Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language, criminal behavior in female scammer docu.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
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Where to Watch
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Con Mum
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
When Graham Hornigold meets the CON MUM of the title, Dionne Hornigold, the 80-something Malaysian scam artist has been defrauding people of property and funds for at least 40 years. She probably would never have sought her son out had COVID lockdown not sidelined her access to the wealthy individuals she normally targeted in her customary hunting grounds, five-star hotels. But she got stuck in the U.K. and decided he and his friends would be her next victims. Graham was an especially eager mark, still grappling with the absence of his biological mother since childhood. The successful, 45-year-old chef was harboring decades of hurt, and Dionne ruthlessly, but with a smile and the pretense of a mother's love, moved on him. She claimed to be the fabulously wealthy illegitimate daughter of the Sultan of Brunei and got Graham to abandon his wife and newborn for months of pursuing promised but nonexistent wealth from private bankers in Switzerland. Neither his savvy wife nor best friend could open Graham's eyes to his mother's treachery until it was too late.
Is It Any Good?
A documentary about an unrepentant fraudster can be instructive for its illustration of how easy it is to trick even the smartest people. Con Mum is certainly that. But if the story is skillfully told, it can also be an absorbing investigation into the wishes and fantasies fraudsters know how to exploit. The title tells us we are in for a tale of monumental temerity on the part of the con woman. And we learn of Graham's sad gullibility and neediness as he willingly puts himself in her deceptive hands.
Even though we can figure it out, the filmmakers delay stating the obvious, that she is a crook. We keep wondering if this movie is then about something else. But no, it's just as we thought and late revelation is anticlimactic. Had the narrative introduced the outcome from the start, we might have more sympathy for Graham as he details the way he was led by the nose into debt and despair.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how easy it was for Dionne to scam the emotionally needy Graham. Why do you think it was so difficult for him to entertain the idea that she was a criminal?
Graham was thrilled to have a mother, and that may have blinded him to Dionne's treachery. Why do you think all the others were so easily scammed by her?
Do you think certain people are more vulnerable to scams, or is everyone easy prey? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : March 25, 2025
- Director : Nick Green
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Run time : 88 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : April 17, 2025
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