Doing Time on Maple Drive

Wow. A made for TV movie that could have been a feature - what a switch! Usually you pay ten bucks for something that would have played better on TV.

"Doin' Time on Maple Drive" is a powerful film, more or less based on the syndrome of the controlling, affluent parents/children afraid of their disapproval, trying to please them and not measuring up. So it will hit home with lots of people. In fact, probably with most people.

The film is of special interest because of a supporting dramatic role by none other than Jim Carrey. He and the whole cast are excellent and ring true.

A therapist once told me, "There are no secrets in families." This movie points that up magnificently.

Doin' Time on Maple Drive is irresistible - when it's on TV, even if you've seen it, you won't be able to resist watching it again.

At first, the characters in this family melodrama all seem so ordinary and well adjusted. The dad (James Sikking) is financially successful, competitive, and something of a perfectionist. Mom (Bibi Besch) is motherly and traditional. One son is getting married. The other son has just a slight fondness for alcohol. And the daughter and her husband have returned for a pleasant visit, and to attend the family wedding. Our ideal family lives in a two-story house with manicured lawn on Maple Drive. As in the 1950's sitcom "Leave It To Beaver", all is peaches and cream, comfy and cozy, a household that is the very archetype of American family values.

But viewers are alerted to the shallowness of this overall image when the story's POV character tells another character: "See, he just has to be perfect. And if he isn't perfect, just keep it to yourself because I don't think anybody in this family wants to know". As secrets and anger surface, verbal conflict builds. And by the film's end, all these people are revealed to be complex, flawed, vulnerable, and hurting.

"Doing Time On Maple Drive" gets off to a slow start. I think the script setup might be a tad too long. And the writers could have been a little clearer about who is related to whom. Other than that, the script is well written and highly thematic. With rich characterization, the story conveys a realistic view of contemporary America, with its penchant for shallow idealism that overlays deep social and psychological turmoil. Although the dialogue seems a bit dated, it nevertheless has some good subtext.

Overall acting is quite impressive. I couldn't find any weak performances. It's nice to see Jim Carrey play a serious role; I wish he would do more drama. The film's color cinematography is adequate.

I have two complaints. First, the score consists of dreary, nondescript elevator music; second, sets seem cheap. However, this is after all a made-for-TV movie; visual breaks show where the commercials were inserted. And I can imagine that the budget here was fairly low.

But the film's strength is its script. "Doing Time On Maple Drive" is a poignant story that has genuine thematic depth. For what director Ken Olin set out to do, I think he succeeded quite well. Although there have been more recent films dealing with the same general topic, the high quality of this film makes it worth watching.

Finally, this great TV movie is being released on DVD. Won't be out (pardon the pun) until September 7, 2004, same date as HBO's "Angels in America."

I really liked this when it first aired. It hit home for me, as a gay man who contemplated suicide in my youth. Often a part of the process of accepting yourself, despite the hatred and violence inflicted on GLBT persons. A test, I suppose. Failing at that attempt is the only way to pass. Truth must prevail, even if others--including those people you hold dear--do not wish to hear it. As though listening yourself is ever that easy.

Jim Carrey was amazing in this, and should have gotten him more serious roles. "Man in the Moon" was the closest to serious that he's done since this film. I hope he does more, since comedy can only take you so far. Oscars are won for dramas, typically.

Dave

Firstly I should say that this film shows how well Jim Carrey can act when he's not in "manic" mode. He has only recently come close in "The Truman Show".

I went literally around the world before I found this film on video, having searched for five years. I am so glad that I succeeded.

For once in a movie I actually felt sorry for the people that I was meant to feel sorry for, quite a directorial achievement. Carrey's "best man" speech led everyone down the wrong track, expecting a self pitying outcome, only to be twisted into a noble speech right at the end.

This is one film that is well worth the effort of tracking it down.

The Carters live on Maple Drive in unnamed New England town and they look like they're getting ready for a red letter day. Their youngest William McNamara is about to tie the knot with Lori Loughlin. But all of their kids feel just like they're Doing Time On Maple Drive.

The parents are James Sikking and Bibi Besch and its another case of what seems like an ideal family isn't all that ideal. Sikking is a restaurant owner of what looks like a posh establishment, he's always seeming so uptight. As for Besch, she drinks on the sly, but always is concerned with appearances whatever the situation.

Oldest is son Jim Carrey who does absolutely no funny shtick here, but gives a fine performance as a kid who is not drinking discreetly. We never really find out any specifics in his case, but given his parents we can fill in the blanks.

McNamara finally comes out as gay and just can't marry Loughlin. Besch is upset because this all so embarrassing to her. After that daughter Jaynie Brook lets loose with some secrets of her own that shock her husband David Byron who is just observing his in-laws with a cool appraising, but not approving eye.

Doing Time On Maple Drive got a few Emmy nominations including a truly deserved one for Bibi Besch. And in William McNamra you see a fine portrayal of gay kid ready to ruin his own life to satisfy what society thinks he ought to be.

A must for gay audiences.