Lifetime
It’s been a minute, but Lifetime has rolled out a new ‘Ripped from the Headlines’ movie with the true-ish story Taken at a Basketball Game, which is not actually based on any one account of an abduction, but is inspired by a number of different abductions used to craft a fictional story with fictional characters. But that doesn’t diminish its power.
Taken at a Basketball Game stars D.B. Woodside as absent father Wayne Edwards, divorced from his ex-wife Pam (L.A. Sweeney) and nearly estranged from his daughter Robyn (Claire Qute). When Wayne calls to wish Robyn a happy birthday, she pretty much gives him a cold shoulder, so he decides to just show up unannounced at their house, much to the chagrin of Pam and the surprise of Robyn. Robyn gets even more of a surprise when dad says he got them tickets to see a basketball game that day, just like old times (she later admits to him that she really doesn’t like basketball because it’s boring). She agrees to go just to get some bonding time with him, but things go sour quickly when a young woman at the arena compliments Robyn on her boots. Wayne is extremely rude to the woman, and that puts Robyn in a mood so not long after they take their seats and attempt some civil small talk, Robyn excuses herself to go to the ladies room. In walks the boots woman, and she invites Robyn up to her and her husband’s private box. Almost feeling pressured, Robyn accepts, and she also accepts a drink … but it’s not long before she’s on the verge of passing out. The man and woman basically drag Robyn to their car, telling passersby that she just had one too many, and Wayne begins to panic when she doesn’t return from the rest room. He finally goes to security and gets them to review some video footage and he sees his daughter being taken to the parking lot and loaded into a car, but the footage isn’t sharp enough to see the license plate. Now Wayne has to deliver the news to Pam, and they go to the police — Wayne is an ex-S.W.A.T. officer who quit after an accident left a teen girl dead — but the captain says there isn’t anything they can do at this point because Robyn hasn’t been missing long enough and the video footage doesn’t prove she was abducted.
Returning to Pam’s home, Pam tells Wayne that she gives him permission to do whatever he has to do to get Robyn back — presumably that means killing anyone who gets in his way — and he sets off to gather information. Knowing that this is almost certainly a case of human trafficking, Wayne ‘hires’ a sex worker who he hopes can give him some information. The young woman who arrives at his hotel room, Splendid (Moni Ogunsuyi), doesn’t really know how to help him but she returns later thinking she knows someone who might be able to help, a young woman who went through the same thing that has happened to Robyn. They meet at a diner, but Ashley can’t offer much except something about a plumber coming to the house where she was taken and mentions a flying pig. After the meeting, Wayne and Splendid are confronted by her pimp Dante, who wants his money for their three hour dinner. The encounter ends with Wayne being stabbed near his left shoulder, and he makes his way to the hospital. Splendid shows up to apologize for what happened but she also wants to get away from Dante and asks Wayne to take her with him so she can get far enough away to catch a bus out of town. Wayne refuses at first but then agrees, and she begins to help him locate a plumber one-to-two hours away, based on what Ashley remembered. They find a guy named Gopnik, but he refuses to reveal any of his customers’ information, so Wayne steals the guy’s phone when he walks away from the counter and gets an address. Meanwhile, Robyn has not been cooperating with her captors and has been taken to the basement room where Lucas has ways of persuading their girls to comply without leaving a mark … because once they have marks on them they are useless. Wayne and Splendid get an address and see a sign for the Flying Pig Diner, and he knows this is where Robyn is. But he wants Splendid to leave so she doesn’t get tied up in any more of this drama. Dante has other thoughts when he tracks them to the location, putting all of their lives in danger. Needing sleep, Splendid convinces Wayne to stop for the night and unbeknownst to him, Robyn manages to escape but the one car that she flags down is driven by Lucas. Can Wayne make it back to the house before Robyn is shipped off to the customer, and will any of them survive the ordeal?
Despite its uninspired title, Taken at a Basketball Game is one of Lifetime’s most intense, edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting thrillers to come along in a while. Though the story itself is fiction, the reality it’s based on is not so that just makes it all the more compelling. Whether you are a parent or not, this is a gripping, heart-pounding story that benefits from some excellent and non-exploitative writing and solid direction.
It also benefits from a great cast led by A-list actor D.B. Woodside. Woodside is perfect as the dad who has a complicated history with his daughter — she thinks he abandoned her but he later explains it was her mother who told him to leave (and rightly so, he admits). His awkward attempt to get back into Robyn’s good graces have some charm, and he’s not afraid to turn off that charm when someone tries to ingratiate themselves on him and Robyn. He smells something fishy when the woman (who we later learn is named Donna) chats up Robyn about her boots, but had he been a little more polite things may have gone quite differently. Woodside is also imposing enough to sell the idea that he is ex-military and ex-law enforcement, imbuing Wayne with great physicality — though not invulnerable — and intelligence. The whole movie is built around this character, and without Woodside’s performance, and without the relationships he has with Robyn, Pam and Splendid, it would all fall apart. Woodside is excellent, and if the Emmy Awards were so inclined to take a Lifetime movie into consideration, he should be up for a Lead Actor in TV Movie or Mini-series.
Also doing some great work are Claire Qute as Robyn and Moni Ogunsuyi as Splendid (her real name is revealed to be Faith at the end of the movie). Even though Robyn is turning 18, Qute still manages to make her feel much younger as she first interacts with her father, and then quite petulant at the basketball game. Even after she’s abducted, Qute never allows Robyn to become a victim or a damsel in distress who needs saving. She makes Robyn fearless and clever, attempting to do whatever she needs to do to escape, including putting on a damsel in distress act for Donna. Qute gives a powerful performance that makes the viewer want and need to see her survive her situation. Ogunsuyi is also terrific as Splendid, putting on the facade of being in control, but always telegraphing with her soft voice and avoidance of eye contact that she is not. But she shows the character becoming more confident the further she gets from Dante, taking control of things when it’s obvious Wayne is about to crash, showing vulnerability and hurt when Wayne tells her to get on that bus. After the abuse she suffered at the hands of Dante, she seems to have placed Wayne in the position of father-figure, especially as she sees how devoted he is to finding his daughter. Ogunsuyi has a nice dynamic with Woodside to the point that we hope she doesn’t get on that bus and can find away to remain a part of his and his family’s lives. L.A. Sweeney is also perfect as Pam, putting aside whatever past issues she has with Wayne so they can work together to get their daughter home. She portrays Pam as another strong woman, doing her best to hold it together while her daughter remains missing, but not afraid to put her foot down with Wayne.
Megan Hutchings is excellent as Donna, never seeming suspicious when talking about Robyn’s boots, and never even waving any red flags when inviting Robyn to the private box. Even after they have abducted Robyn, she remains a calm presence, probably because the character is revealed to have been a nurse, always talking to Robyn in the most motherly of tones, and that makes her all the more subtly frightening. Duff Zayonce is a little more on edge as Lucas, seemingly ready to snap at any moment (and Donna hints at how dangerous he can be), and the performance fits the character perfectly.
Everything about Taken at a Basketball Game is the highest quality from the direction and writing, to the production design, costumes, hair and make-up, sound design and music. The creatives behind the scenes could not have asked for a better cast of actors with stellar performances all around. The story itself is harrowing, and ultimately serves as a warning to always keep an eye on your kids no matter how old they are. It’s not the most pleasant of subjects to be used as a means of entertainment, but the skill with which the film was produced makes it one that should not be missed.
Taken at a Basketball Game has a run time of 1 hour 27 minutes, and is rated TV-PG.
Taken at a Basketball Game (2025) | Official Trailer | Lifetime Thriller
Lifetime
EXCELLENT MOVIE