Product Details

• Actors: Elisabeth Shue; Aaron Eckhart; Jill Hennessy; Thomas Jane; D.W. Moffett
• Directors: John Duigan
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: April 25, 2000
• Run Time: 87 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305784884
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #642,687 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The title character of Molly, played by Elisabeth Shue (Oscar nominee for Leaving Las Vegas), suffers from one of those afflictions that are only found in Hollywood movies: she's sort of mentally challenged, sort of autistic--but only enough to give her a childlike appreciation of rhythmic water fountains and The Wizard of Oz. An operation that somehow activates brain cells brings Molly to a more sophisticated level of intelligence, much to the astonishment and joy of her brother Buck (Aaron Eckhart, playing a much more sympathetic character than he did in In the Company of Men). Then, when her brain cell progress becomes threatened for some unclear reason, Molly and Buck are faced with her mental reversal. Aside from being scientifically dubious and somewhat insulting to mentally challenged people and their families, the developing sibling relationship has an emotional pull. Eckhart brings a quiet dignity to his role, lending a bit of realism with his understated performance. Shue, though saddled with an impossible character, has moments of naked emotion that almost make Molly believable. Thomas Jane (Deep Blue Sea), as a medical assistant with a never-explained "learning disability," does all he can with his equally inconsistent part but fares less well. Molly wants to be a combination of Forrest Gump and Flowers for Algernon, movies about discovering the meaning of life through an appreciation of simple things, but falls short. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming story beautifully acted, May 7, 2000

By 

"flickjunkie" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molly (DVD)

This is a touching, bittersweet and wonderful film about an autistic woman who gains full use of her cognitive reasoning through an experimental procedure. Molly (Elisabeth Shue) is a 28 year old autistic who has been institutionalized much of her life. When the institution closes, she is left in the care of her self absorbed brother Buck (Aaron Eckhart). She is recommended for a new experimental procedure which transforms her into a normal young woman. As the story unfolds we see her grow from a child into a woman with many sweet and funny moments resulting from Molly's view of the world through childlike eyes. As her relationship with her brother grows, his transformation is as dramatic as hers.

The film was charmingly done with a coming of age quality about it. There were numerous comical and heart warming moments resulting from Molly's misperception of a world she is trying to make sense of.

The only thing working against this film is the fact that this ground has been retraced in so many ways that it suffers from the tendency to compare it to other films. It has elements of `Flowers for Algernon', `Rainman', `At First Sight' and `Awakenings'. It is difficult for a film to be fully appreciated when the viewer is mentally comparing it to all these other stories. That is a pity in this case because this really is a lovable story in its own right.

Elisabeth Shue gives us marvelous performance as Molly. Her portrayal of autism is realistic and endearing. She is so childlike that you really sense that she has the mind of a 3 year old. Later, as she transitions to the mind of an adult, she retains that childlike naiveté that gives the character a purity and wisdom that is fresh and free from cynicism. It was a wonderful performance that regrettably will not be seen by many since this film lives in obscurity as a single facing on the rental shelves.

I rated Molly an 8/10. On an emotional level, I really enjoyed it more than that, but I felt compelled to subtract a couple of points for lack of originality. However, if you enjoy human interest stories this one will certainly touch your heart.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhere between truth and fantasy, November 30, 2004

By 

J. Serrano "bizzymom" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Molly (DVD)

I have a family member with autism. We see more and more of these people in film because sadly their numbers are increasing. I found Elizabeth Shue's performance fairly convincing although I must note there is a hollywood or fairy tale quality to the film. However I found the growing understanding of Molly about her own life, her own world and the world which her brother, Buck and other normal and typical folks inhabit thought provoking and real. I liked how the director depicted Molly's problems with sensory intergration issues trying to show the audience how difficult it is for folks with autism to function in the world and filter out the noise. I would have liked to have seen more time spent on how her brother dealt with his sister's disability prior to her surgury and after her retreat back from the normal typical world

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Molly -- Entertaining & Informative, August 20, 2004

By 

Dick Mann (Johnson County, KS, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molly [VHS] (VHS Tape)

My wife and I recently rented this movie on DVD and we both liked it very much. I've read many negative reviews of this movie and I sorely disagree as I do with many professional reviewers of many other movies. To me a movies does not have to be perfect in every detail to be entertaining and informative, as Molly was. Many reviewers are locked up in their own elitist ivory towers and think they can recommend, or not, movies for the rest of us. Having been a counselor in the past and knowing several autistic persons, I believe Elizabeth Shue did an incredible job in portraying Molly. Aaron Eckhart, Thomas Jane, and Jill Henessy all did credible performances in support. This text refers to the DVD edition.