Flowers for Algernon (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Jeff Bleckner

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Keyes (novel)
John Pielmeier (teleplay)

Release Date:

20 February 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Charlie Gordon is retarded and all he wants in life is to be a genius. When he gets picked for experimental...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Matthew Modine	...	Charlie Gordon
Kelli Williams	...	Alice Kinian
Richard Chevolleau
Jeff Pustil
Ken James
Richard Fitzpatrick
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Rose
Ron Rifkin	...	Dr. Jonah Strauss
Cameron Bowen	...	Young Charlie
Gloria Slade	...	Faye
Cliff Saunders	...	Mike
Kathryn Kirkpatrick	...	Bernice
David McFarlane	...	Lester
Carson Durven	...	Oliver
Andrew Dinner	...	First Teen

Also Known As:

Charlie (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

Netherlands:120 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:PG

Company:

Alliance Atlantis Communications

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Middleman: The Flying Fish Zombification (#1.5)" (2008)

Fair, but maybe a little fast if you didn't already know the story

I already knew the story behind FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON before I saw the TV movie. I've always thought the story was, although maybe a little sad, a pretty interesting story. And I really like the way it was written when I read it, through the eyes of Charlie and his journal. I had once seen a very old version of FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON movie based on the book. As I recall, the acting was horrible and the movie was badly presented, but it was ok because it was true to the book. This one is the opposite. It's still very good, but it has good acting and was presented well, but is a little less similar to the book.

Charlie Gordan (Matthew Modine) is a retarded gentleman who wants more than anything to learn and be a genius. He attends regular classes for special people taught by the beautiful Alice Kinian (Kelli Williams). When Dr. Strauss (Ron Rifkin) is testing an operation that can make mentally retarded people incredibly smart, Alice sets Charlie up for it as a test. Charlie becomes incredibly smart, with an IQ over 200, but is very unhappy when he realizes that this whole time his so-called "friends" were actually mocking him behind his back. Just as he starts to find happiness when he falls in love with Alice, and Alice falls in love with him, he learns that the effects of the operation are only temporary and has to try his hardest to learn how to stop from becoming retarded again.

This movie lacks a few things from the original. One is that it is not presented through the viewpoint of Charlie's journal, of course. This couldn't have been done, but it was a lot better from that viewpoint. Algernon, the mouse that was another test for this operation that Charlie makes friends with, is underplayed. It's strange to say a mouse was underplayed, but it's true. Considering that Algernon is in the title, this is strange. The beginning of this movie is also kind of rushed and can be confusing if you didn't already know the story.

But the solid acting and great dramatic scenes make up for all the faults. Matthew Modine does great as both the stupid and smart Charlie Gordan. Kelli Williams certainly stole the show. Whether she was crying or laughing, the emotions seemed so real. She did an excellent job.

One thing that I found very strange was that many places, even this database, listed this movie as a comedy. It's no comedy. What are we expected to laugh at? The ignorant retarded people? Do you find that funny? I sure didn't. This movie is way more of a drama with an interesting plot. It's certainly not a comedy.

I'd recommend reading the original story above seeing this movie. But if it came down to a choice between this one and the older movie based on the same story, I'd choose this one in a heartbeat. If it's ever on TV again, it's certainly worth watching.