A Masterpiece!

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

I love to watch violence just like anyone else who is a desentized freak of my generation. I thought this movie was going to like any other domestic abuse shocker, cept it was about a GUY!, i realized after the first half hour that this was as a real concern as female abuse and that it was real, it broke some mental barriers and also showed how even after the struggle and shocking abuse this man(a 9-5er)can also heal. It was able to show reality, sadness and pain. It was a real heart tugger

I have never heard of men being abused by their wives until I saw this movie. Although it's not hard to believe. It's a drastic change from most lifetime movies which have to do with a woman being beaten by her husband until the last 5 minutes of the movie where she finally goes to the police.The only way that the movie is really different is that the sex roles are switched around. It does make a good point though. People look at men who are abused by their wives as being weak. Strauss's character makes an excellent point when he asks if hitting his wife back would make him a man. So Strauss goes though just about the whole movie until his wife hits their child. That's when they get into a big brawl and fall through the window. His wife is knocked unconscious but he is still OK, so the police take him in and don't believe his story.This is a perfect example of double standards put upon men. They don't want to tell because they won't be believed or they will be seen as weak. This wasn't the best movie. Acting from Strauss was pretty good. Judith Light, the queen of all TV movies was horrible and an over actor as usual. Ashley Johnson was very cute but not to the point of annoyance.

I've worked with battered men for over 10 years and know that this is a significant problem, but there is an even worse one. Violent mothers account for 55% of fatal child abuse, even when custody and time spent with the children are taken into consideration, according to the US Justice Dept. study, "Murder in Families." Fathers account for 8%, stepmothers/girlfriends for 9%, and stepfathers/boyfriends for 10%. We are working on building a shelter for fathers and children in Kansas City, but it is a slow process, but one is needed. Studies on domestic violence against women show that 39% of the victims are men, but you only find that out by looking at the charts that come with the studies. The summaries don't mention this, preferring to only address violence against women.

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** In the viscious circle of abuse, men usually do the abusing & wives usually are the abused. NOT in this case! The working-class handsome Strauss does all he can to please his wife but it's just not good enough for her (or her mother, played by Carroll Baker). Judith Light of Who's the Boss? fame takes an eerie turn as the drinks-too-much housewife who's never satisfied even though her long-suffering husband (Strauss) loves her dearly. When they make-up after each of the beatings she gives him, it is cinema-sweet. But you wonder how much longer Strauss is gonna take this mess! He loses it when wacky wifey goes after their daughter in one of her rages! Even thought Strauss tells the real truth - that wifey hits him - the whole police station just won't buy it! Wifey ends up in the hospital in a coma after both of them fall out of a window while fighting. Bruised, beaten & bleeding Strauss is rightly in despair. In the end, he tells her she definitely needs to go get some mental help & leaves her, taking their 2 kids. Yes, this TV movie was a real eye-opener. See it! Once you do, you'll never doubt a man who claims his wife beats him again! Excellent work by these 2. And whoever played Strauss's father in this movie was physically the right guy for the role. They really do look like they came from the same family line!