Mare Winningham plays the role of a single mother who must struggle without a job and a home with a young child. The film is memorable because she must make the most difficult choice that any parent can make of whether her only child should remain with her on the streets, in rat-infested apartments, in shelters, after friends and family can't help them out anymore. This issue is not new but as old as time itself where parents must struggle to make the most difficult decision of turning her child over to foster care and the state or live on the streets. The final scene is just heartbreaking so have your tissues ready to wipe the tears away.
29 Reviews
it's available at amazon on DVD
mergalvez5 July 2004
this movie, when i first saw it on TV, was very moving.
right now i'm going through financial troubles too. i am recalling scenes from the movie in dealing with my money crunch. this movie is very poignant. dealing with issues of the day. recalling that you can not receive a welfare check at a p.o. box. times have changed from the depression era. if you have no address or telephone you're almost invisible. employers do not want to hire homeless people for fear of thievery. and if you have no number then how can they contact you? luckily for me i'm writing about my situation and how to cope with it. i plan to use humor. cuz in the end humor and prayer keep you going.
right now i'm going through financial troubles too. i am recalling scenes from the movie in dealing with my money crunch. this movie is very poignant. dealing with issues of the day. recalling that you can not receive a welfare check at a p.o. box. times have changed from the depression era. if you have no address or telephone you're almost invisible. employers do not want to hire homeless people for fear of thievery. and if you have no number then how can they contact you? luckily for me i'm writing about my situation and how to cope with it. i plan to use humor. cuz in the end humor and prayer keep you going.
Very good drama film
DavidYZ14 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This is a drama film about a homeless mother and daughter - Theresa and Hillary.
Mare Winningham gives a great performance as the Theresa. She's not lazy, an alcoholic, a drug addict, a gambler etc. - she's just poor.
The film should have started earlier in Theresa's life, to show more background. When the film starts, her husband has already left her - and we don't find out how long ago that happened.
Theresa says she wants a partner, but can't find one. She's dowdy and miserable, but she has a pretty young face and could easily find a man who'd let her live with him rent-free.
The poster is misleading. It shows an outreach worker most prominently, yet Theresa is definitely the protagonist and Hillary is definitely the deuteragonist.
Mare Winningham gives a great performance as the Theresa. She's not lazy, an alcoholic, a drug addict, a gambler etc. - she's just poor.
The film should have started earlier in Theresa's life, to show more background. When the film starts, her husband has already left her - and we don't find out how long ago that happened.
Theresa says she wants a partner, but can't find one. She's dowdy and miserable, but she has a pretty young face and could easily find a man who'd let her live with him rent-free.
The poster is misleading. It shows an outreach worker most prominently, yet Theresa is definitely the protagonist and Hillary is definitely the deuteragonist.
Of course this isn't available on video...
Brian14Leonard13 November 2001
...because if it were more widely distributed, more people would be aware of the shattering effects of poverty and the dilemmas of the "working poor" in the USA. We can't have that, can we?
The film, as others have said, is a gripping and sad picture of a decline into destitution. Mare Winningham is terrific.
The film, as others have said, is a gripping and sad picture of a decline into destitution. Mare Winningham is terrific.
I have never forgotten this movie!
Poetryangel200425 July 2004
I watched this movie so much as a kid. I have never forgotten it. It has made an everlasting impression in my mind. I am not quite sure how to find this movie again, but it was so touching. Mare Winningham portrayed a woman so much in love with her daughter she gave her up to someone who could better care for her and it was so touching. I cry every time i see this movie. I will never forget the struggles that family went through. It is nice to see the way people helped her the best they could. The man who gave out mac and chesse! I absolutely would recommend this movie to anyone and everyone. I'd like to thank the director for making a moving so touching and so unforgettable!
Heartbreaking and emotionally gripping.
johnnymacbest5 August 2008
For anyone, this film hits close to the heart and it is especially true in today's tough economic climate where poverty and despair is rising at an alarming rate. This movie is the struggle of a single woman and her daughter trying to overcome on of society's biggest problems: Homelessness. But what keeps them together is their unconditional love for each other that any mother would have for their child. There is a glimmer of hope; however uncertain. The final act of the film is very depressing and heartbreaking. This movie is very relevant in this day and age and may be too much for one to bear. Only time will tell if we as a people can truly see and eradicate the anomaly of this human condition from the world. We must make it happen, for our future generations.
Effects of God Bless the Child live on
eberkopec4 April 2006
This movie is still relevant after 18 years. The characters in the movie would face the same problems today. The movie drives home the point of how homelessness can happen and how hard it is to recover or break the cycle of poverty.
Not only does this movie show how someone can fall into homelessness and poverty and how that devastates a family, it actually inspired someone to DO something about homelessness.
An Ursuline sister, Margaret Scheetz, in Youngstown Ohio, saw the movie and was inspired to start a program for homeless women with children. The program, Beatitude House, provides transitional housing for homeless women while they pursue a full-time education. It also provides counseling, parenting programs, case management, group counseling and budgeting education.
The program started in 1991 with one apartment; it now has 24 apartments in Youngstown and 7 in Warren, Ohio. Beatitude House now includes an education and career preparation program for disadvantaged women, and has added a permanent supportive housing program for disabled homeless women or women who have disabled children. (More information is available at www.beatitudehouseonline.org.)
So, Thank You Mare Winningham, D. Michael Nemec (the writer), and everyone who produced or acted in this movie. Your work has truly changed lives.
Not only does this movie show how someone can fall into homelessness and poverty and how that devastates a family, it actually inspired someone to DO something about homelessness.
An Ursuline sister, Margaret Scheetz, in Youngstown Ohio, saw the movie and was inspired to start a program for homeless women with children. The program, Beatitude House, provides transitional housing for homeless women while they pursue a full-time education. It also provides counseling, parenting programs, case management, group counseling and budgeting education.
The program started in 1991 with one apartment; it now has 24 apartments in Youngstown and 7 in Warren, Ohio. Beatitude House now includes an education and career preparation program for disadvantaged women, and has added a permanent supportive housing program for disabled homeless women or women who have disabled children. (More information is available at www.beatitudehouseonline.org.)
So, Thank You Mare Winningham, D. Michael Nemec (the writer), and everyone who produced or acted in this movie. Your work has truly changed lives.
An unpopular opinion
jilljohnson-8035920 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I have empathy for this family I want to make that clear. I felt she made some unwise choices and perhaps an irresponsible action or two, allow me to illuminate. 1. She wants a better life for her daughter hillary and should have taken her paycheck and got on board the bus and went home to her mother. At least mom had a roof and would be thrilled to have her little granddaughter there. Theresa could get assistance and look for work. 2. She decides staying at a shelter is better. 3. She had a job she decides to take off early to look for an apartment boss found out and fired her. That is usually what happens when one doesn't ask the boss first. There are some bosses who are a.h s though. Anyway calvin is a good man and a social worker and helps them out. She does love her daughter greatly and wants better for her. Calvin finds a place for her and she moves in happy to have a home all seems well until the rats show up ( what did she expect?!) Yes I agree nobody should have to live in such deplorable conditions. At least she was off the street out of the winter weather. Irresponsible choice to call the county instead of asking for a bunch of traps. He evicts her. She tells him that he just couldn't do that and that he had to give her sixty days!! I was chagrined at that statement look where she was. Hilary becomes ill and requires hospitalization. It is then when she witnesses a violent crime she makes the heartbreaking decision to relinquish her child. I was a young mother at that time of this film I looked at my babies and wondered how could I ever?? She hadn't much of a choice. She visits Hilary at the pediatric ward watching her happy little girl painting a picture of her and the staff when she breaks the news to her about going back to the shelter. Hilary said she didn't want to go she had her own bed and everybody was nice to her (she lived a the same hard rock road as her mother. As it ends the ladies are at the park when calvin shows up picks up Hillary and takes away crying for mom as mom is too. It was a wise choice but the worst one Theresa had to make. To end the life of poverty as she did and the women before her. She loved her enough to let her go. I hoped good things for her the first time I saw this I continue to so. This is a work of fictional characters but the homeless situation is not and sadly will always be among us. NJ.
A woman loses her husband, job and house, and tries to survive with her daughter. At the end she has to make a hard decision.
engels31 August 1998
A complaint against poverty. Even more gripping than its portrayal of the sad situation in which the woman finds herself is the hopelessness of it, as can for be heard in her remark 'without a house I cannot get a job and without a job I cannot get a house.' The movie provides no answers, but that is a strength more than a weakness, making the viewer even more aware of the seriousness of the problem at hand. It does make for a sad movie, though.
as an apartment manager myself...
JamieWJackson16 July 2014
I have a fairly conservative point of view, and when the landlord came into the picture, I was interested to see what they would do with him. They did such a superb job with everything else....
IMO, the landlord, albeit clearly the most unsympathetic character in the whole film, was handled pretty well. If you want to see him simply as "the heavy", you can, but I recommend that you watch this again and think about it from his perspective too. Some of his comments were purely bigoted and prejudicial, but some of them had validity. He had given a woman a break and let her move in without even paying, and in return she created a problem for him. (How are the rats going to go away? That takes WORK, which costs MONEY to PAY someone to make it happen. That MONEY comes from RENT, which had not been paid! So who should pay for it?) If we just look at the dilapidation of the buildings, we can get a bad attitude toward the landlord -- but ultimately, how is that any different from his prejudice toward his tenant and her broken-down life? What do you know about him and what problems he's facing in his life? Just because he runs the place, you assume he's rich and rolling in extra money, and therefore should pay from his pocket to fix all of everyone else's problems?
I've had homeless people in my building, and I eventually had to kick them out. I gave them a chance and they threw it away with drug and alcohol abuse, fights, property damage, midnight parties, etc.. In the end, after all the legal costs, unpaid rent, repairs, delays to make the repairs, etc.... I think I would have done just as well to simply leave those units empty! However, that was those people. Not everyone homeless is interchangeable -- and not all landlords/managers are, either. So everybody ought to take a breath and think before assuming they know all about the other person from nothing but a few bits of demographic info.
So, about the movie in general...
This is one of the best movies I've ever seen, because it doesn't try to come up with some starry-eyed "answer" and push that in our face. It just says look, see the bind that a lot of people find themselves in, and then it leaves the viewer to think about that and make of it whatever they will. That's a degree of respect for the viewer which I'd like to see more often.
As others have said, Mare Winningham is truly great in this role. She has exactly the right face to be this woman: a pleasant, but very real, very normal face (not a cover girl who would be out of place), but so capable of showing us what's inside at every moment. What a gem she is. (I got a laugh from the hater who trashed her in another review. Jealous much, punk? BTW, I'm a man, and I rated this a 9/10. So suck on that.)
Also, the little girl is now 34 years old as of 2014, and still acting, and still beautiful. So there's your happy ending! :-p
I don't think I've ever given a movie 10/10, but this one gets a 9. The minor flaws it has are outweighed by some very powerful acting and directing along with intelligent writing, and few movies pack this much of a wallop.
Parting thought: it's not just money that is needed, in dealing with poverty and homelessness issues. I gave my formerly homeless tenants a lot of breaks; they threw them away. Other issues, not dealt with, led them astray even when they had a chance to make a new start. They needed other kinds of help which money alone would not provide (and some people might be entirely beyond help, at some point in their life; in those cases, we should think about society and how it can be improved for future generations). Regardless of what you may think will help, I suggest that understanding the status quo is the beginning, and from what I know of the world, I think this movie is tremendous in building that up.
IMO, the landlord, albeit clearly the most unsympathetic character in the whole film, was handled pretty well. If you want to see him simply as "the heavy", you can, but I recommend that you watch this again and think about it from his perspective too. Some of his comments were purely bigoted and prejudicial, but some of them had validity. He had given a woman a break and let her move in without even paying, and in return she created a problem for him. (How are the rats going to go away? That takes WORK, which costs MONEY to PAY someone to make it happen. That MONEY comes from RENT, which had not been paid! So who should pay for it?) If we just look at the dilapidation of the buildings, we can get a bad attitude toward the landlord -- but ultimately, how is that any different from his prejudice toward his tenant and her broken-down life? What do you know about him and what problems he's facing in his life? Just because he runs the place, you assume he's rich and rolling in extra money, and therefore should pay from his pocket to fix all of everyone else's problems?
I've had homeless people in my building, and I eventually had to kick them out. I gave them a chance and they threw it away with drug and alcohol abuse, fights, property damage, midnight parties, etc.. In the end, after all the legal costs, unpaid rent, repairs, delays to make the repairs, etc.... I think I would have done just as well to simply leave those units empty! However, that was those people. Not everyone homeless is interchangeable -- and not all landlords/managers are, either. So everybody ought to take a breath and think before assuming they know all about the other person from nothing but a few bits of demographic info.
So, about the movie in general...
This is one of the best movies I've ever seen, because it doesn't try to come up with some starry-eyed "answer" and push that in our face. It just says look, see the bind that a lot of people find themselves in, and then it leaves the viewer to think about that and make of it whatever they will. That's a degree of respect for the viewer which I'd like to see more often.
As others have said, Mare Winningham is truly great in this role. She has exactly the right face to be this woman: a pleasant, but very real, very normal face (not a cover girl who would be out of place), but so capable of showing us what's inside at every moment. What a gem she is. (I got a laugh from the hater who trashed her in another review. Jealous much, punk? BTW, I'm a man, and I rated this a 9/10. So suck on that.)
Also, the little girl is now 34 years old as of 2014, and still acting, and still beautiful. So there's your happy ending! :-p
I don't think I've ever given a movie 10/10, but this one gets a 9. The minor flaws it has are outweighed by some very powerful acting and directing along with intelligent writing, and few movies pack this much of a wallop.
Parting thought: it's not just money that is needed, in dealing with poverty and homelessness issues. I gave my formerly homeless tenants a lot of breaks; they threw them away. Other issues, not dealt with, led them astray even when they had a chance to make a new start. They needed other kinds of help which money alone would not provide (and some people might be entirely beyond help, at some point in their life; in those cases, we should think about society and how it can be improved for future generations). Regardless of what you may think will help, I suggest that understanding the status quo is the beginning, and from what I know of the world, I think this movie is tremendous in building that up.
Well done, non-preachy.
capkronos19 February 2002
I usually hate made-for-TV movies, but this one is excellent (yeah, and extremely depressing, but it's eye-opening). Mare Winningham is first-rate as a single mother caught in a cycle of homelessness and poverty with her young daughter after they're abandoned by the father and thrown out of their apartment. The scripter offers no easy way outs or fairy tale endings for these two and the film is surprisingly tough and real. It also does an admirable job illustrating how finding employment, a home and a sense of dignity are next to impossible if you're stuck out on the streets starting from scratch. It's really one of those movies with a most important, life-affirming message--don't for a second take what you have or the people in your life for granted. Harrowing stuff.
For the video inquiry--It was released on video (from WorldVision), but yeah, it's a b*tch to find. (I got my copy used at a video store).
Score: 9 out of 10.
For the video inquiry--It was released on video (from WorldVision), but yeah, it's a b*tch to find. (I got my copy used at a video store).
Score: 9 out of 10.
Heartbreaking movie
capechick273029 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
When I saw this movie I had a 3 year old and a 1 year old and my husband had just had a heart attack. This movie struck home for me. It made me realize that, for a large part of our population, homelessness is just a paycheck away.
The part where Mare Winningham has to sleep on a filthy bed at the shelter and lets her child sleep on top of her just to keep her as protected as possible was so sad. Mare is such an incredible actress, I can't figure out why she is not used more often. She brought such believability to this film.
The ending was so sad to me as a new mother that I couldn't stop crying. Hours later, I was still crying. And for so many, this is real, not just a movie which makes it even more sad.
The part where Mare Winningham has to sleep on a filthy bed at the shelter and lets her child sleep on top of her just to keep her as protected as possible was so sad. Mare is such an incredible actress, I can't figure out why she is not used more often. She brought such believability to this film.
The ending was so sad to me as a new mother that I couldn't stop crying. Hours later, I was still crying. And for so many, this is real, not just a movie which makes it even more sad.
Such sweet sorrow...
Foreverisacastironmess12320 October 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This is the greatest movie about homeless plight ever made. I've scarcely seen any other films that have half the heart and sheer emotional punch that this one does. To me one of the greatest things about the movie is the diversity of people. There are no racial distinctions, everyone's in the same boat and they're all in it together. And the majority of them try to help each other out. Such strong emotional connections, so many great moments, so little word-space! Mare Winningham was so great. This is the best work that I've ever seen her do. She's got a great face! Maybe not the most beautiful ever, but it definitely rich in emotion and spirit. She's a born actress. Her character was such a good mother, she loved that little girl so very much... She did the best thing she could possibly have done. Over the course of the film you can see her character's descent as the bitter harsh realities of life on the streets slowly eat away at her energy and hopes for a better life. A very powerful scene with her is one when she's alone after leaving Hilary in the hospital. She wanders and comes across a homeless girl not too older than Hilary. The girl says nothing but just looks at her with an expression of such terrible devastation and hopelessness. Knowing this may one day be her own daughter's future if she doesn't act, this is when an unthinkable decision is made. Does it really matter if the film is fiction? I think with a movie with such powerfully realistic themes, emotions and situations that anyone anywhere ever can relate to, fiction doesn't even come into it. I was glad to read that the movie has inspired people to make differences in the world. Which of course is amazing, but I think it's broader legacy is simply making people grateful for whatever they might have. This might sound odd, but a lot of the themes remind me of The Little Match Girl. When it gets to the point where it switches to the Watkins's family's story for a while, it's so strong and well-played it doesn't feel like a secondary story, it is their movie. Their struggles and dramas are just as engrossing and poignant as Theresa and Hilary's. Their story ends on Mos Deff's character's graduation, which is the only real hope you see in the entire movie, where it looks like with a little luck, they will eventually make it. Mos Deff was pretty good as a quiet young guy just trying to be strong and stay out of trouble for the sake of he and his family's future. I found it very moving and shocking when his character speaks of suicide. His relationship with his father is a very strong plot thread. His dad is very proud and resents the chances his son has in life that he never had. But, he comes through for him in the end. Grace johnston gave a truly excellent performance, especially considering it was her debut! As Hilary, she had a great, almost wistful quality to her. Such a strong, composed little girl, never really whining or complaining at all. Throughout she is seen repeatedly saying goodbye to friends. I think that's supposed to set up that we be "for" what happens to her at the climax. She bears it all alongside her mother, for what child at that age wouldn't have complete faith and trust in their mother. Not one actor is bad in their role, everyone has their place, no matter how small. I've never seen a movie where all the bit parts were so memorable. Theresa's few acquaintances, a cruel and ignorant waitress, a fat bully of a landlord who cares not for the struggles of the people who live in his dirt-cheap "housing". An especially heartbreaking scene with a shoe-stealing old lady, all the outreach workers, particularly one energetic gal who wakes everyone up with a hearty: "Wake up, darlins' y'all gotta go!" I know this movie's no laughing matter, but she really cracks me up! To me it's not just Theresa and Hilary's movie, it's a joint effort. All the characters together make such a rich dramatic tapestry. Dorian Harewood was also fantastic. Always so optimistic, his character always tries to put on a happy face, but you can see that he too is strained and weighed down by the poverty and grief around him. I really liked the way he strongly questions Theresa's decision at the end. To me his best moment is when he describes how he always tries to be strong in the face of strife, but is deeply haunted by the death of a child. He has great chemistry with children. Oh god, that ending! It hits me like a ton of bricks. It's so disturbing, it just crushes you. The way they quietly but firmly take little Hillary away is evocative of childhood fears. And in the midst of it all is the little token of at least something in the form of Hilary's doll, that just has to be picked up off the snowy ground before she disappears forever. And then she's gone, and Theresa is devastated, and so are we. But it's devastation with a bitter ray of hope for she has done a very brave and selfless thing, and hopefully, in whatever awaited her next in her sad life, she could rest easy at night knowing that. Cold comfort indeed... Bless this movie.
Realistic portrayal of poverty in America
garrard19 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Though the film is almost two decades old, it has not lost any of its bite: a riveting look at what it's really like to be poor in America. Mare Winningham plays a mother, struggling with constant unemployment, displaced lodging, and raising a precocious daughter (excellently played by Grace Johnston). Winningham, one of Hollywood's best (and underused) talents, displays a wonderful balance of pathos, determination, and warmth in a part that was deserving of an Emmy. A cut-above the average TV-movie, "God Bless the Child" is never condescending and really tugs at the heartstrings in its depiction of a single mother dealing with a system that appears to work against her.
The tear-inducing ending will remain with the viewer long after the film's credits have rolled.
The events of the recent past surrounding the treatment of victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita indicate that America needs to reassess how she sees her poor and downtrodden.
This film is a "must-see" for all!
The tear-inducing ending will remain with the viewer long after the film's credits have rolled.
The events of the recent past surrounding the treatment of victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita indicate that America needs to reassess how she sees her poor and downtrodden.
This film is a "must-see" for all!
God Bless Mare Winningham
Nozz31 December 1999
I think there's no better actress out there than Mare Winningham. It seems that almost always she plays a victim, maybe because she's not jaw-dropping beautiful. But she's believable in every role, and in this one she takes you with her on a downward spiral where the only consolation is her own dogged innocence. Helps you realize, once more, that the people you don't stop to look at twice are each, no less than the striking ones, a complete human world.
A very Hard-Hitting Film!
ketchkev3 October 2003
I watched this movie on Lifetime about eight years ago, and it still left an impression on me even still today. The struggle with homelessness is not a fun one, for I know first hand. Mare Winningham gives and excellent and very, very sad performance in this film. It just seems that all the odds are against her, and she's left to make some very rash decisions. You just want so much to help people like this out in the time of need, but have to stand by as helpless as they are. This movie should be recommended as a standard for all to watch, as we are all one paycheck away from the shelter, or even the doorways in our streets. This should not be happening in the greatest country the world has ever known.
A must for all to see
enid3812 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this movie on Lifetime. I believe it was in the early 90s. This movie changed me so much. I have also been homeless in my life and I realize that I have almost always been one paycheck away from homelessness. Every time I want to buy something I don't need, I automatically think of this movie I saw as a young person. The parts in the hospital when she was embarrassed to not have insurance and she pulled out the little money she had to pay the bill. And the part when the little girl pulled the donuts out of the garbage. The little girl seemed proud to have provided something to eat (someone else's garbage). That was very moving. In my own life I have learned lessons that I also relate to scenes in the movie. I think of this movie when I complain of the for- profit health care system, or when someone wastes food.
I have some comments about God Bless THe Child
jsinmaine28 August 2006
I wanted to hear other peoples' feedback on this movie. YES. I know it was FICTIONAL. THere was no THERESA JOHNSON starving and begging on the streets with her 7 year old daughter. They were fictional characters played by actors who get plenty of money. But I wanted to find out if people believe that things like this can happen to real people in real life. Especially when these people have DONE NOTHING WRONG. Obviously some people are on welfare, starving and begging on the streets because of CHOICES they make. But I did not see ONE THING that THeresa did that seemed irresponsible. So many people believe that anybody who works and "finds out what they like to do", who "has self confidence" and who chooses to obey their employer can live JUST A LITTLE BETTER than THIS.
Please, people! Tell me what you think of this. I know this movie was TERRIBLY MORBID and depressing. But it was excellently done. Give me your feedback.
Please, people! Tell me what you think of this. I know this movie was TERRIBLY MORBID and depressing. But it was excellently done. Give me your feedback.
Not-So-Gentle on My Mind
daleyjudy30 July 2018
I happened to see this treasure of a movie shortly after my twins were born. I was a single mother, temporarily living at my parents' home with my babies. This movie scared the daylights out of me and, like a recurring nightmare, still does after 30 years. Frozen, I watched as the single mother spiraled down into desperation and helplessness. The film superbly illustrates how easily this can happen. My twins and I had many struggles over the years, but we made it through, thanks to the angelic help of many beautiful souls. Through all the years, this movie haunted me with its searing truth and inspired me to refuse to give up the fight for my children's well-being. What a gift the writers and actors of this film have given us. Thank you with all my heart.
Still haunts me, 30 years later
mwoolf-9860322 November 2017
I saw this film when it first aired in the '80s. It has haunted me ever since. I remember it as an excellent and unsentimental look at the problem of homelessness, from which many of us are just a few minor disasters away. Heed the advice to create an emergency fund - but first, see this film.
the American disease
dutchtom112 August 2005
The movie portrays the opposite of the American dream. Because for every great winner there are great losers, not because they deserve that, but because bad luck can strike anyone. And when just surviving becomes an impossible dream to achieve, that's when you know you're a goner. Homelessness is humiliating. It is more important that all citizens have homes and medical aid, than to be spoilt for choice, and become obese, sick with a third house and a yacht, while others have nothing. The Amercian dream should be providence for everyone, but the real nightmare is stark capitalism relentlessly leaving people out in the dark. This movie is incredibly touching and has a communistic message, countering the yuppie consensus of the Reagan era. It surpasses its format, eg, a TV movie. And surpasses most Hollywood dross. 10 out of 10
I want this movie
shheydari-4345427 April 2021
Saw it years ago and never forgot it
penink-1339825 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I'm glad to see that so many people were affected by and appreciated this complex film. In it, a single mom and her daughter are abandoned by their father. The only affordable apartments on their income have problems, such as worsening her daughter's asthma problems. The mom encounters several catch-22's in trying to get help. I saw this on TV before the Bush v. Clinton election of 1992 and used it to argue why we need more social programs and how charity doesn't always get to the people who need it. This is a woman trying to do the best for her daughter, get a job, have a place to keep them from being homeless, and one thing after another goes wrong. If this is based on any true stories, I hope their endings were happy. These days, social workers do EVERYTHING in their power to keep families together so hopefully even if this happened a while ago, families have since been reunited (very likely) and moms and kids aren't separated unless absolutely necessary.
Excellent movie!
fnordfred6 February 2006
I wish everyone could see this movie, especially George Bush. I saw this movie almost 20 years ago, but I'll never forget it. It really made an impression on me and I rank it as one of the saddest movies I have ever seen... and I've seen lots and lots of movies.
After seeing "God Bless the Child" I have a clear image of what poverty really is, and how hard it is to break the cycle. Mare Winningham's acting was superb and it is a shame Larry Elikann will never get the credit he deserves for making this movie. I really think if more people saw this movie it would be much harder to dismiss poverty as something you bring on yourself.
After seeing "God Bless the Child" I have a clear image of what poverty really is, and how hard it is to break the cycle. Mare Winningham's acting was superb and it is a shame Larry Elikann will never get the credit he deserves for making this movie. I really think if more people saw this movie it would be much harder to dismiss poverty as something you bring on yourself.
Brilliantly performed it really does make you think this could happen to you and your family
lilylinda9 March 2019
Excellent they play a great part and acting. Very very sad it really does make you think this could happen to you or your family we need to do something about this about poverty crime homeless nothing has really changed for the last 30 plus years. People now are living in bad homes rogue landlords high crime areas no food loss of jobs little pay in jobs etc. Nothing has really changed since this movie was on tv. Kids still go with out food in some areas kids still go to bed hungary. Unless its stamped out completely it will always be here. Poverty and homelessness will always be here
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