Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A message that never gets old, June 21, 2006
Candace Cameron and Fred Savage shake off the goody-goody images associated with the roles that brought them teen stardom on Full House and The Wonder Years. Cameron plays Stacy Collins, a normal high school girl full of insecurities who happens to land the class hunk. Savage is Bobby Tennyson, high school wrestler and all-around popular guy. When these two get together, Stacy finally knows what it feels like to be a part of the in-crowd and is so grateful she's willing to look past Bobby's numerous faults.
Their relationship starts off normal enough with Bobby wooing Stacy with flowers and love poems, but he gets progressively more possessive and jealous. Stacy initially thinks it's cute that Bobby is so protective until it gets to the point where he becomes overbearing and irrational. Even when he starts hitting her, she defends him to her friends telling them that you stick by the people you love. "Everything's fine" becomes her mantra even though those closest to her can plainly see that it's not the case.
This relationship closely mirrors the one in which Stacy's mother is involved. Her mother is too absorbed in her own dating situation to understand and acknowledge what's going on with Stacy. Stacy assumes the maternal role, in fact, berating her mother for allowing her boyfriend to treat her badly though she's willing to overlook Bobby's abusive nature. In fact, when her mother confronts her about the abuse, Stacy says "That's your story, not mine." That Stacy's mother backs off at this point is a disgrace and this film strives to point out that in any situation no one should let abuse slide.
This film came out in the early 1990's and was one of those Sunday Night movies aimed at letting teenagers know the ills that will befall them if they're not careful. It's stuck with me all these years because the message is delivered without a scolding undertone, but instead as a reminder of what can go horribly wrong if you let things spiral out of hand. Sally Jessy Raphael has a guest role as the judge in Bobby's trial and she reminds those present who witnessed Stacy's abuse that we have a responsibility to the people who we care about. It's a foolish and dangerous practice to simply shake off abuse with the adage "Love Hurts." It shouldn't.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"If I can't have her, no one's gonna....", May 29, 2006
Is this truly the type of rationale that some people use in the face of evil? It's unimaginable without a doubt, but it's also a painstaking reality that, unfortunately, has not yet vanished from society. I stumbled across this movie by accident when it aired recently on Lifetime, and I was propelled to watch as soon as I saw that popular "Full House" alum Candace Cameron was in the starring role.
Anyone who was a "child of the 80's" will instantly recognize Candace Cameron and Fred Savage from "Full House" and "The Wonder Years." Placing them together in one movie proved very effective (although many of you will probably be hard pressed to buy teen sweetheart Fred Savage as a coldblooded villain), and few can deny that this is a story that deserves to remain out there.
Based on a true story (which should come as a surprise to no one, haha), "No One Would Tell" follows a 5-month romance between two high school students. Sweet, insecure Stacy Collins is thrilled when Bobby Tennison, the school's handsome and smooth-talking star wrestler, takes an interest in her. Everything is a whirlwind from there, and he grabs her from the very beginning. With long-stemmed roses, fancy gifts, winks and smiles up and down the hallway, it appears to be a fairytale relationship, but it doesn't take long at all for Bobby's controlling behavior to surface, and he starts smacking her around. His influence over those mere five months drives Stacy further and further from her other friendships and academics, transforming her into a weak victim, but when those who are closest to her can't find it in them to do anything, it flares into a worst-case scanario where Stacy can no longer be helped. From there, it becomes a gritty, heart-wrenching battle for all the people in Stacy's life to give her the only thing they have left to offer: an honest tongue and a brave step forward.
Lifetime TV is renowned for airing movies that include a heavy sprinkling of eerie melodrama, but setting that aside for a bit, what makes this story so effective is how it applies to our world. As frightening as this plot is (beware a semi-graphic scene toward the end), it is perhaps even more saddening. The character of Stacy Collins is a classic portrait of a teenage girl who had lots of friends, a vibrant personality, and a particular presence that made her popular among many in high school. She had her own set of problems, but in general she was happy and had people who cared for her. But she was very quick to tap into the youthful excitement of having a super-cute and popular boyfriend, and when push came to shove she was not strong enough to stand up against his terrifying abuse. It is a frightening story because there are real girls--young girls--who experience the exact same thing every day. It also happens to be such a sad story because this was a girl who loved this guy and was so excited about being with him, but in the end she could do nothing to please him, not through any fault of her own but through his own insanity that nobody was able to save her from.
Some girls survive these things, and others do not. Watching this movie actually reminded me a lot of the recent Laci Peterson case. The deception, the lies, the mysterious disappearance...it's scary stuff. It may seem melodramatic, but it really is not when you think about how much this truly does exist in real life. Lifetime movies are all too famous for being overacted and drastic, which makes me shy away from most films on this channel, but this is one subject where it is necessary for the characters to be overdone, because this is just what happens when people--often naive teenage kids--step into a dangerous relationship and let it become too serious too quickly. Movies like this are important to make, and perhaps those who watch them can take a lesson on not just doing everything possible to avoid the unthinkable that possessed Fred Savage's character, but also remembering the vital importance of breaking the silence when such situations come up with friends, family, and even just mere acquaintances. It's a movie that opens up countless windows for discussion, because there are clearly so many ways that the ending to this particular story could have been prevented. Stacy, her friends, classmates and family all made decisions that subconsciously contributed to the end result, and it's important to talk about how we can take a stand when we see this in real life. The very worst can happen, and sadly it is not at all overdone in this film; it is the exact downfall that any girl can experience if they are not mindful.
Cameron and Savage do a surprisingly effective job in their roles. As I said before, Savage's well-known run on the lighthearted coming-of-age series "The Wonder Years" makes it hard to see him as a bad guy, but you can tell he worked hard with this and was able to establish a sense of on-screen evil with those cold eyes and that in-your-face violence. At the end of the movie, I was convinced--and unless you're a hard-core "Wonder Years" fan who has seen each episode about twenty times, you'll probably be convinced, too. Cameron also delivers quite nicely as the naive, battered teenager who has a hard time letting go and an even harder time protecting herself from the worst when it counts most. Her sweet and innocent character carries over from her role as DJ Tanner on "Full House," but with this movie she shows that she is able to take the emotion and drama to a new level. I also have to give props to Heather McComb, who played Stacy's best friend Nicky. That right there is an actress who knows how to sob from her gut in front of the camera! I was really impressed with her work. The entire cast does well with the plot and invest enough in these characters to convey the message--which just happens to be a really important one. Too melodramatic, you say? Not in the slightest--there are hundreds of adolescent girls in the world who are going through this right now. The last few lines of the movie say it best: "You have a responsibility to the people you care about. If you see them hurting or you see them in trouble, you step in and you TELL someone, so that this does not happen again."
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Abuse Is Not To Be Taken Lightly, December 17, 2006
That's the message here; and this is what can happen if action is not taken. Candace Cameron and Fred Savage leave their days as child stars behind in this 1996 NBC television movie, based on a true story. Stacy Collins (Cameron) is a junior in high school who is shy and uncertain, but when she begins dating handsome senior and star of the school wrestling team, Bobby Tennison (Savage), she feels loved and protected. But behind his charming exterior, Bobby's sweet behavior (leaving her flowers in her locker, giving her gifts, etc.), is a controlling, possessive nature which Stacy tries to dismiss. But he closely monitors her every move and feels threatened if she spends time away from him. Physical violence is commonly introduced. Their friends suspect that things are not as rosy as they seem, but only Stacy's best pal Nicky (Heather McComb) tries to persuade her to end the relationship. Trapped in the feelings of isolation and blaming herself for his inexcusable actions, Stacy lives in fear. Bobby's cousin informs Nicky that he had also mistreated his previous girlfriend (who transferred to to get away from him), and after yet another public fight (during a great school dance, where the nifty 50s is the theme), Stacy, encouraged by Nicky, tells Bobby that it's over. A truly unnerving moment in the hallway after she breaks it off, when he tells her he will never give her up. Through the wired glass of the classroom door his face is like cold, evil granite, his gaze like the black coals of hell. Bobby, under the guise of wanting to stay friends, asks her to come over to his house to give him a haircut. Inevitably, another spat occurs, and, instead of taking her home, he takes her out to a nearby lake where they had their first date. Only Bobby returns to the truck, to the horror of his friend Vince (Eric Balfour), and with blood on his hands. "If I can't have her, no one's gonna," Bobby chillingly states. Stacy is missing; her frantic mother Laura (Michelle Phillips), and friends search for clues, along with the local police; Stacy's ex-boyfriend is strangely calm. Vince, riddled with guilt, makes an anonymous call to the cops, telling them to go look out by the lake. He is eventually brought in for questioning, while Nicky informs Laura of Bobby's abusive tendencies. Vince tells what he knows, and then the investigation moves to Bobby, who finally cracks under the pressure. When Stacy refused to go back to him, he had slit her throat and dumped her body in the lake. Sally Jessy Raphael makes a special appearance as the judge who hands down the life sentence to a stone cold Bobby. She then admonishes all others involved for not speaking up - this is what can happen if you don't.
Those who remember Savage as the wholesome Kevin Arnold on "The Wonder Years" will be surprised at how effective he is - romantic and attractive one minute, angry and obsessive the next. The way Bobby treats his mother, his abusive father's past, and his anger in the wrestling ring are subtle hints of things to come (as is the moment when Stacy takes a shower at Nicky's house - it's pretty obvious that she is being watched). Cameron, who has always excelled at playing kind, naive, gentle characters, does a great job, as always. Heather McComb is the best friend every girl should have, while Michelle Phillips gives just the right amount of balance as the caring but distracted mother who is too busy with work and her own lowlife boyfriend (whom Stacy despises), to realize the dangerous situation her daughter is in.
Hopefully, stories like this will raise more awareness - too many people have looked the other way.
The DVD: This version is slightly different than the one that aired on television. Two Belinda Carlisle songs have been replaced with more current music. The only extras are trailers for direct to video films.
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