Molly

I must admit to being quite apprehensive about seing this movie as i had read quite a few dreadful reviews,some of which singled out Elisabeth Shue's portrayal of the title character as being cringeworthy and even worse,bordering on offensive. Having now seen the movie i can happily say it was much better than i had expected. To start,i found all of the performances to be very good particularly that of Thomas Jane who played Molly's boyfriend and of course Elisabeth Shue.Initially it was quite hard to accept her in this role because (Leaving Las Vegas excepted) other characters she has played were quite bland and uninteresting.As Molly she convinces incredibly well,displaying a wide range of emotions from childlike innocence to extreme anger and frustration, not to mention a handful of well played comic moments. Other plus points include a nice music score by Trevor Jones and a conclusion that doesn't go overly mushy yet still leaves you moved. If i had anything negative to say about Molly it would be that at times it seems quite rushed (apparently quite a few scenes were edited out),and that occasionally it is reminiscent of a T.V. movie. All in all while not an excellent movie, Molly certainly isn't terrible and i would definitley recommend it.

Loosely cribbed from Daniel Keyes' novel "Flowers for Algernon" this moist tale follows experimental surgery subject, Molly who overcomes autism only to regress as the procedure's effects fade. We're supposed to realize that, the mentally disabled are people to - and have something to teach us. But this ham fisted tale ends up communicating a less profound message more along the lines of - some of them like to obsessively line up shoes.

Molly McKay (Elizabeth Shue, very wonderful) has been living in a nursing home for years, after her parents' deaths. She has severe autism and generally answers every question with the word "no". One senses, however, that locked inside her being is a woman as bright as she is beautiful. Her older brother, Buck (Aaron Eckhart) has only visited her on rare occasions, as he was going through college and starting his career in advertising. Word comes, however, that the nursing home is closing and that Buck will have to make new arrangements for Molly. Very apprehensive, Buck brings Molly back to his Venice, California apartment, where the chaos soon begins. When a daycare situation goes sour, Buck has to bring Molly to work, where her erratic behavior soon causes the firm to lose a major account. Buck is promptly fired, causing resentment between the siblings. However, a clinic worker, Sam (Thomas Jane) has been a friend to Molly for years and he encourages Buck to be patient and caring. Also, a doctor at the clinic (Jill Hennessey) convinces Buck to let them try a new surgical technique on Molly, one that will allow her to lead a more normal life. Amazingly, after the procedure, Molly does become more verbal and starts to catch up on some of life's moments that have eluded her. But, can it last? This is a very nice film about an important topic, autism. However, instead of focusing on children, this one shines a light on the experiences of an adult with the condition. As such, Shue is wonderful as the brave and bright Molly while Eckhart is equally fine as her confused but goodhearted brother. One must also congratulate Hennessey and especially Jane for giving great turns as well. The setting in Venice is beautiful and the other cinema niceties, such as costumes and photography, are more than adequate. The script is both lightly humorous and tear generating, at the same time, and gives the audience a good look at the autistic individual, trapped inside his or her own body. Even so, one suspects that the film, made in 1999, might be a bit dated as to current discoveries and treatments. But, that matters little, indeed, to the overall enjoyment of the flick. If you are a fan of sweet, thought-provoking stories, told with care and humor, you should make time for Molly. Good golly, you will be entertained and enlightened at the same wonderful time.

I really wanted to like this movie but after 20 depressing minutes I started to play with my cat and do housework. The acting is mediocre and some performers are wasted. I feel this is probably due to the choppy editing which confused me. It seemed like whole sections were missing from the movie making me wonder did I miss something. The story was done much better in a wonderful film called "CHARLEY" with Cliff Robertson based on FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON. Apparently the movie premiered on airplanes and that should be a warning that the film is pretty awful. Elizabeth Shue gives a fine performance as the lead character and in some scenes she is quite touching. On the whole the best thing about watching this movie was I got to clean my apartment.

(Credit IMDb) A bachelor becomes the unwilling guardian of his autistic, retarded sister; then an experimental treatment works a dramatic change in her brain and his attitude.

This movie is quite sentimental and sweet, but it's not quite skilled enough to do what it aspires to be. The storyline itself was actually rather endearing. I felt Elisabeth Shue did a decent job playing a mentally challenged autistic girl, and transitioned very effectively to a smarter person. Portraying an autistic person isn't easy. Elisabeth Shue is far from the problem here. She struggles a bit sometimes, but considering it was a huge leap for her dramatically, I feel she deserves props. It gets a bit too ambitious in the second half, not to mention I had a hard time warming up to the main lead (Aaron Eckhart) There was just something about him that felt off to me, despite OK chemistry with Shue. It tries to go for the typical heartbreaking finale which is full of sap and sentiment, but I found it to be way too conventional. I also thought the love story between Elisabeth Shue and Thomas Jane was slightly contrived. It didn't feel real to me, and I thought it was just thrown in there for the sake of it. It tries to be a sad, thought provoking film, but fails. It's certainly keeps your attention, but it's not as powerful as it likes to believe it is.

5.8/10