UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Pluskylang Great Film overall

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

TheLittleSongbird That's because the idea was brilliant, the negative effects of social media being very much a relevant issue and something that anybody would wholly relate to. And if done right, Social Nightmare also could have been good, what turned out to be though was a movie that was as far away from good as you could go. There are worse movies around and it at least has the idea and a decent performance from Kirsten Prout that salvages it somewhat. But not enough to ignore the badness of everything else, the worst thing being that the reveal of the perpetrator and their motive was not believable for a second(mainly because agreed the person was the least likely one to have done it and the movie at first made it like they couldn't possibly have done) and was actually rather insulting. The characters never rise above the cardboard, shallow stereotypes, and the writing had no natural flow, was lacking in any real sense and sounded increasingly ridiculous as Social Nightmare wore on. The story was just one lazy and WTF plot point after another complete with some irrelevant filler and the closer Social Nightmare gets to the end the duller it gets rather than more suspenseful and compelling, by the time you find out who was responsible you just don't care anymore. And that was reflected in the acting, with Rachel True and Daryl Hannah(at her most unattractive) phoning in and Tim Russ having very little to do, Prout is the one bright spot, you don't engage or identify with their situations and the characters and the actors act like they don't care either. The production values are very Lifetime-movie like, over-saturated colours, editing that jumps around and the odd overlong shot, Social Nightmare is flatly directed and the music is little more than a monotonous bore. In conclusion, an awful movie on its own and to have an idea as brilliant as this gone to total waste is unforgivable. 2/10 Bethany Cox

Jelena555 I can not express myself right by just stating if I liked or disliked this movie. But if I have to chose one option, I will say I liked it. I liked the fact that it was made in this particular way. The weird thing is I knew from the very beginning that it was the mother. Okay, the alternative title kind of gives that away, and many people might have thought of that, but... just one scene with the mother and I knew... That possessiveness of a parent that sometimes reaches past limits of sanity is just ... I don't even have words for it. I hate possessive and selfish people, I certainly know how manipulative parents can be (doesn't have to be from experience, observing can be more than enough sometimes), and it grosses me ...I'm glad they made this movie, and although the acting has it's flaws and there are fair number of goofs, in this case, it's the thought that counts. Many teenagers and young adults who are still living with their parents and feel like they are constrained, not really doing what they want in their lives only because they might hurt or disappoint the parents, should see this movie and reexamine if everything is okay in their home environment. Bullying doesn't have to be from outside, it can be right in front of our eyes all the time, and we might not be able to see it, because it comes from people who we love and trust the most.Parents are known for blackmailing their children from early age. First they are innocent and protective blackmails, but with time they should just stop.I loved the scene where the mother tried to strangle Emily again even while the police was there, because it clearly shows her determination and belief that she is doing something right for her daughter and herself. But no, she was selfish and sick.The ending made me very happy, because it says that although there may be a struggle, betrayal, broken heart, lost trust, pain, chaos and confusion, if you do the right thing and don't give up until you know the truth, there is a way out, there is possibility of finding the right path again and a chance of starting over. Only thing is, during the whole process you should be sure who you are, where you are going and to believe in yourself.And one more thing... I hated the way the school dealt with the whole thing. I mean, yes, it was the mother, but... they just gave up on their best student. No one with the right mind changes that abruptly. They could've kept Cat in office and see that changes happen on her page while she has no access to the Internet. I consider that a plot hole, but it had to happen in order for the movie to end as it did - the painful way, Cat finding for herself.Without further ado, I give this movie a 7.5.

Amari-Sali The main reason I saw this film was because there are a lot of familiar faces in it. Daryl Hannah, who I know solely from Kill Bill and that mermaid movie; Kirsten Prout, whose career I'm only familiar with when it comes to her ABC Family shows; Chloe Bridges, who I know from The Carrie Diaries; then there is Brandon Smith, who is one of the many Disney boys who never made it big; and lastly, Rachel True who I remember from The Craft and when she had a show on UPN called Half & Half more than a decade ago.Together they work in a film which has its flaws, yet remains entertaining throughout, for more specifics, read below. Characters & StoryThe lead for this film is Kirsten Prout's character Catherine who fits 90% of Prout's roles. She is sweet, innocent and has that girl next door charm. The only difference between this character and most of Prout's is that she is popular. Beside her, in a strong supporting role, is Bridge's Emily who is Catherine's academic rival and best friend. When you first meet her though, she does give you the idea that you are about to watch a Thirteen rip-off, but as time goes on you realize that one wine cooler doesn't mean she is going to be the one to blow Catherine's mind. Outside of those two are Daniel (played by Brandon Smith) who is Catherine's boyfriend, with a special needs sister; Mrs. Langran (played by Rachel True) who is the school's guidance counselor and adviser to the Yearbook Club; and lastly there is Susan Hardy (played by Daryl Hannah) the mom experiencing the first onset signs of Empty Nest Syndrome.Altogether they create a story featuring the reasons why you should change your passwords and create backup fail safes for your social account and phone. Also, as a subplot, the movie also deals with bullying of special needs people, friendship and how school systems really fail at protecting kids. So, needless to say, a lot is going on.PraiseTo begin the praise, I must say I was quite entertained by the film, but this is because I came into it without setting my standard high. It was a movie I never heard of and seeing Daryl Hannah's name on anything is like seeing Eugene Levy, you know not to set your sights too high. But, Prout and Bridges somehow save the film by making it seem like a pilot. Two girls with dreams of opening a business, going to Brown together, dorming together, and both doing a double-major. Off the bat the film has these girls more developed than any film similar.Then, to add onto things, I liked how Daniel was portrayed as not just a boyfriend but protective big brother as well. However, once the drama came, I feared for the worst, and yet things still kept steady and remained interesting. Admittedly, from the poster alone, and the title I saw for the film, the ending is spoiled, but there were still a handful of moments when I did question if perhaps we were setup to believe something and would end up tricked.CriticismUnfortunately though, this did not happen and that is the sole issue I have with the film. If they simply made it so that Susan wasn't so obviously doing everything, this film could have been so much better. Hannah as the mom she plays is fine, she is protective, has good reasoning and though I'm not sure how they afford the big house they live in, I can write that bit off. However, once the drama roles in and Catherine's life goes to hell, there isn't much room for doubt. Yes, they present the idea that people besides Susan could have done it, but they give no real evidence to significantly sway you. In fact, only one incident in the movie makes you think Susan maybe didn't do everything, and they take away that doubt quickly. Overall: TV ViewingThere is a reason this was a made-for-TV movie. For one, no one in the film, except Daryl Hannah back in the day, are at that point where their name means something when slapped on a film. This isn't to say they aren't talented, but Prout is basically type casted, and Bridges seemingly is on her way to doing the same with her career. Yet, at the same time, the film deserves to be checked out, especially since it is easily available for free, since the only bad element of it is the fact the mystery of who is ruining Catherine's life is weak. Outside of that, there is little wrong with this film. I'd even argue that if you remodeled it, even with Hannah's crazy character, you could potentially make a show out of this. Whether it would be a hit though, I couldn't say.

Lorace Dem This film wastes a potentially interesting subject (an abusive mother who intentionally sabotages and destroys the life of her daughter and friends) by falling into lifetime movie clichés. It was actually disgusting to see all of the shallow, unbelievable and lazy plot points that come up, for instance someone emails a blurry picture of a girl drinking a wine cooler (but it could be a bottle of lemonade for all we know) to admissions at Yale, and they not only open the email and read it, but they revoke a student's admission as a result? It's so bad, though maybe there was some amusement in seeing what actors agreed to slum it for this production; such Rachel True's role as a (vice principal? teacher? counselor?--apparently all three) which she didn't even bother to phone in, and it's always fun seeing Tuvok from star trek voyager. But not only was the depiction of events unbelievable and impossible, so was the end scene ultimately infuriating. Her daughter tells her she's not responsible for leaking naked pictures of her daughter online, drugging her, physically assaulting people and slandering, defaming dozens of students at her daughters school, and she replies that "I know, that's what my therapists told me too, it's just a chemical imbalance." When no, it isn't; you're a criminal and should be in jail, you don't have a right to abuse your daughter or other young people. This kind of abuse is a deep seated pattern that you do need to take responsibility for in order to change. No qualified therapist or mental institution would say "it's not your fault" after all of that. I hate lifetime!