"The Elizabeth Smart Story" does exactly what Ed and Lois Smart wanted — it tells their story. At times, it beats viewers over the head with that story.

There may, however, be one unintended consequence. If alleged kidnappers Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee are accurately portrayed in the CBS telefilm (Sunday, 8 p.m., Ch. 2), they're clearly not competent to stand trial.

"Elizabeth" is an average effort in a familiar TV-movie genre. It's hard to imagine there's anybody in America, let alone anybody in Utah, who isn't familiar with the story of the then-14-year-old's kidnapping and rescue. And there's nothing new in the TV movie.

At its best, it makes viewers feel the Smarts' pain. It's one thing to read what it was like to have Salt Lake police looking at family members as suspects; it's far more powerful to see the actors playing Ed (Dylan Baker) and Lois (Lindsay Frost) experience that pain.

At its worst, "Elizabeth" manipulates events for dramatic effect — not surprising, given that nine months are telescoped into 92 minutes, excluding commercials.

The movie does hit a number of points obviously important to the Smarts, including:

• A defense of 9-year-old Mary Katherine's actions the night of her sister's kidnapping, with Lois calling her a "hero."

• A defense of Elizabeth's (Amber Marshall) actions while kidnapped, showing multiple escape attempts.

• A defense of the Smarts' employment of transients to do work around their house.

• An indictment of Mark Klaas, who's shown using his status as the father of a kidnap victim to try to secure an interview for Fox News.

• An indictment of the Salt Lake Tribune and (since fired) reporters Kevin Canterra and Michael Vigh for reporting that police believed a member of the Smart family committed the crime. "Why should (volunteers) bother searching for Elizabeth when they think we took her ourselves?" Ed says.

• An indictment of the National Enquirer for an unfounded story indicating Ed and his brothers were part of "gay sex ring" that was somehow tied to the kidnapping.

• An indictment of the work of the Salt Lake police, particularly for fixating on their prime suspect, Richard Ricci, and resisting efforts by the Smarts to make Mitchell (Tom Everett) a suspect.

And, while there's the requisite ominous music as Mitchell leers through a window at Elizabeth in the movie's opening minutes, the only indication of sexual assault comes in a graphic at the end of the movie that lists the charges against Mitchell and Barzee.

All of which justifies the Smarts' reasoning that by participating in the project, the story would get told their way.