Valerie Bertinelli never looked so good. Playing a convincing part of someone who is mentally unstable is no easy task, and Valerie put a lot of fear into me and, I am sure, others who watched this movie. I guess I wasn't alone, because my wife even cringed a little at her in some of the scenes. Some of the supporting acting was so-so, but Valerie gave this movie and topic a real boost. This subject is always timely, and the ensuing tragedy at the school is right in line with events in the 2000's. It makes for a very good movie that will keep you clinging to the arms of your chair.
20 Reviews
Valerie is scary in this one!
krazygirl1_9831 August 2005
Valerie Bertinelli does a fantastic acting job in this movie. She is extremely convincing and scary as Laurie Wade !! The movie is very sad of course, because of it being based on the true story of Laurie Wade and her journey to mental illness. I saw this film quite awhile ago on television and although sad, enjoyed Valerie's acting and the movie itself. I've been looking for this film for awhile now and so far, have only seen it available on Ebay, to Great Britain. Hoping to find it on Region one DVD. I would highly recommend it for not only Valerie Bertinelli fans but anyone who is into true crime or can handle the topics that this film deals with. This film is definitely NOT for children so parents please be warned.
scary true story i'll never forget
tjgholar13 January 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I was about eight or nine years old when the real Laurie Dann went on her shooting rampage, about the same age as the children she murdered. The scary thing is, even after seeing this eerie film, I still don't know what it was that caused her to do the horrible things she did. Still the film is an excellent study of what happens when mental illness goes untreated.
Scary but true
travsgirl8 April 2000
Warning: Spoilers
I have always loved Valerie Bertenelli's acting but she was really awesome in this movie.
It is a true story based on the life of Laurie Wade.
Scroll down for spoiler so I don't ruin the story.
Laurie and her husband get married but he has no idea what kind of Laurie person she has- or rather what kind of problems she has.
One minute she is a really nice, caring, stable person able to function clearly. Next minute, she is confused, angry and very violent.
The doctors don't know what is wrong, her husband can't take it anymore and leaves. Her parents tell her it will all be "ok."
But it isn't. it's far from ok. Laurie buys several guns and then goes into school and shoots several kids then holds and boy and his mom hostage.
When the Swat team and police finally raid the house she is hiding in, they find that she has shot herself in the head.
The ending credits say that only one kid died and the others were ok. But the doctors even after studying her history and doing all the necessary tests, cannot find out what cause her bizarre behavior.
It is sad that she might have been helped and all this had been prevented if she had found a doctor that would put her in the hospital and really try to figure out what was wrong. With medication and psychtherapy, she might have been ok.
And her parents ignored the obvious. People need to take notice of friends and family. If someone seems troubled, get them help. IF they seem dangerous to themselves or others, get them help. Don't just hope that they will get it themselves. They might not know how to get help.
I give this a thumbs up.
It is a true story based on the life of Laurie Wade.
Scroll down for spoiler so I don't ruin the story.
Laurie and her husband get married but he has no idea what kind of Laurie person she has- or rather what kind of problems she has.
One minute she is a really nice, caring, stable person able to function clearly. Next minute, she is confused, angry and very violent.
The doctors don't know what is wrong, her husband can't take it anymore and leaves. Her parents tell her it will all be "ok."
But it isn't. it's far from ok. Laurie buys several guns and then goes into school and shoots several kids then holds and boy and his mom hostage.
When the Swat team and police finally raid the house she is hiding in, they find that she has shot herself in the head.
The ending credits say that only one kid died and the others were ok. But the doctors even after studying her history and doing all the necessary tests, cannot find out what cause her bizarre behavior.
It is sad that she might have been helped and all this had been prevented if she had found a doctor that would put her in the hospital and really try to figure out what was wrong. With medication and psychtherapy, she might have been ok.
And her parents ignored the obvious. People need to take notice of friends and family. If someone seems troubled, get them help. IF they seem dangerous to themselves or others, get them help. Don't just hope that they will get it themselves. They might not know how to get help.
I give this a thumbs up.
based on a true story
katb72328 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was based on a true story about Laurie Dann who shot a classroom full of children. If I remember correctly and I may not(lol) The Boomtown Rats based their song "I Don't Like Mondays" on her story. Being a teacher, when the teacher says "Why didn't she shoot me?" I cried because I think that's the way I would feel if someone did that to my students. It's sad that her situation had to get to that point for her to get the help she so desperately needed. It reminds me of a case in PA where a woman shot people in the Springfield Mall. She was mentally unstable but she kept being released and then she was able to obtain a gun. I wonder what happened to the real Laurie? If anyone knows please post it, thank you.
Shocking True Story
aqx9924 June 2000
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is an amazing true account of the rampage that Laurie Dann (her last name is different in the movie) went on during the last hours of her life. Her madness was never explained, and the reason for her actions will never be known. Surprisingly, only one child died that day, while hundreds could have if her plans had all worked out. This is an incredibly well acted movie. One of Valerie Bertinelli's best movies.
CBS TV-movie takes Bertinelli to a dark place...but what more does it do?
moonspinner5525 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Feisty waitress attracts a handsome businessman, who is swept away by her good nature and marries her; however, soon after the ceremony, the young woman begins exhibiting hyper-emotional, schizophrenic behavior that seems to be rooted in her childhood. Valerie Bertinelli stars in this TV-made fictionalization of events in the life of Laurie Dann (called Laurie Wade here), who eventually bought a gun and went into a grade school in 1988, with tragic consequences. It's too bad Hollywood producers see horrific headlines and immediately think big ratings, or that popular television actresses such as Bertinelli see in a disturbing project like this an opportunity to show off their range--much more responsibility should be shown to the actual persons depicted and to the audience. The crummy feeling one gets from this movie comes directly from the handling (with its opening shots of officers surrounding a home and loading their guns framing the narrative in that age-old TV device The Flashback). Strictly a fill-in-the-blanks job, offering nothing but a build-up to the moment Laurie finally snapped.
Worth the time for repeated viewings
dazzalvr22 September 2006
Valerie Bertinelli gives a downright SCARY portrayal of a someone who is very mentally disturbed and does a good job of hiding it to a lot of people. Also, Stephen Caffrey gives a great performance of the poor husband no one believes. Worth repeated viewings.
Although one wonders throughout the movie how her parents seem oblivious to their daughters obvious mental state. Yes, she does a masterful job of covering it up, but at some point they MUST have seen her disturbed behavior, at least some portion of it. They must have seen the guns, the ammo, something. Her husband's repeated warnings that something is wrong....
Although one wonders throughout the movie how her parents seem oblivious to their daughters obvious mental state. Yes, she does a masterful job of covering it up, but at some point they MUST have seen her disturbed behavior, at least some portion of it. They must have seen the guns, the ammo, something. Her husband's repeated warnings that something is wrong....
BAD BAD BAD
nbwzwft9 January 2022
Powerful story
alicespiral21 August 2008
Its typical of Society today-that all these "experts" know everything and yet no nothing. Here was something acted out in front of them and yet no one had a clue. As the woman Laurie killed herself in the end as the SWAT team moved in it was too late to do anything only eventually make a movie. And the movie is where those involved know exactly what made her go nuts because she fit the MO. Whatever occurred in her past before meeting the guy at the restaurant where she worked had it seems been hushed up. Which at least shows you need to know about your future partner before commitment! The husband was out of it long ago when he realised just how crazy she was-in fact he told the police he was scared of her even before she attacked him with an ice pick! Probably the reason for divorce was "irretrievable breakdown of marriage"-he tried to make it work but she screwed it up with increasingly odd behaviour like filling the fridge up with shoes! For some reason she told the police he'd raped her but this was probably a fabrication. There were no children and that was probably a small mercy. Amazingly only one child died after her rampage at the school-which seems to be a frequent occurrence in America
The nightmare of a mind gone mad...
Foreverisacastironmess1231 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This ranks among the lamentably few truly great and strong television movies that I've seen. While most of them admittedly are as severely lacking as they say, the truly special and meaningful ones do stand out, and this is one of those. It's harrowing, disturbing and bleak indeed, but also to me such a heart-wrenchingly emotional and gripping story that I always greatly enjoyed it. It's a powerful drama of one severely mentally-damaged woman's terrifying spiral into a psychopathic madness, and it's littered with tense and edgy moments and scenes that very effectively put you in *her* shoes and take you out of your comfort zone, and it really is one of the most realistic portrayals of such horrific mental illness that's ever been put into any movie as far as I'm concerned. I'm not gonna go too much in depth about it, because it is what it is, a very engrossing drama thriller that follows the sad case of Laurie Wade, a deeply disturbed and mentally unstable woman who, after marrying the man of her dreams, tries to live the happy home life and make everything be so perfect...until the cracks begin to show and bit-by-bit her mind slowly falls apart as her deep-seated troubles are dismissed by doctors and brushed aside by her well-meaning but idiotic and wilfully-blind parents until eventually even her poor husband has no choice but to remove himself from her life, and it all narrows down and comes to a head in a horrendous scene of murder with her shooting at a classroom full of innocent children. It has such a forceful and very well realised psychological aspect to it, and there's some simple, but seriously creepy imagery and moments that make it feel more like a horror movie at points. And this movie did get under my skin the first time I saw it and stuck with me afterwards. I think it fantastically captures the horrific trauma of being a victim and virtual prisoner of your own mind, and you see a lot of the story from her warped perspective and what she's experiencing, seeing paranoid illusions and enemies everywhere, wearing her down and driving her insane. And the way that it's done, you really can understand how someone would lose their goddamn mind if they were under such draining mental assaults every single day, every time they tried to do something normal or talk to another person. Valerie Bertinelli gives a raw knockout performance that I personally couldn't ever see her matching again in her career.. Not based on what I've seen! While the acting is good all-round, it's doubtlessly her that carries and elevates the film to greatness with her emotional intensity. I find her especially impressive during a scene where she's making malicious phone calls to her husband's sister, and she's so amazing as she acts it with just her eyes, like she looks cold and malevolent but there's also such pain in her eyes at the same time, like there's a part of her mind that's well aware that what she's doing is awful, but she's powerless to stop herself. Even at her most inhuman and twisted, I never stopped feeling pity for the character. It is a mystery what actually caused her to snap, but reading between the lines a little, the film does seem to strongly suggest that Laurie may have been the victim of rape at the age of "7", possibly at a park, and her parents, as they were clearly shown to do, may have acted like nothing ever happened and the unconfronted buried trauma of it eventually resurfaced and that's what caused the mental breakdown, or at least that's what I put together.. Plus, how there's several times when she draws an image on mirrors of a crying little girl, and how she scrawls out again and again in one scene words like "Suffer", "Hurt", and "Please." The actual shooting is done in such a surreal and strange way, with her going into a sort of trance and appearing as a child version of herself in her mind with an evil expression on her face, appearing to avenge herself against the children who taunted her.. And although her act was indeed terrible and unforgivable, her story was nevertheless a tragic one, with the woman choosing to end her own life in the end which I think may have been for the best with her frayed mind being what it was. Only in death could she be free of the inner demons that robbed her of her sanity and reduced her to little more than a monster... It's clever, fast-paced, nerve-paralysing at times - an effectively chilling movie-in-the-mind. Good night folks, and remember to guard the better angels inside...
wow
dmarazo-3782023 February 2018
What an outstanding acting performance. This made me rethink the word sick and evil to genuine mental health issues. If a person believes someone is in need of help, due to behavior, reach out to the proper people. Our children and teens are getting slain. This does not have to be. This last one at a Flordia HS. could of and should have been avoided. Police was called to this killers house 39 times. What happened to the red flags.
Very relevant today
phd_travel3 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is a well made terrifying and relevant true story. The first part is a warning about marrying someone you don't know well. A man marries a woman who soon after starts to exhibit mental problems. Valerie Bertinelli is convincing in a total change from her sweet wholesome self. The mental illness is hard to watch at times. The craziness is as stunning as only a true story can be. Messiness, OCD, paranoia, you name it, she had it. This movie portrays the frustration of the husband at the authorities and psychiatrists and her parents for not intervening.
Just look at what has happened since this tragic event. There have been so many school shootings by mentally ill people who obtained firearms legally. An ongoing national tragedy.
Just look at what has happened since this tragic event. There have been so many school shootings by mentally ill people who obtained firearms legally. An ongoing national tragedy.
Murder of Inocence
nova194211 February 2007
I just watched this movie and was amazed at how well Valerie Bertinelli did in this serious portrayal. She was marvelous!
As for the reasoning behind the girl's illness, I got the feeling it was something from her childhood. Perhaps inherited from her mother, who seemed to have a deep seeded strangeness to her!
What I was upset with and confused about, was that nothing came about after her father was taken to her apartment and saw what condition it was in. It was definitely the work of someone who was quite unstable and possible dangerous! If that place wasn't a red flag for help I don't know what was!!
As for the reasoning behind the girl's illness, I got the feeling it was something from her childhood. Perhaps inherited from her mother, who seemed to have a deep seeded strangeness to her!
What I was upset with and confused about, was that nothing came about after her father was taken to her apartment and saw what condition it was in. It was definitely the work of someone who was quite unstable and possible dangerous! If that place wasn't a red flag for help I don't know what was!!
Chilling
jesst-9158026 June 2021
The most convincing portrayal of someone with mental illness that I have ever seen in the movie. The filming style, music, suspensual-scene progression is so riveting and chilling. The main actress made such a convincing portrayal, it made me uncomfortable to watch some scenes because they were very intense.
realistic, horrorifying, eyes wide shut
msvarniej20 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Eyes were wide shut in all directions in the laurie Dann case. Meaning her parents turned an early blind eye to her obvious mental problems evidenced when she was a child. True, no one of a fairly well to do family especially, wants to dare admit that their child exhibits odd,disturbing anti-social behavior. True, they did attempt to help Laurie by getting her an operation, a lobotomy. Perhaps that was their decided solution no matter what. Obviously that must have been their thoughts. However, others, medical as well as psychiatrists, prescribed different hard hitting meds. She was an attractive intelligent woman and of course she knew her own problems. The real shame was thatshe went ahead with well intentioned plans, attending colleges, and falling in love. I must applaud the tireless efforts of Russell , her husband because he did all he knew to do to help her. In the book as well as the movie, all his attempts of course, become useless. She buys a gun and Russell as well as some police are aware of the fact, as well as the parents, and so very terrible that it does nothing but become a murder case. Bertinellicould have easily gotten an Oscar if she could have. This movie is played most disturbingly truthful, and indeed chilling. I think it is a story that people should be aware of. A movie like this carries a main message and that is we should be aware. We all are very much aware of school shottings that happen quite often it seems as well as country wide random shootings. There is really little to be done and that is where the questions are. Not just gun control and to gage mental behavior must be one of the hardest to acheive.
The immortal role!
Ru-Dy3 June 2022
Valerie Bertinelli delivers an incredible performance, worthy of the highest praise, which is why I gave it 10 stars! You will too after seeing this great movie & true story. I saw it when it first aired and loved it, and still do to this very day! A must see!
What I think of this movie
cambrige_girl12 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
First, I love the performance given by the beautiful and talented Valerie Bertinelli as the mentally unstable Laurie Wade. I watched this movie twice and yet still cannot figure out what went wrong or why she acted the way she did. The things that puzzled me the most was the fact that she seemed obsessed with the number seven. Was she obsessed because she had a hard time in the seventh grade? Was the real Laurie (who's last name was Dann) obsessed with it as well? We don't know what went on in Laurie's head but it's obvious that she had a hard time, if only she had been cured. And of course, her poor husband who was ignored despite all his worries and concerns about his wife. I mean, I would be worried. Imagine walking into your wife's bedroom and finding the words "pain" and "suffer" written in red all over the walls. Also, the continuous pictures of little Laurie on the slide and "LLL 777" written on the walls. The scene with her apartment really scared me, especially with the rotting meat and watching her opening and slamming the door over and over again. Also, seeing her watch nothing but a fuzzy haze on the television with her eyes wide open like a zombie right next to her door was very eerie. I felt like I was in this different dimension, witnessing this poor girl's life. Whatever happened to the real Laurie while she lived, no one knows. All we know is that she lived a frightening and dark life and if we ever do find out what illness caused her to do what she had done, we can understand her story. Laurie left everyone out there wandering and know, as I'm writing this review I'm thinking about what kind of life she would have led if she was cured but whatever it was, it would have been easier on her and the people around her....
Why wasn't this a miniseries
steeleronaldr24 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I've read the reviews and 2 out of 19 were bad so who do you believe. The 17 that were basically spot on, Valerie bertinelli really gave a Emmy Award winning performance but why she wasn't nominated is the big question. Her performance was to me threw the roof but the movie told in roughly 90 minutes doesn't show all we the viewer needed to see. The supporting cast seemed to struggle to keep up with Bertinelli as she gave us the good's. There is sadly a few unanswered questions, such as why she laced fruit drinks and made marshmallow treats with poison. What made her finally snap and why didn't her husband have her committed.
Valerie Bertinelli shine's as Laurie Dane (Dann in real life) as a troubled woman who is trapped in a world that seems out to get her. A world that slowly eats her sanity away and causes her to carry out one hideous crime after another till she takes her own life. The however fells to explain what happened to her during her childhood that would torment her as an adult. Stephen Caffery plays her husband who does try to help her but she's out of his range. Jerry Hardin plays her father, the only man who can reach out to her.
I found this movie like "The Burning Bed" a bit hard to watch at times like when she shoots innocent children or laced drink's and snacks with poison. Valerie Bertinelli really shined and gave to me her best performance of her career. I never heard of this movie till recently and watched it online, not really being a fan of Bertinelli really shocked me. It's a movie that should have been a miniseries but would it have worked as a 3 hr movie is the big question. Still this movie delivered the good's.
Valerie Bertinelli shine's as Laurie Dane (Dann in real life) as a troubled woman who is trapped in a world that seems out to get her. A world that slowly eats her sanity away and causes her to carry out one hideous crime after another till she takes her own life. The however fells to explain what happened to her during her childhood that would torment her as an adult. Stephen Caffery plays her husband who does try to help her but she's out of his range. Jerry Hardin plays her father, the only man who can reach out to her.
I found this movie like "The Burning Bed" a bit hard to watch at times like when she shoots innocent children or laced drink's and snacks with poison. Valerie Bertinelli really shined and gave to me her best performance of her career. I never heard of this movie till recently and watched it online, not really being a fan of Bertinelli really shocked me. It's a movie that should have been a miniseries but would it have worked as a 3 hr movie is the big question. Still this movie delivered the good's.
Not the event from the song
mjcgig2 November 2009
I don't remember a lot from this movie, it was fairly routine acting and not exceptional, but even I know that the true story (if it even was based on a true story) did not inspire a song. This movie, while good, was NOT based on the song I Don't Like Mondays. The song I Don't Like Mondays was based on Brenda Ann Spencer's 1979 killing of two (a principal and a janitor) at an elementary school in San Diego. In real life, Brenda Ann Spencer was 16 at the time of the killing, unlike the character Valerie portrayed who was old enough to be married. There are several other differences, which a person can view anywhere else on the web first before posting incorrect information.
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