Secrets de famille

Taped this TV film in 1984 and just recently viewed this film again and greatly enjoyed the talents of veteran actors like, Stefanie Powers,(Jessie Callaway),"Invisible Strangler",'76,who showed her great acting abilities as a complicated young woman who has many mental problems and tries to help her mother move out of her home where she lived for forty(40) years. Melissa Gilbert,(Sara Callaway),"Ice House",'89, does not get along very well with her mother and simply loves her grandmother, Maureen Stapleton,(Maggie Lukauer),"Living & Dining",'03, who tries to help her daughter and granddaughter get over many of their problems which seem to pop up all over the house. There are some deep Family Secrets which finally come to everyones attention. If you like good acting and a great TV film, you just might be able to view this film on LIFETIME!

In this tv movie drama.Ms.Powers is an overworked ad ex.Who is ordered by her bosses to take out from work.Both she and her daughter(Played here engaging by Ms.Melissa Gilbert)head for the home of Powers Mother(played with some maternal toughness by Maureen Stapleton).As they try to get Ms.Stapleton to move to a new home following the death of her husband.It's during this period.That Ms.Gilbert learns of the difficult relationship between her mother and her grandmother.Secrets of betrayail,mistrust and not being given any love by the elder member of the family creates extreme tensions for Ms.Powers and Ms.Stapleton.Until Ms.Gilbert decides to leave her mother and move in with her grandma.The story is predictable but the performances from these talented ladies.more than make up for the plot's flaws.Ms.Powers is wonderful as the workaholic daughter.Who doesn't get along with her mother and feels that she is hiding some dark secrets about her father.Ms.Stapleton is equally engaging as the grandmother.Who simply wants her daughter and grandaughter to forget the past and get on with their lives.And Ms.Gilbert is perfect as the daughter.Who just wants to have some normalcy in her life.Despite the minor plot."Family Secrets"is a family treasure.

I was only interested in this movie, because of the three beautiful women who starred in it. It was fun seeing the classic 80's clothes. While the mother of Melissa Gilbert preaches about nutrition she is a smoker herself which seems a bit hypocritical.

I'm a mother and it's my worst nightmare the way the daughters feel about their mothers in this film. I only watched it, because of the 3 fabulous actress' who star in it. They really are great! The clothes are classic 80's and seeing James Spader was fun. Other than the wonderful actors and clothes it was quite depressing.

This movie begins to try to explain the complex family relationships between three generations of women, grandmother, mother and daughter. Although the story is straightforward, the entanglements aren't. The film deals with two sets of mothers and two sets of daughters, all with their individual hang ups, issues and life plans.

Maureen Stapleton is wonderful as the grandmother, close to her grand-daughter but cold to her own daughter. Melissa Gilbert plays the spoilt little girl pretty well (although I did feel tempted to slap her at times!). But, as usual, it is Stefanie Powers who walks away with the film. Stefanie's character, Jessie, is a workaholic with a string of failed marriages behind her. She struggles to deal with her teenage daughter and has almost given up on any kind of relationship with her mother, particularly after the recent death of the father she adored.

This set up is fairly representative of most mother/daughter relationships. As happens in the movies, this one works itself out but it's interesting to watch the process.