Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story

As cable TV movies go, this one stands out from the pack thanks in large part to performances from Christina Ricci and Judith Light. In fact, their work and the true story [...] are deserving of the big screen and a better production budget. [18 Jan 2019, p.50]

Thematically and visually, Escaping the Mad House reminds me of last year's brilliant miniseries Alias Grace (on Netflix)--the damp and pitiless period setting, the endless poor women being thrown away like trash, the hot young doctor who seemingly just wants to explore the mind of a vulnerable woman. Of course, this movie isn't nearly as delicate as that series, but it's a good ride if you want a wild little intermezzo in between your staid winter programming.

One has to wonder why the true story wasn’t dramatic enough that the memory loss plot got added, because the resulting film is pretty paint-by-numbers dull. If the goal was to goose the drama, “Escaping the Madhouse” falls well short of its intent.