Customer Reviews

The Brooke Ellison Story

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Christopher Reeve's penultimate directorial effort is a made-for-TV biopic that attempts to bring a slightly more realistic approach to the genre while hewing fairly closely to the format. In all, Reeve succeeded here.

Much of the credit can go to the writing and active participation of Brooke Ellison and her mother and constant caregiver Jean but screenwriter Camille Thomasson also deserves kudos for employing brief but memorable vignettes of the other family members. As the husband of a permanently disabled but determined wife, I know too well how spinal cord injury affects more than just one life. Even though the reality is twenty times more difficult than shown here, it's also just too graphic and downright bleak for family viewing. I strongly suggest watching the interviews provided on this disc to get just a glimpse of how much Brooke truly overcomes each day.

I especially appreciate the honest depiction of flawed people and of the myopia and short tempers this type of life can foster. That the Ellisons achieved so much in spite of their situation is incredible.

Vanessa Marano and Lacey Chabert do good work as Brooke (as a child then adult, respectively) but Mastrantonio does most of the heavy lifting as the 24-hour mom and assistant, Jean. Reeve gave her ample time to play her scenes and the discomfort created by some of them is very palpable.

The ending is probably the weakest link, falling far too rapidly into LifeTime mode, but it's still worth the ride. I sincerely recommend this DVD and applaud Reeve and the Ellisons on this effort.

Brooke Ellison's magnificent achievements, both because and in spite of her disability, can't help but inspire. Her biography and this movie version are both a tribute to her and to her loving family, especially her mother. I think the true tragedy of Brooke's accident was not that she was so severely changed, but that we were all so nearly robbed of a remarkable and gifted human being.

Christopher Reeve's talent as a director is evident in this well-put-together biopic which covers Brooke and her family from her accident, their struggles to ensure that she continues to live as normal a life as possible, the financial difficulties of supporting a family with a severely disabled child and the frustrations of bureaucratic red tape to get Brooke adequate care, the emotional struggles of all the family members, and Brooke's final triumph when she graduates from Harvard.

I wish Brooke and her family well, and hope to see her on the speaking tour. Five stars for an inspiring story.

This dvd is an inspriration on many levels. First, Director Christopher Reeve overcame his disability in order to direct and complete this project, which sadly, was his final project. Secondly, the dvd portrays the true story of a young woman, who overcame her own paralysis, to complete school and then, get accepted to and complete her degree at Harvard University (she also continued on to post graduate degrees). Finally, her devoted family is an inspiration. If her mother didn't devote 24 hours, seven days a week to her care, Brooke could not have overcome the physical limitations. Furthermore, her father kept the rest of the family together as he raised Brooke's siblings.

I thought that this movie would be difficult to watch. Nothing could be further from the truth. Young Brooke was paralyzed in an accident at the age of 11 and, throughout, her detrmination and optimism are uplifting. Certainly there were problems including red tape with both schooling and medical insurance. Also, the family situation was difficult on her older sister. Nonetheless, the Ellison family is an amazingly strong and devoted family.

I have seen Million Dollar Baby which explores many of the issues of disability from a much darker side. I thought that it was also a great movie since the issues of whether to go on or to give up are issues that exist in real life and should, therefore, be explored in movies. However, I am happy that there are people like Brooke who are optimistic and choose not only to go on, but to thrive.

A worthwhile feature of the dvd is an interview with Brooke and her mother, Jean. There is also an interview with her father Ed, interspersed within. Truthfully, they don't physically resemble the actresses portraying them in the movie but, that is not important. It is the story that is important and seeing the portrayal as well as the real Brooke Ellison is uplifting. If you are afraid to see this dvd as potentially too depressing to watch, let me assure you that you have nothing to worry about.

I am a teacher and I use this movie in my Personal Development class. It's not a movie I'd stay home on Friday night to watch but it is good. I love how devoted the parents are to their daughter and her circumstances. I love the portayal of a good marriage. It's based on a true story and directed by Christopher Reeve.

People should watch more family movies then any other genre cause it's more down to earth and closer to home. This movie has touched me deeply and truely an inspiration to anybody from many levels. The late Christopher Reeves has done well in directing this movie especially when he could relate to it.

This was the story of Brooke Ellison (Lacey Chabert), who was involved in a car accident that that left eher completely paralyse from her neck down and she she has to rely on her family, especially her mother for every little thing. She face the issues of going to school, life, the acceptance of public and every little things we take for granted. Her mother attends her every class with her until she graduated. Within the pages of her mother's attentive for Brooke, her older sister, Kysten, suffer the emotional torment of the lack of her own mother's care, jealous of all the attention Brooke was receiving.

This surely moved me and if your school offers a movie club, please show this to your class. It would raise awareness among the watchers.

One problem with movies like these is that it cannot show anywhere near the reality of the situation. For example, no matter how a migraine headache is depicted on screen, it cannot even approximate the debilitating pain for the sufferer, or the emotional affects on family members. Of course, there would be little point in making a movie about the pain or the hardships of an illness or injury such as Brooke suffered. However, by focusing almost solely on the successes, all these 'overcoming physical disability' movies become more fiction than truth. For example, I commented to my wife when Brooke and her mother had an argument that they must have had greater patience than Job to go from age eleven to twenty-one before they had one.

My philosophy is that one must experience the dark to be able to value the light; one must know what male is to appreciate the female (and vise versa). Similarly, one must understand what suffering is to be able to treasure pleasure. Therein, I think, lies the real value of this movie. Although it is supposed to be an inspirational story of overcoming adversity, for the vast majority of people it will help them more consciously value their physical abilities. Try nodding your head; then think of Brooke being unable to even do that. Doesn't it make you a bit more appreciative of nodding and the million other things you do every day without thinking?

Of course, the movie can serve to provide some inspiration to young people who are seriously injured. Parents may want to show the movie to such kids. However, it should be remembered that one's injured child will be very aware of their own pain, both physical and emotional, so parents need to be mindful that this movie cannot adequately depict that element. Otherwise, it could serve to discourage the injured kid because Brooke seems, on screen, to have it so much easier.

In short, I think this is a bittersweet story that is equally not as likely as it is likely to provide inspiration to a injured child.

I WATCHED THE MOVIE ON TV, AND WANTED MORE INFO ABOUT IT; ENDED UP ORDERING DVD OF IT. COST ME $4.71, INCLUDING S&H. GREAT DEAL!!! THE MOVIE ITSELF IS VERY WELL DONE, AND IS, IN FACT, THE LAST MOVIE DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER REEVES. I FOUND THAT VERY INTERESTING, AS THIS IS THE STORY OF A YOUNG GIRL PARALYZED IN AN ACCIDENT; THE STORY FOLLOWS HER LIFE THRU SCHOOL AND COLLEGE. SHE IS TRULY MY HERO! ;)

it is a good move i like true stories and amazon is a good company to deal with and they have good prices

I was extremely touched by this story and the great lengths that both Brooke and her family went to make something of her life. There was something almost magical about Brooke's desire to make something of her life while still at the rehabilitation center. Before she had even regained her ability to physically talk, she already knew that she wanted to make something of her life and displayed this by refusing to take a sedative because she wanted to be able to study.

While the story was originally written by Brooke and her mother, I can also see the sacrifice her father, brother and sister went through to help Brooke succeed. The story is not over, though, as Brooke is still very active for paralyzed people. I also know that the movie showed what the power of love and self determination can do.

I am so happy that I purchased this movie. It is really a good one. It is from a true story, I really enjoy movies that are from true stories.