Profoundly Normal

This was a sweet movie, based on a true story about the often forgotten mentally handicapped population. Kirstie Alley and Delroy Lindo both do an excellent job of portraying Donna and Ricardo. Each character captures your attention with the reality of their world. This movie is reminiscent of the struggles to "be normal" in the movie The Other Sister starring Juliette Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi.

I went through an emotional roller coaster watching this movie. I laughed, I cried and I got upset.

The story was extremely touching and the acting was fantastic.

The Thornton's are extraordinary people and I felt very privileged to have the opportunity for the glance into their spectacular lives.

It was years ago that I saw Donna and Ricardo Thornton on Sixty Minutes and heard their story. Upon seeing the premiere of this movie, I realized who Kirstie Alley was portraying, and Alley did it superbly.

In the movie, Ricky Thornton, their son, says his father should have never been institutionalized, and in all liklihood, Donna shouldn't have been either. As portrayed by Alley, it was clear Donna was a capable and determined woman who was not mentally challenged or retarded. We should all be as able to accomplish what Donna Thornton did. When I saw the Thornton's story on Sixty Minutes, it was a story that was made to be told, I just can't figure out why it has taken so long to do so.

Emmy worthy? Only if the Emmy award means anything. Alley should be nominated, but if five other actresses are chosen instead, it will hardly mean any of them diminish this performance or this film. Kirstie Alley spared no punches in depicting a true woman of character.

Told in the form of the news interview, Alley and Delroy Lindo were beyond convincing, looking as tho nothing was scripted.

Thankfully, the film followed Donna Thornton's example and didn't focus on the travesty of the institution, instead portraying the love story, a fascinating uphill saga.

Disease-of-the-Week telemovies can get tedious and annoying. This cannot be said of the Thorntons. They are truly a blessing to have heard about. Absolutely magnificent.

I too had never considered Kirstie Alley a "real" actress. She is a very good comedian, but "Serious Actress" is not a description I would have ever used with her. . . .until I saw this movie. I was actually at work (at a sportsbar) when it came on. I was flipping through the channels looking for sports, when I stopped for a moment, and in that short moment I was amazed! I sat entranced for the next 2 hours (ignoring customers, and killing my tips), but it was worth it! Not since Sybill (with Sally Field in the 1970's) have I been so awe struck with the performances in a TV movie! Congrats to Kirstie Alley! You have proven yourself to be brilliant, talented, inspired, and most of all a "Serious Actress" on a par with the great film actresses of today!!!!!!

Wow.

I had turned to channel 3 to play some video games, and was rewarded with this movie. I was blown away, and I loved every moment of it. I was immediately attached to the characters during the opening credits, and I was never let down.

I'll begin by saying I never considered Alley to be a "real" actress, and that may be because of the unfortunate shows and movies she has been in (not that they're bad, they just never required real acting). But I've taken a 180 and am now convinced that this woman is phenomenal. She embraced her character and performed so realistically that it took me several minutes before I realized that was her. I had to come to imdb just to make sure. It can't be easy to play a mentally retarded character, especially when so many stereotypes and prejudices exist. Ms. Alley, though, was beyond convincing. She was profound.

Perhaps some people may consider this to be a simple battle of overcoming society, but imagine the difficulty of surmounting the woes the world presses against you unfairly and without cause. Imagine being told every day of your life that you couldn't do something over and over again, and believing it for yourself. What do you do when you HAVE to do it? When you have to survive?

Was the story heartwarming? Of course. Was it endearing? Most definitely. But what I loved about it was the reality you could feel from the people. There is one argument (and I don't want to give away about what) between the two characters where I suddenly couldn't tell they were retarded. It was a real argument that anyone could have, and I was convinced that these two souls were completely normal...

Profoundly normal