incites a brainish runaway (Kell) to expand her social circle during two unauthorized, extemporaneous excursions, when she’s romanced by a hunky hoodlum (Gavin) who hires a private investigator (Hudson) to locate her debilitatedly drunken mother (Hinkle) and upright brother (Alberti). While her divorced, adoptive parents (O’Kelley, Carter) seek, then stanch the temperamental teen whenever she’s around, her new boyfriend is plied by his recidivous cousin (Camp) and an accomplice (Camacho) to participate as the getaway driver of their upcoming larceny. Decent production values, relatively subdued goofiness, and feisty Kell’s tickling overperformance broaden the appeal of another felonous and familial drama beyond the horizon of Lifetime’s tipsy, post-menopausal audience. Rident and logically undemanding couples may make a nice evening of it.
