Director Robert Day's Love, Mary (1985) is an inspiring story based on the actual events in the life of Dr. Mary Groda-Lewis; a woman that overcame many obstacles and hardships to pursue and finally accomplish her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor and helping others.
Kristy McNichol portrays Dr. Mary Groda-Lewis in this fictionalized account based on her true story. Mary, having been labeled as a "garbage case" as well as "socially and emotionally retarded" has been institutionalized for years. No one at the facility where she is confined cares about her or what will ultimately happen to her. Mary is just another problem case that no one can help. That is until a new counselor (Rachel Ticotin) comes along, she recognizes that Mary is really a very intelligent girl that just has problems learning. With testing it is discovered that she has dyslexia, and with special attention and teaching methods Mary can achieve as much as any of the other girls there. Through a special governmental test program that has been started for troubled teens Mary is given the chance to leave the institution and attend college, once in college she really begins making great strides. She begins to overcome the years of neglect that she endured while locked away and for the first time in her life she feels that her dreams are actually attainable. Her long forgotten dream of becoming a doctor and helping other people now really has a chance of coming true. The remainder of the film follows Mary through many years of trials and tribulations as she pursues her dream. We watch as she has to overcome not only the normal difficulties of life like relationship problems with her boyfriend (and future husband) David Lewis (David Paymer) but also unexpected pregnancies, serious financial difficulties, discrimination, as well as a debilitating stroke that occurred after the birth of her second child leaving her having to relearn to walk and speak again. Throughout it all Mary clings to her dream of completing college, going to medical school and finally being able to become a doctor, all because of her overwhelming desire to help others.
This meaningful and uplifting film inspires people to pursue ones dreams while simultaneously entertaining us. All of the actors are good in their parts, especially Kristy McNichol who breathes life into the "character" of Dr. Mary Groda-Lewis and lets us know that no matter what that she will achieve her dreams, even if it takes a lifetime. The only real problem with this movie, and the reason that I didn't give it a higher rating than I did is in the storytelling itself. Throughout this film the storyline will jump ahead while telling us it's "2 years later" (or alike) and make no effort to explain what occurred in the interim. While it is obviously an attempt to fit Dr. Groda-Lewis' complicated and interesting life story into the confines of a two-hour television movie what it leaves us, the viewing audience with is a disjointed feeling, a definite sense that we have missed something. It detracts from the film at times and if anything does a disservice to Dr. Groda-Lewis by glossing over some of the hardships that she had to endure to really achieve her dream. But even with that minor flaw this film is absolutely worth watching, this story, even with its narrative problem earns its high rating. This story about pursuing your dreams no matter what adversities you face in life is a message that everyone should definitely be exposed to.Buying note: This film has never been available on commercial home video; there are however other sources for this film as well as other rare Kristy McNichol movies that you might be looking for.
3-12-2006
