Million Dollar Babies (TV 1994)

The true story that shocked 1930's Canada. When a poor rural Ontario family gives birth to quintuplet, the town doctor doesn't waste a second and takes over the family. He helps to take ... See full summary »

Director:

Christian Duguay

Writers:

Suzette Couture, Stuart Foxman,

Stars:

Beau Bridges, Roy Dupuis, Céline Bonnier

4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Beau Bridges	...	Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe
Roy Dupuis	...	Oliva Dionne
Céline Bonnier	...	Elzire Dionne
Sean McCann	...	Premier Mitch Hepburn
Monique Spaziani
James B. Douglas
Ginette Reno	...	Madame Legros
Domini Blythe	...	Nurse Lena de Keyzer
Kate Nelligan	...	Helena Reid
Tod Fennell	...	Ernest Dionne, 7 yrs.
Tiah-Rosine Coxon	...	Rose Dionne, 6 yrs.
Martin Drainville	...	Clovis Dionne
Julia Garland	...	Therese Dionne, 5 yrs.
Sebastien Duguay	...	Daniel Dionne, 3 yrs.
Renée Girard	...	Madame Lebel

Storyline

The true story that shocked 1930's Canada. When a poor rural Ontario family gives birth to quintuplet, the town doctor doesn't waste a second and takes over the family. He helps to take care of the babies but soon turns the babies into a freak show. Not before long the government gets involved and the babies are a multi-million dollar industry. But how can the uneducated couple regain their babies and their lives?

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Plot Keywords:

quintuplets | birth | 1930s | doctor | canada | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

The Cookie Jar Company

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cinco Gémeas Que Valem Milhões

Filming Locations:

Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bernard Zuckerman Productions, CBS Entertainment Production, CINAR

Technical Specs

Runtime:

200 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roy Dupuis and Céline Bonnier have been a couple since they first met on the set of the film.

User Reviews

Tragic tale about the exploitation of children by government and big business

This is an extremely sad movie from beginning to end. It's heartbreaking to see a poor Depression era family raise five children on the farm and then add another five all at once to their roster. Initially, it's a blessing when the family doctor takes over the Dionne quintuplets to ease the burden of looking after the underdeveloped babies with very little medical equipment and staff. But the doctor goes overboard when worldwide attention is given to the infant girls, and this translates into advertising endorsements for which he is handsomely rewarded but the earnings are not shared with either the parents or the quintuplets. Instead, the girls are put on display for the next five years, raising the doctor's profile and career to new highs.

Great performances by real-life couple Roy Dupuis and Celine Bonnier as the parents and also Beau Bridges as the unscrupulous doctor. The official DVD offers some commentary by the surviving quintuplets. Presented in two parts as a three hour mini series, it's lengthy and could have been shortened to a two hour movie. But it's a shocking story and is of interest not only to Canadians but perhaps to anyone who may have some ideas about placing their children into the business of entertainment. Yeah, the money may be good, but being part of the industry at such a young age may also be viewed as being part of a freak show.