Broken Promise (1981 TV Movie) User Reviews

i would like everyone to know about a must see movie.

[chell0603 · 10/10 · 11 January 2003]

This movie I watched back in 1981 when it came out. Although I missed the first part of the movie what I did see was great. this movie is hard to find but if found you must see. The acting is great. very believable sad movie. If I ever find me a copy I definitely will buy me a copy to treasure.

Broken Promise Melissa Michaelsen 1980

[noelgypsy · 10/10 · 13 May 2006]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has a copy of the movie Broken Promise?? I loved this movie growing up and watched it every time it was on. It has been YEARS since I have seen it and would love to get a copy. I have checked all of the internet and have been unable to find it. If anyone has a copy to trade or sell em please email me at [e-mail]... Thank you and have a great night!! Christine --------- The "broken promise" was made to eleven-year-old Melissa Michaelsen, whose parents have deserted her and her siblings. Taken in by the County, Michaelsen has had to watch helplessly as her brothers and sisters are split up and farmed out to different families. One of the kids is even institutionalized. Juvenile court officer Chris Sarandon joins Michaelsen in her struggle to reunite her family under one roof. Broken Promise was originally offered as a "General Foods Golden Showcase" presentation. It was first telecast May 5, 1981.

Putting Patty In Reform School Was Inappropriate

[emenon · 8/10 · 24 August 2006]

I saw this movie, when it first came out. Patty didn't want to be separated from her siblings. However the Juvenile Justice system don't care. When Patty looked at the case file, the judge sent her to a Juvenile detention facility. He claimed she violated the rules of privacy, by looking at private files. She just wanted her family together. I couldn't blame her. The parents were not even fit parents. One of the smaller children had to have a restroom. The father stopped and let them off. He drove off him and left the children stranded, at the service station. Patty had to take authority to protect them, since she was the oldest. They were placed in foster homes. The good part is that the social worker got them back as a family. The head social worker, kept telling him to butt out and not interfere. He was power crazy. He was the one, who had Patty placed in the Juvenile facility. Why didn't they go after the Father, who was released from Prison, for abandonment. Yet the children are caught in the middle and made to feel insecure.

Can we watch this on DVD or online????

[sandy_lynn_8 · 10/10 · 2 January 2009]

This movie from what I remember was such a great movie! I watched it on television when I was 11, and couldn't remember the title of it. If I remember correctly, I do believe that it was a Christmas television movie special. One of my friends at work and I were discussing it several years back, but neither one of us could remember the title. But we did remember almost the entire movie. No one else at work remembered ever seeing it! Thank goodness someone at a TV movie website answered my post! Now I have the fun job of locating a copy of it! It's amazing what you can remember as a child, but this movie definitely remains vividly playing in my head... even after 28 years. And I do believe I only watched it once. Maybe it was because I am the oldest sister in my family, or maybe because I babysat and worked in day care centers, that it stuck with me that long. Regardless of the real reason, it has remained one of the movies that I have been really wanting to watch lately!!! If anyone knows where to watch it online, or has a copy, please let me know. I would so love to see it again!!!! Thanks so much! Seriously, I tried to post this and it says my comment isn't long enough. So, apparently I have to type more, did you know that Melissa Michaelsen is the sister of Peter Billingsley who starred in A Christmas Story? I know I'm not the only fan of this movie, so if anyone has any idea on where to find this I would greatly appreciate it.

Found a web site that sells old movies and has broken promise

[wwjlshd1-783-776423 · 4 September 2013]

HI I found a web site called TruTvMovies.net It has all kinds of old movies for sale! BROKEN PROMISES IS ON THERE! But becareful because there are 2 different Broken Promises! You want Broken Promise 1981 the little girl in it is Melissa Michaelsen. She is a little girl but the older child and trys to keep her brothers and sisters together! Her parents kept them stranded! I don't know much about the web site so be careful! I hope this was of help to all of you looking for this movie! It was one of my favorites as a child but I couldn't find it anywhere! I asked my sister and parents and they don't remember the movie! But I remember alote of things that others don't. There is also a trailer for the movie on youtube. I hope you are able to find the movie and are able to finally watch it! Let me know if it is good!

Don't let the first 15 minutes fool you. This is good.

[mark.waltz · 8/10 · 3 December 2021]

In watching the first 15 minutes of this TV movie, it seems certain that I would just like it from the beginning when I meet the parents of five children who just decide out of the blue to leave them at a burger stand on the highway and head out to California, abandoning them. But when the five children make an effort to survive on their own in hiding, it becomes very interesting especially when they are discovered and become wards of the court and placed into foster homes. Melissa Michaelsen, the oldest sibling, is determined to keep them together and social worker Chris Sarandon assures her that he will do his best to help them. But red tape and the courts and reality don't always mix and that threatens to tear what remains of the family apart.

The very first scenes are very depressing, and it's hard to watch the mother basically wave them off while the recently released father from prison speeds off. It seems that it's not going to get better but all of a sudden it does things through the community who gathers together to help them, and especially the oldest sister's strength. It's their desperation to survive that makes this a much better TV movie than it could have been, and even the smallest of parts is an interesting character as all of these people seem real. Other than Sarandon, there isn't any familiar name, and that makes it even better because you really feel like you are looking in on real people struggling and surviving the worst that life throws at them.

Great movie broken promise

[lauraaddleman · 10/10 · 22 September 2019]

I loved this movie I saw it when I was like 12 or 13 that was the last time it was ever on tv I have been looking for it ever since but haven't had any luck would love to buy it from someone if they have it I'm 45 now and still looking for it it is truly heartwarming it's about a young girl who just wants to keep her brothers and sister with her but the system had other ideas but she was determined to be with them no matter what and I loved that because it is truly rare when a young person just wants her or his family to be together and even though I was so young when I saw it I knew that I wanted it so I'm looking for it still but I believe that people should give this movie a chance just because it doesn't have sex or drugs in it doesn't mean anything it's about how a movie makes you feel

I watched that movie and my father recorded it on VHS

[omermir9 · 10/10 · 27 October 2019]

Back in my country when I was little 1988 I watch that movie and my dad recorded it on VHS that was his hobby and we watch this movie every time two months when we were little it sound stupid but it's true. I live in New Jersey now but in my late dad collection we still have that movie on VHS. I use to cry every time I watch the move and got happy in the end of movie when everyone get back together.