Dadnapped

Movie review by Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media
Dadnapped Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 6+

TV movie blends outrageous fun, positive messages for kids.

NR 2009 86 minutes
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Parents say

age 7+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 5+

Based on 16 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this adventure comedy centers on the abduction of a man and his teenage daughter, but the movie's over-the-top humor -- and the ineptitude of the goofy kidnappers -- keeps the tone light enough that it won't frighten kids. No realistic weapons are used, but kids do use plastic guns that shoot liquid cheese and sludge-filled water balloons on their enemies. The story offers positive messages about self worth and honest communication.

Community Reviews

MominEurope
MominEurope Adult
May 1, 2021
age 8+

Not good for 6-year-olds!

This went way over my 6-year-olds head. The main characters are old enough to drive and the plot was far beyond his maturity level. He didn't get the humor so the comic violence and scary situations were a bit disturbing for him. Very disappointed that we wasted time watching this.
dnpseattle
dnpseattle Adult
May 20, 2012
age 8+

Tame and a little lame, but OK

This is and feels like a made for TV movie...flat acting, simple plot and plenty 'fade to black' scenes for commercials to be inserted. Having said that, the movie was OK. The plot may be a bit hard to grok for younger viewers, but the arsenal of visual gags, goofy situations, and general messy and slimey mayhem (lots of colorful sludge is thrown about) are sure to please. The acting is exaggerated (especially by the villans), but story and heroine are redeeming: believe in yourself, know that your parents love you even if they don't always show it in ways you obvious to you. My 5 and 7 year olds loved the movie, but they couldn't exactly say why. My guess? The slime-fest at the end where the bad guy gets slimed by an army of angry teens.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 3 parent reviews

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about communication. Kids: How well do you think you communicate your feelings to family and friends? How does talking about your feelings help you deal with them?

  • Are there times when it's difficult to talk about how you feel? What do you do then? What kinds of issues come up in your relationships at home and with friends that require communication?

  • Are there any techniques that you've learned that make talking about feelings a little easier? If so, what are they? How do they help?

Movie Details

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