Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Woman tries to escape abusive husband; violence, drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Gaslit by My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In GASLIT BY MY HUSBAND: THE MORGAN METZER STORY, Rodney (Austin Nichols) and Morgan (Jana Kramer) lose their baby soon after birth. Although they later have two more kids, Morgan never seems right again. She drinks too much. She pops anti-anxiety meds, sometimes with wine. At times she loses her temper with Rodney in front of friends and neighbors. But Rodney has changed too. He beats Morgan and then tells her it was she who she beat him up. He pushes her downstairs and then deliberately tumbles down after, deleting the CCTV footage of her fall and showing friends the footage of his fall, claiming Morgan pushed him. He invents a story of Morgan's infidelity and sends letters to himself from her fictional lover. The situation escalates; what will happen to their marriage?
Is It Any Good?
This is a strange and disjointed movie. The Rodney we first meet is a seemingly loving husband and dad married to Morgan, a seemingly even-keeled woman. After they lose their newborn, she becomes an irritable pill-popping alcoholic and he becomes a controlling, violent, gun-toting liar. They both seem to become less stable—Morgan can't stop her nearly crippling obsessive thoughts years after the death of their baby and Rodney is busy staging recorded assaults designed to make Morgan look like a violent maniac who can't be trusted with their kids.
The buildup feels manufactured and confusing because at times Morgan seems to be as unbalanced as Rodney. As his threats and violence escalate, out of the blue, Morgan's group therapist offers the definition of a narcissist and, weirdly, instructions on how to deal with them. Why? Surely being a narcissist is not the only thing wrong with rapist, gun-toting, lying Rodney.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the dynamics of a marriage between a submissive partner and a controlling partner. Does Rodney seem to be overbearing at the beginning of the movie or do you think he gets that way gradually?
Why do you think abused domestic partners don't always report their spouses and get help?
How do you think young children feel when they see one parent abuse another parent?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : June 9, 2024
- Cast : Jana Kramer , Austin Nichols , Abigail Esmena
- Director : Lee Gabiana
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Filipino Movie Actor(s)
- Studios : Netflix , Lifetime
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Family Stories
- Run time : 88 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : March 9, 2026
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