Tim (1979)

Tim is a young man with below average intelligence. He works as a builder's labourer, and is often taken advantage of by his fellow workers and other people. Mary asks Tim to work around ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Pate

Writers:

Colleen McCullough (novel), Michael Pate

Stars:

Piper Laurie, Mel Gibson, Alwyn Kurts

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Piper Laurie	...	Mary Horton
Mel Gibson	...	Tim Melville
Alwyn Kurts	...	Ron Melville
Pat Evison	...	Em Melville
Peter Gwynne	...	Tom Ainsley
Deborah Kennedy	...	Dawnie Melville
David Foster	...	Mick Harrington
Michael Caulfield	...	John Harrington
Margo Lee	...	Mrs. Harrington
James Condon	...	Mr. Harrington
Brenda Senders	...	Mrs. Porter
Kevin Leslie	...	Curly Campbell
Allan Penney	...	Mr. Thompson
Brian Barrie	...	Dr. Perkins
Geoff Usher	...	Minister

Storyline

Tim is a young man with below average intelligence. He works as a builder's labourer, and is often taken advantage of by his fellow workers and other people. Mary asks Tim to work around her yard for a day. The day stretches into a few weekends, and the two soon become good friends. Some people, however, are suspicious of their friendship which seems to be continually strengthening, accusing Mary of taking advantage of Tim's innocence. Will changing circumstances in Tim's family life change his relationship with Mary?

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Plot Keywords:

innocence | wheelbarrow | woman crying | champagne | sex with retarded character | 

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Taglines:

Moving. Impressive. Stunning!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 1979 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Tim - Anjos de Aço

Filming Locations:

Palm Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Australian Film Commission, The, Greater Union Organisation (GUO), Nine Network Australia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Piper Laurie's character comes outside to read while Tim is working in the yard, the book she is reading is "The Thorn Birds", written by Colleen McCullough, the same author as "Tim". When Tim joins her for tea he asks if the book is any good, and she responds that it is very interesting. Several years later, Piper Laurie had a role in the TV miniseries that was made out of The Thorn Birds.

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Goofs

The boom and the shadow of the boom operator follow Mary out of her kitchen in the bottom right of the screen at the beginning of the film.

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Connections

Version of Mary & Tim (1996)

User Reviews

"Tim" is a little gem - sincere. real, beautifully-acted unlikely love

MovieAddict2005 painted a very cruel picture of a very sensitive picture.. Mel Gibson's feeling for the not-too-bright, but likable character Tim was a great tribute to the all-round acting talent of a man too easily typecast as an action actor. Piper Laurie was as ever a joy to watch in the difficult part of "the older woman" and endured ageism , (possibly exhibited a little by MovieAddict2005) with dignity, as did Gibson's character against narrow-minded people who are more "retarded" than he is..

The growing love between them - which came from nowhere, as it should -was as beautiful and real as acting can get.

If the overall production was modest, that's OK. Hollywood is not necessarily the best presenter of simple yet complex human conflict and pain.Australian movies, as shown by such as "Mariel's Wedding" (yes, I know about the spelling) have moved on since the uncomfortable silences of the wooden TV series "Spy Force" and the sheer embarrassment of the "cult" "The Outback"

The Yahoo Movies (sorry!) review described "Tim" as "superb". Rightly Though I dislike numeric ratings, I was asked for one - I gave 7/10. If this sounds low, I'd give the marvellous "The Elephant Man" only 9, even though it has the most moving moment in movie history - the close-up of Anthony Hopkins' face when he realises Merrick could read. You could feel the tears in his eyes as they came to your own. "Tim"'s close-ups could not hope to match this, but they were quietly stunning

No film has ever got 10 - perfection doesn't exist. I would score even Citizen Kane, the greatest of all, 9.5. But "Tim" gets 9/10 for sincerity