Charly

I have not read any of Jack Weyland's work, even though I found a lecture he gave quite entertaining. My wife had to coax me into watching this movie. She hasn't read the book, either. I thought the movie was a little long and slow, but also thought provoking and well made for an LDS film.

"Charly" seemed like two separate stories to me. The first half of the movie is about Charly's internal struggle. She resolves it, and the movie could end there, happily ever after. I'm not sure I would watch the sequel, however. The second half of the movie is more poignant. In this story, Sam struggles with his own beliefs, and his struggle seems more intense than Charly's. The second half of this movie is better than the first, but it takes a long time to get there!

The movie makes you think about your own beliefs and the important things in life. Personally, I enjoy movies that make me think or make me want to be better.

The quality is better than most LDS films to date. The lead actors do a fairly good job, despite their lack of experience. Many of the supporting actors leave something to be desired, however.

"Charly" is a top-notch film for the LDS genre. It ranks up there with "The Other Side of Heaven" and "Roots and Wings." Such movies don't require you to be a Mormon to enjoy the story they tell. The love story in "Charly" could happen to a person of any faith. This one just happens to take place in Salt Lake City.

I loved this movie. It made you feel like change is possible and you can accomplish anything with God's help. It helped me to believe that God does hear and answer our prayers and that we shouldn't judge people by the way they look or act. Go see this movie it is truly a life changing experience. You won't regret it. Take kleenex's

CHARLY is one of those movies that really don't care if it's seen as being too sugary. It is what it is, and those who enjoys its positive message of faith will certainly enjoy it, while those who shuns such feelings will certainly continue to shun it. Your enjoyment of the film depends on your level of awareness with yourself. Do you mock people who have faith? If so, then CHARLY is not for you.

As a standalone movie, CHARLY is a worthwhile film, with terrific performances by the two young leads. Although the female lead's unnatural-sounding dialogue gets a bit tedious in the beginning, her transformation from carefree city girl to worthwhile human being also makes her more affable. A good thing too, because her "city girl" dialogue is really, to put it mildly, atrocious.

A good movie, with a heartfelt message it wants to tell, and does. The ending is like many films with religious themes, so those familiar with the genre won't be surprised. Those who haven't delved into the genre, though, may be a bit shocked.

7 out of 10

(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie and reviews of other genre and Indie films)

I was disappointed that the story seemed to take a back seat to pushing the religious message. If the viewer already is "in the fold," this will probably be enormously satisfying. Others may feel like they've been duped. I didn't think it was worth the $9 admission I had to pay. My fault for going to a movie that wasn't reviewed in the paper, haha.

Actually, I thought Heather Beers' performance was outstanding, as was that of the woman who played her artist-grandmother, but the other characters were shallow and underdeveloped, especially the leading man, who had a lot of screen time and should have come through with more depth . . . but then I don't think that was the goal of the movie. The message is, "If you accept the church, your life will have more meaning."

Cynics may say that the movie intends to tell everyone to join the Mormon Church. The main character's decision to join or not only occurs in the first half of the movie. The rest deals with the relationship between Charly and Sam, including the arguments, hardships and tragedies that happen IN SPITE OF their faith. To me, that's what makes the movie such a good idea: sure, the main characters talk about baptism, but they do it with personality, and they never turn to the camera and say that the Mormon church is for everyone. I call that tasteful. I was especially impressed with the supporting characters, like Charly's grandmother and the fiancée. The parts were well-acted, and fleshed out the story nicely. The questions and ideas this movie proposes about life are just as difficult and commonly asked today as they were when the original book was written. While you watch the movie be sure to accept that some people actually choose to believe in something.