Le combat de ma mère

This is a heart wrenching tale about a single mom trying her best to provide for her family. Kathy Bates is outstanding in her portrayal of a hard scrabble mom, down on her luck, who tries to start over and provide a home for her kids. I can't say enough about her performance.

This family goes through some really difficult times, so this isn't necessarily a feel good movie, although there are some inspiring moments. Just when you think things can't get any worse for this family, it does. My heart just broke.

I think this movie does a great job if it causes us to take better notice of those around us who are in need - and do what we can to help them. It becomes difficult, if you run into a women like portrayed here, that is too proud to accept "handouts". But this movie is also inspiring in that it is a great example of the determination of the human spirit and what someone can do in this country if they make up their mind to be somebody and provide a better life for their children.

I know a lot of folks talked about this movie being so heartwrenching, and at time a tear jerker, but this movie is as close to my childhood as I can imagine. We weren't quite as poor, but I really grew up in a half-finished house and we were pretty tight on money. We never finished our house, but my mom sent three kids to damn good colleges and private schools while supporting us on a teacher's salary.

And Kathy Bates nailed it just right. I think that this movie portrays a lot of things about people who are struggling to get by, and it does it in a way that is very evenly balanced. I mean, her character is mostly sympathetic, but she shuts people out too. She's proud to a fault. She wants so much to do it all on her own, that she doesn't seem to realize just how much help she needs. That sense that she is all alone in it; that's how we felt. I'm sure that's how my parents felt. I liked how she found friends who knew how to handle her pride and still help her.

I loved this movie but it is hard for me to watch!

I never got nails for Christmas, though!

I think the bit about the disclaimer that this is all fiction is just the standard CYA language the lawyers put in at the end of every movie. There's lots of novels that are "fiction" that are true.

My wife is usually the only one in my family that will watch this type of movie. We call it a "mother's movie". But she got me at a weak moment and I watched it and I liked it a lot. I think that it was certainly Kathy Bates and Soon-Tek-Oh that kept it going. At the beginning the narrator states that it is a true story. I watched it with the thought that this was something that actually did happen. At the end of the credits it says that the above story is ficticious etc. with that usual speel. Now I don't know what to believe. Was it real or just made up. I wish I could find out the truth.

Kathy Bates(Frances Lacey)also "Misery'90), performed outstanding acting skills as a wonderful mother who just plain loved her children more than herself and was able to warm the hearts of many people she encountered, especially, Soo-Tek-Oho who owned a broken down shack and a few acres of land, which turned out to be a great Mansion for her children Edward Furlong(Shayne Lacey),"Three Blind Mice " Clarissa Lassig(Lynn Lacey) and a few more children. This film will warm your heart and soul and will definitely make you shed a tear or two. We need more picture of this caliber, which is a true story and down to earth and REAL!!

This movie was as close to home as it gets. We were not as poor as the Lacey's, but some of our Christmas's were skimpy. I particularly thought the casting was good and the plot line was very believable. When my grandparents first got indoor plumbing, the whole family gathered at their house to celebrate. No more long cold trips during winter! I imagine that most people who watched this movie was critiquing the character development and other mundane points, but anyone who has been lacking the common necessities was looking at this in a far different light. At first I thought more interaction with between Murray and the junkyard owner would have helped, then I realized that this was about Frances and her struggle to provide for her children. Some of the kids characters were never developed but it didn't matter. They were shown to be suffering during the bad times and enjoying the good times. I want to watch it again to see what I missed.