Very well executed

Best movie ever!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This odd outing by LeGrand productions is one of those borderline movies that seem to be on the verge of very serious comment with leanings towards exploitation. The story has its beginnings in truth and it's ending in supposition. It's well acted by most all, well photographed, well written with a keen sense of character and suspense. Direction is better than average, if not perfect but, very good in terms of its television origins. The premise is strong - locking into the nature of vulnerability and the desire for something to be true regardless of the accompanying possibilities. The characters are drawn from the sad situations we see happening around us daily and the outcomes are in line with their difficult situations. There are lessons to be learned from this tense situation, especially for those contemplating sharing their home and families with others from a troubled background (not that this cant be a rewarding experience). Just be aware the road to recovery can be fraught with challenges. Recommended for those who appreciate stories emulating from today's headlines.

With Lifetime and Hallmark movies there seems to be a trend. The mother is passive and has one or two children that talk to her horribly and she puts up with it. Why can't a mom just say, "I know you are you are pi--ed off that I have spent time blah-blah, but you know what? You are almost grown and acting like a spoiled brat isn't helping anyone."Trust me, real moms have periods of time when their kids are being rude, where we are blunt and open with a situation/feelings. Showing moms in movies like this, is frustrating and makes the moms in the movies unrealistically ignorant and like doormats. Another thing, there is technology now, that is IMPORTANT to use to verify a sibling/son. Hello, DNA test. Stupid not to have a test done, with the tests protected, not left on a freaking counter. "I trust this is my son." Please. And, trusting a total stranger, alone with your younger kid is RIDICULOUS. Would you do that with a person you met on the internet? If so, you are RIDICULOUS too. So, am ready for these channels to grow up and get more real. Yes that is expecting a lot from fluff movies. I watched because I love Virginia Madsen and she isn't in as many movies as she should be. As for the typical move-on dad with a younger, pregnant wife....gag. The angry, bitter daughter? Grow up. The poor younger kid with a manipulative new brother? Sounds familiar. So, watch with a grain of salt, a big one.

This isn't your grandma's Lifetime movie. LOST BOY is tense, suspenseful, and asks some tough questions that it leaves intentionally unanswered: an entertaining but also unsettling experience, with a strong, nuanced performance by its young male lead.I had doubts about it at the beginning, as the movie seemed to be going down some over-familiar tropes: a mother who's unable to let go of her lost son, a father who's all too eager to let go, the siblings of the lost boy, who have grown up a bit neglected in their brother's shadow, etc.But when the lost son returns, that's just the first of several twists, and before long this movie goes into some deep, interesting, and seldom-asked questions about this family and its sad situation.I found the ending, in particular, very satisfying, and not in a "Hollywood" way: it lingered with me and unsettled me for some time after the credits were done rolling.Way to go, Lifetime, for green-lighting this challenging fare.

Not a particularly bad or good film. The only character that interested me was the 2nd wife, who seemed to be trying to behave responsibly and concerned. The ending really made me angry, in a sense they abandoned the "son" was abandoned again. As he is presented at the beginning of the film, as turning "tricks' to survive, one assumes that he will be back working the sex trade at the end, until drugs/ death or Aids gets him. If he survives then h will find the market drying up as he gets older.Admittedly he exhibits anti-social and frightening behavior. But the DNA questions I viewed as his uncertainty that if he turned out not to be the missing son, then he would be abandoned, so rather than run the risk he tried to ensure the result by trying to get DNA form the younger brother. The anger and resentment displayed at the end. Well, as they never bothered to try and deal with the past- even though the father at least was presented with some of the details of his sexual abuse and torture, he was not given counseling-it was not even mentioned. We don't know at the end if he is really the son or not, but when both parents make the decision to just not pursue it or him, the feeling of emptiness and hopelessness I felt for the boy's character was upsetting. "Ok he's a problem let's just abandon him" was the message I got.