Dadnapped

What’s the Story?

For Melissa (Emily Osment), being the daughter of a famous writer has its share of drawbacks. For years she's felt like she lives in the shadow of Tripp Zoome (Jonathan Keltz), the hero of her dad's best-selling books; Tripp seems to transcend his fictional existence to disrupt Melissa's life. Now that her long-awaited one-on-one time with her dad, Neal (George Newbern), has finally arrived, Melissa's determined that nothing will interrupt their plans. But when Neal is abducted by obsessive fans, it's up to her to save the day.

Is It Any Good?

Chock full of wacky characters, outrageous antics, and elaborate schemes, DADNAPPED practically oozes kid-pleasing content. Though the story centers on abduction and what's technically a hostage situation (the perpetrators force Neal to write his "last novel," implying that he'll meet an untimely end), there's no tangible danger and very little force from the bumbling bad guys -- which gives the movie a playful feel that even kids will be hard-pressed to miss. As for weapons, the kids' cheese-spewing plastic guns are hardly realistic (though they still manage to help save the day).

While zany improbability antics are the movie's foundation, the story also shows a lot of heart. Melissa's feelings about taking a back seat to her father's work -- and his popular character -- are very relatable for kids, and the strong messages about communication and self confidence stand out from the otherwise silly content. Parents may not enjoy the juvenile humor themselves, but they can rest assured that Dadnapped is a worry-free choice for their grade-schoolers.