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David and Lisa

  • TV Movie
  • 1998
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
719
YOUR RATING
Lukas Haas, Sidney Poitier, and Brittany Murphy in David and Lisa (1998)
DramaRomance

Lukas Haas portays David, a withdrawn but apparent near genius, who fears being touched. Brittney Murphy plays Lisa, a young woman seemingly suffering from split personalities who speaks onl... Read allLukas Haas portays David, a withdrawn but apparent near genius, who fears being touched. Brittney Murphy plays Lisa, a young woman seemingly suffering from split personalities who speaks only in rhymes and withdraws from anyone who doesn't speak to her likewise. Meeting in the ps... Read allLukas Haas portays David, a withdrawn but apparent near genius, who fears being touched. Brittney Murphy plays Lisa, a young woman seemingly suffering from split personalities who speaks only in rhymes and withdraws from anyone who doesn't speak to her likewise. Meeting in the psychiatric ward, the two's eyes lock and an obvious attraction is indicated. First each mus... Read all

  • Director
    • Lloyd Kramer
  • Writers
    • Theodore Isaac Rubin
    • Eleanor Perry
    • Lloyd Kramer
  • Stars
    • Sidney Poitier
    • Lukas Haas
    • Brittany Murphy
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    719
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Lloyd Kramer
    • Writers
      • Theodore Isaac Rubin
      • Eleanor Perry
      • Lloyd Kramer
    • Stars
      • Sidney Poitier
      • Lukas Haas
      • Brittany Murphy
    • 16User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 2 nominations total

    Photos9

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    Top cast18

    Edit
    Sidney Poitier
    Sidney Poitier
    • Dr. Jack Miller
    Lukas Haas
    Lukas Haas
    • David
    Brittany Murphy
    Brittany Murphy
    • Lisa
    Debi Mazar
    Debi Mazar
    • Maggie
    Allison Janney
    Allison Janney
    • Alix
    Kim Murphy
    Kim Murphy
    • Natalie
    Giuseppe Andrews
    Giuseppe Andrews
    • Joey
    Vicellous Shannon
    Vicellous Shannon
    • Tyrone
    • (as Vicellous Reon Shannon)
    Gene Wolande
    Gene Wolande
    • Kevin
    Kimiko Gelman
    Kimiko Gelman
    • Molly
    Giselle deCerda
    Giselle deCerda
    • Doris
    Samaria Graham
    Samaria Graham
    • Felicia
    Ty Hodges
    Ty Hodges
    • Raymond
    • (as Eric 'Ty' Hodges II)
    Diva Zappa
    Diva Zappa
    • Francesca
    Phil Hawn
    Phil Hawn
    • Institute Staff Member
    • (uncredited)
    Jim Jenkins
    • Museum Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Spencer Kayden
    • Woman
    • (uncredited)
    Josiah Polhemus
    Josiah Polhemus
    • Man
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Lloyd Kramer
    • Writers
      • Theodore Isaac Rubin
      • Eleanor Perry
      • Lloyd Kramer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    6.7719
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    Featured reviews

    8Victor Field

    "I see a girl... who looks like a pearl." The movie's quite appealing as well.

    This may have come about under the aegis of Oprah Winfrey, but don't let that put you off; "David and Lisa" is far more watchable than her self-titled opus. (Another British viewer complained that She Who Thinks She's God appears in an intro before the movie starts; this is the case on video and on its US screenings, but I watched the movie on BBC2 and her appearance was removed, for which much thanks. Less justifiably, the Harpo logo was also absent - I don't like Oprah, but I like end credits.)

    Though Sidney Poitier is top-billed, Lukas Haas is the real star of the movie; he plays an articulate and intelligent young man who's very disturbed - he suffers from a recurring nightmare involving "clock executions," and has a severe phobia about being touched, all of which accounts for his widowed mother (Allison Janney from "The West Wing") sending him to a special institution.

    This movie is basically a love story, and the object of his affections - though it takes him a while to realise it - is a fellow patient played by Brittany Murphy (anyone seeing this after "Girl, Interrupted" and "Don't Say A Word" will probably not be surprised). Given to speaking in rhyme to make her internal demons go away, his interest is at first clinical, but eventually...

    Compared to "The Bell Jar" (the book, that is - I haven't seen the movie version), this isn't particularly wrenching, but it isn't meant to be. Blessedly non-sick-making, sensitively told and generally well-performed (some of the freakouts may seem overacted, but how far is too far in cases like this?), "David and Lisa" is an involving story right up to its final scene - there's no real miracle cure, instead a suggestion that they're heading in the right direction. (And unusually for a love story, the two never kiss.)

    And to the person who complained about Marco Beltrami's music; in addition to being above-average for TV, it must have been a refreshing change for him to score a movie not about serial killings. Fans of him (and Haas and Murphy) should tune in.
    8planktonrules

    I cannot compare this to the 1962 version, as I have yet to see it. But I did enjoy it.

    "David and Lisa" is a made for TV remake of the 1962 film by the same name. I read in another review that the original film was better, but as I haven't seen it I have no way to compare the two. What I do know is that I liked the film...possibly due, in part, to my history working in the mental health field.

    When the story begins, David (Lucas Haas) is brought to a residential treatment program for the mentally ill. It's not a hospital per se, but more of a residential home. Why is David there? Well, he's extremely depressed and obsessed with death...to the point where he's practically non-functional.

    At first, David is extremely hostile and guarded. It's obvious he's afraid to have close contact with others...both physical and emotional. Because of this, therapy is difficult for him. However, after he develops a friendship with a disturbed patient who only talks in rhymes, slowly he begins to allow others near him...and he appears to have excellent insight into her problems, though not of his own. Where is this friendship going and do either stand a chance of living a normal life?

    Seeing two sick people learn to help each other is very touching. Both seem to have a lot to offer the other. I also appreciate the writing and performances, as I was a social worker and psychotherapist and appreciate the film and its message. Not an easy film to see...but worth your time if you allow it.
    10Caroline-7

    Really worth seeing.

    The second I saw the article in the Sunday paper about this film, I knew it was going to be a keeper. Unable to watch it as it was aired (and, after all, I like to tape everything anyway just in case) I saw it the following day. It's truly beautiful. I was in tears when David lets 'Lisa' hold his hand. It's touching, and just crazy enough for us 'artsy' types. *smile* Get a hold of a copy of it somehow. You've got to. Really, truly watch it. Listen to the dialogue. Watch the actor's eyes. Keep tissues handy for the end.
    5The_Movie_Cat

    We're not worthy, we're not worthy!

    In hindsight, the death of Sidney Poitier's film career probably began in 1989 with "Driving Miss Daisy". A huge "sleeper" hit for Morgan Freeman, which he capitalised on with later roles in "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Se7en".

    As a result, the rare role of "elderly black man" in cinema (matched for obscurity only by the roles of Asian or disabled actors in Hollywood circles) has fallen in favour of Freeman. Not that that's a bad thing, Morgan is a fine actor, but to waste one of the major talents of the cinema (one of the fifty greatest film actors of all time? Twenty? Ten?) on tv movies is a sad waste. Sidney has starred in just eleven films in the last two decades, only five of them for the big screen.

    And so, being a huge Poitier fan I rented out "David and Lisa", a love story between two patients at a home for the mentally ill. Lukas Haas and Brittany Murphy do well as the titular characters, while Sidney is, as expected, the greatest performer in the piece.

    Yet while Haas gets to do all the real "acting", Sidney is required here to do nothing more than go through the motions, with no material to get his teeth into. Instead, he is called upon to deliver such saccharine lines as "If you don't fall in love with life then you are more dead than alive". His attempts to wade through what is essentially a treacly, self-consciously "heart-warming" story are blighted at every turn. His swift body language and familiar-yet-well-mannered facial array are slowed by the sentimental incidental music that punctuates any "touching" plot development.

    For a film that professes to be about mental illness, it can be occasionally sloppy in it's presentation of said theme. The movie is guilty of perpetuating the widely-held myth that "Schizophrenia" refers to multiple personality disorders, while the notion of illnesses than can be cured by love is just too easy an option for a satisfactory resolution.

    Ultimately, this is not a bad film, but then neither is it a particularly good one. I gave it average (5) marks, as, like the majority of tv movies, it is a sanitised work, content to sit there and occupy the attention for 85 minutes then go away again leaving no real lasting impression. It's not horrible, it's not bad for your health, but then neither will it alter your life in any great way. The film's undercurrent is the sort of self-aggrandising, pious worthiness that gives liberalism a bad name. In fact, the whole movie walks a tightrope between decent entertainment and preachy sentiment. The only thing it needs to take it over the edge into a swarfegic glob of overstated emotion is a introduction by Oprah Winfrey, where she talks about the film being a "timeless love story" and "love gives us the power to live".

    Oh, wait a minute. She does do that, doesn't she? Damn.
    9MrSpoons

    A Star is Born

    "David and Lisa," is one of those rare productions that remind us how good television can be. Portrayals of people with mental illnesses are always difficult. That there was room for reality and subtlety is a tribute to the creators and performers. Brittany Murphy's performance as Lisa will be on my mind for a long time. I can only hope that it will bring her more and more important roles, along with her first Emmy nomination. Thanks to Oprah for bringing this wonderful story to a new generation.

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Remake of a 1962 film of the same name, starting Keir Dullea and Janet Margolin.
    • Quotes

      Lisa: David... David look at me. Who do you see?

      David: I see a girl, who looks like a pearl. I see a girl, a girl of a pearl.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Film Junk Podcast: Episode 553: The Witch (2016)

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    FAQ4

    • What is 'David and Lisa' about?
    • Is 'David and Lisa' based on a book?
    • Who is Muriel?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 1, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Oprah Winfrey Presents: David and Lisa
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Harpo Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 26m(86 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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