Customer Reviews

Mary and Rhoda

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Personally, I think that "Rhoda" is an even better than "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," so this reunion special was my chance to see Rhoda, from the "Rhoda" show, back after her series ended in 1978.

Now, I was disappointed in how Rhoda married some French jerk despite Mary's advice not to. Anybody who loves the "Rhoda" show knows that Rhoda got to a place in 1978 where she did not need to marry just any man, certainly not a player that she should be able to see a mile away. The character had grown to enjoy her own company, and now she needed a man, and I mean any man, all over again. It just was not honest, and it was a slap in the face to "Rhoda" show fans. Now, I love Mary Tyler Moore, but the more interesting reunion would have been between Valerie Harper and Julie Kavner. Obviously, they were even more magical together. Still, all in all, both Harper and Moore were very entertaining and I do love these women together. Harper was her wonderful offbeat self with her crazy cheese dinner and wild religion search, and that Mare sure has spunk.

Let me start by saying that Mary Tyler Moore was my first crush. Oh, why can't all moms look and act like Laura Petrie from the Dick Van Dyke Show?, I thought. Younger than most moms, curvy, with big brown eyes, a rarity on TV. Keep starchy
Mrs. Cleaver, her pleated dress and her earrings, I adored Mary Tyler Moore. And when Mary got her own show, I was in TV heaven every Saturday night. Mary was just as perky and cute on her own as she was with Dick Van Dyke, but now funnier, more hip, and her own comedic flair brought out the best in her supporting cast. But that was then, this is now.

I'll digress a moment. Henry Fonda, a national institution for the Grapes of Wrath, The Oxbow Incident and Advise and Consent, among many other great films, once explained why he made the 1960s stinker "Sex and the Single Girl." He said an actor needs to do SOMETHING periodically to keep in the public eye so people don't forget. Very true, the public does have a tiny little memory. Come to think of it, why did we invade Iraq again?

This rationale must be the explanation why Mary Tyler Moore made the Godawful "Mary and Rhoda" - she was afraid if she didn't do something the public would desert her faster than you can say Pinky Toscadero.

The thin plot of the show is not even worth mentioning, but I'll report that the most shocking thing about "Mary and Rhoda" is not what you'll find out about Mary Richards. It is what you'll find out about Mary Tyler Moore. She has no sense of humor. The first time around, under the the supervision of her then-husband and former NBC exec Grant Tinker, plus James (Terms of
Endearment) Brooks at the helm, she was in the right place at the right time. Lacking these compuses of intelligence and taste, poor Mary has no internal sense of quality to call her own to save her. The result is absolute disaster in every area, starting with the writing. Barnet Kellman, Candice Bergen's "Murphy Brown" director cannot salvage the tainted material. There is no joy to be had from viewing, but only unintentional pathos. Ms. Moore, aside from obvious facial plastic surgery, shows off in a tight outfit a pair of cantaloupe-sized boobs she never possessed before, or, more accurately, never purchased before. Sad, sad, SAD. So you are warned: if you are a Mary-file like myself, just be happy to remember her as she was.

I've loved the freindship between Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern since the 70's. I am a huge fan of both "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Rhoda." And I was looking forward to the ABC TV series that was going to bring these gals back together again in a 1/2 hr. situation comedy, since that never happend, a reunion took place in a 2 hr. TV Movie instead. I loved it! It was great to catch up with both of their lives and I was surprised to discover they had a falling out and hadn't spoken to each other in years. Due to the recent events in their lifes, both Mary and Rhoda were in need of each others company and by chance run into each other in New York City. I thought the writing and storyline was done very well. The scenes filmed around NYC were very appropriate and the humor was right on. I was not disappointed but rather overjoyed to see these two beautiful characters back in action--and looking very well I might add. An added bonus was seeing that Mary and Rhoda each have college aged daughters and the four of them meet for the first time. I'd love to see more of them together and I think the TV series would have worked. If you haven't seen this movie it is worth the purchase price. I just hope more seasons of the MTM show will be released on DVD to satisfy my Mary & Rhoda hungar. Keep them coming!

I grew up watching both shows and I couldn't have been more disappointed. This reunion lacked the charm and the warmth of the original series and instead, this was about as warm and familiar as a steel garbage can in an alley during a blizzard. Instead of being a show about two women, who during the course of their shows were comfortable in their own skins, they decided to make it a rehash of the bad Brady Bunch movie by making this a "fish out of water" idea. The writing was horrible, the characters were unlikable, the format was very bad and the vision was the polar opposite of what made both Rhoda and The Mary Tyler Moore Show enjoyable and beloved by many.

The chemistry between Mary and Rhoda that we all grew to love from the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" completely disappeared in this movie. The Rhoda and Mary I knew, were "best" friends and joked and wisecracked throughout the show. This movie was so-o-o-o-o boring! Even the beginning when they meet up again after years of separation, was so like "Do I know you?!" Rhoda and Mary were the first "Girlfriends"--they lived in each other's apartment, took classes together, borrowed each others clothes, held each others hand through a crisis or a "bad" date, and even had little spats. They have a history and it didn't show at all in this movie. Plus, they both lacked the energy that they used to have. It didn't have anything to do with their aging--their characters and the script were just plain boring! I'm surprised Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper even agreed to give this movie to their fans of 30 years! I thought they would be mature, savvy, experienced, and entertaining like "Maude" or the "Golden Girls." I didn't hear one funny line like "I don't know why I'm even bothering to put this in my mouth, I should just apply it directly to my hips." I didn't even last to the end, it was so dull. If you were/are a die-hard Mary and Rhoda fan, don't watch this movie. It will destroy every fun loving memory you ever had of the humorous "Mary/Rhoda" duo on tv!

This didn't really do much for me. But what I really wrote to say was, when are they going to put out the wonderful RHODA on DVD. If anything, RHODA was even better than MTM. The relationship between Rhoda and her sister Elaine (whatever happened to her) was classic television comedy. If anyone out there is listening, please bring out RHODA on DVD, pretty please, I'm sure a lot of fans of the show feel the same as me, and I cant beleive its not out already.

I have to say I was very disappointed with this film and I love Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper.
It starts off great with flashbacks of Rhoda and Mary Richards,then there is no mention of the other cast of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show",Lou,Ted,Phyllis,or Sue-Ann.
They both now have a daughter each,and then the film gets very heavy and could easily just be another movie of the week.
Its just a shame that none of the orginal writers of "The Mary Tyler Moore",Treva Silverman and Allan Burns weren't involved.
I hope a better reunion movie of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"/"Rhoda" is made.

This review site doesn't allow a rating of less than one star... therefore, in all fairness, as the DOGS were the best and most interesting actors in this film, they get the one star!

Honestly, this film is "rotten", to quote an earlier, more likeable version of Mary Richards, although it does have a few "moments". VERY FEW. Where do we start? This film should NEVER have started, that's for sure. Mary was horrid in this, Valerie slightly better, and their daughters were worse still. But the girl playing Mary's daughter was worst of all. This movie was so poorly cast, written, and directed, that attempting to discusss this is a waste of time. We only do so as an act of charity, hoping others will believe our review and not bother watching it! This movie needed to be re-cast to set the broken everything!

This INTENDED comedy was one complete and total let-down. It wasn't funny; Mary wasn't "Mary", and Valerie was barely "Rhoda". Punch lines were cleverly disguised -- as punches (ouch!). The worst casting, after the daughters' roles, was Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper as "Mary and Rhoda" (some pun intended). Anybody else could have done at least as bad a job, and for a lower price. People might never have watched in the first place, which is exactly the response this accident (incident) deserves. Better still, if this excuse for a movie had NOT BEEN about Mary and Rhoda, it MIGHT have been a step above "rotten", though people would STILL do better not seeing it. This "comedy" ended up being a "tragedy": a "chick flick" even chicks shouldn't watch. (Or, to coin some new phrases: A "chick-flick" full of "chick schtick" to make chicks sick of "chick-flicks".)

There was NO appearance nor mention of anyone else from the old shows. None of the previous (and capable) writers, directors, and crew were involved. AND THEY WERE NEEDED. The dogs were the best things in the film. The only believable HUMAN actors were the guy playing Jonas (Mary's new boss), Christine Ebersole (who wasn't too bad either), and the guy playing the cameraman (whose role was too short). If this had been about the TV network, and its inside workings, it might have been better. Even with the non-caring attitude presented, there was SOME life there.

If true fans of "Mary and Rhoda" wish to continue remembering them as they WERE, or imagining how they might have turned out, just watch episodes of "The Mary Tyler Moore" Show. They'll be better off. Much better off...

This film graduated "summa cum LOUSY" with a B.S. from P.U.!!! Instead of earning ANY stars, it gets Four BOMBS -- make that, Four STINK-Bombs. DON'T WATCH IT! You'll be glad you DIDN'T...


The Tell-It-Like-It-Is Team

I liked this DVD. If you are expecting something like the good ol' Mary Tyler Moore show, you will be disappointed, perhaps. But if you feel like Mary and Rhoda are old friends and you would like to "see" what they are doing now, and how their lives might have gone on, you will enjoy this. It was sweet and pretty good, but nowhere near as funny as the old MTM shows. Probably wasn't written by the same people. Both actresses look amazing and it was kinda cool to see them again. Haven't really seen either of them in TV or movies in the past years. Recommend this for die hard fans but watching it once might be all you need.

This movie aired in February 2000 on ABC. Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper were reunited in their roles from the 1970's sitcom of Mary Tyler Moore (MTM).

As a child, I wanted to grow up to be MTM ... strong, independent, just a very good person. I wanted to have friends who kept me entertained like Rhoda! While I didn't grow up to be Mary, I do have terrific "Rhodas" in my life.

It was really nice go back in time to a place with Mary and Rhoda, yet seeing that they too have the same problems in life that the rest of us do.

The one thing that was disappointing to me about this movie was: What was Lou now doing - was he still into news broadcasting? Where was Murray - Did he write that book? How was Georgette's life going since Ted passed away? Did Sue Ann ever find a man? "What ever happened to Phyllis and her daughter?

No one spends that much time of their life with mutual friends and not talk about them. Remember this? Remember that?? Why don't either of them ever ask about the others?

Instead, the movie focuses on Mary Richards' return to TV news and Rhoda's attempts of a new career as a photographer's assistant.

Much like sports teams and your job, there are main characters (Mary and Rhoda), but you have terrific team mates and support staff that complete you. Wish they would have remembered the whole cast was what made the show such a terrific success!

I hope they will release more seasons of the MTM on DVD. There is an abundance of people out there who would love to have this series on DVD!