Prayers for Bobby (2009) (TV)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers (WGA):

Katie Ford (teleplay)
Leroy Aarons (book)

Release Date:

24 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

True story of Mary Griffith, gay rights crusader, whose teenage son committed suicide due to her religious intolerance. Based on the book of the same title by Leroy Aarons.

Plot Keywords:

Homosexuality | Suicide | Intolerance | Tragedy | Big Family

Cast

Sigourney Weaver	...	Mary Griffith
Henry Czerny	...	Robert Griffith
Ryan Kelley	...	Bobby Griffith
Dan Butler	...	Reverend Whitsell
Austin Nichols	...	Ed Griffith
Carly Schroeder	...	Joy Griffith
Shannon Eagen	...	Nancy Griffith
Scott Bailey	...	David
Rebecca Louise Miller	...	Jeanette
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anna Badalamenti	...	Michelle
Ele Bardha	...	Doug
Linda Boston	...	Marge
David G.B. Brown	...	PFLAG Member
Kyle Clarington	...	Protestor
Hadas Corey	...	Cheryl
Rusty Daugherty	...	Boy on Bus
Ber Fox	...	Greg (as Bryan Endress-Fox)
William C. Fox	...	City Council Member
Jeff Fryer	...	Bar Star
Axel Harney	...	Parishoner
Chris Hendricks	...	Ardie
Steve Jasgur	...	Citizen
Patrick Michael Kenney	...	Guy in bar
Sam Logan Khaleghi
Andrew Kruczynski	...	Football Player-'Gorgeous Guy'
Madge Levinson	...	Ophelia
Tevis R. Marcum	...	Protester
Brent Mata	...	Man at Bar
Marshall McClean	...	Reverend Owens
Alyssa McMillan	...	Protester
Rusty Mewha	...	Reverend Michaels
Julia Mogerman	...	Teri
Anthony Moscato	...	Protester
Jaime Moyer	...	Liz
Janice O'Neill	...	Jackie Costa
Susan Ruttan	...	Betty Lambert
Amanda Ryskamp	...	Audrey
Sean Scarlett	...	Young Hipster
Lauren Mae Shafer	...	Girl on Bus
Dan Wells	...	Rev Hassler
Billy Whitehouse	...	City Councilman
Melanie Wilson	...	Margaret

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Daniel Sladek Entertainment

Trivia:

Cameo: [Mary Griffith]The real Mary Griffith makes a cameo appearance in the parade scene at the end when Sigourney Weaver's character sees Bobby among the crowd.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The seduction scene from _Spartacus (1967)_ (with Tony Curtis and Laurence Olivier) playing on the television was not in the original release of the film in 1960. Even if it were, the version playing on television in 1978 would have a been a butchered, less violent, re-release of the film The seduction scene was not put into the film until its restoration in 1991 by Robert A. Harris. On top of that, the audio tracks were missing or destroyed. So, Tony Curtis re-recorded his lines. Since Laurence Olivier was now deceased, Anthony Hopkins re-recorded his. Although the scene fits contextually (it's an analogy about having a "taste for snails over oysters"), it's inclusion is inaccurate.

Quotes:

Mary Griffith: Homosexuality is a sin. Homosexuals are doomed to spend eternity in hell. If they wanted to change, they could be healed of their evil ways. If they would turn away from temptation, they could be normal again if only they would try and try harder if it doesn't work...

Movie Connections:

Features Spartacus (1960)

An Unfulfilled Opportunity

Good intentions do not necessarily make for good movies, and "Prayers for Bobby," which brims with good intentions, falls short of its creators' goals. The film's story cannot be spoiled for those yet to see a telecast, because televised previews and interviews with star Sigourney Weaver have already done so. A young man comes to the realization that he is attracted to men and cannot change his nature. His otherwise doting mother, who adheres to a strict interpretation of the Bible, cannot accept a gay son. The son commits suicide, and, at fadeout, the mother is leading a gay pride parade. Unfortunately, a wrenching tragic story has been rushed, and the bland results are more "after school special," than truly special, like the groundbreaking "A Touch of Frost." Bobby is well played by Ryan Kelley, although the character's anguish and inner conflicts remain unexplored. The freedom he experiences during a visit to an out-of-town cousin, his budding relationship with a handsome young man, and his father's seeming indifference to his sexual orientation make the boy's ultimate decision puzzling. Evidently, Bobby has even visited an inclusive church, run by gay pastor Dan Butler. Nevertheless, the young man with these avenues of solace before him chooses the darkest solution. Because the story is true and Bobby left a diary, much material must have been cut. Directory Russell Mulcahy, best known for music videos, inserts rapid flashes of a bound Bobby struggling to release himself. However inspired these bits might have seemed, the results are more annoying than illuminating.

The mother's character shift occurs with similar whiplash rapidity. The role of Mary Griffith was likely written to attract a major player with award-winning aspirations, and Sigourney Weaver rises to the occasion with appropriate histrionics and serious soul searching. However, a woman who, according to the script, has been bound to her Bible throughout life asks simplistic questions that could have surfaced in Bible school. The torment and inner turmoil that she must have experienced in challenging long-held beliefs are tossed away in a few scenes. Perhaps "Prayers for Bobby" is appropriate for families with a gay child that have no knowledge of homosexuality, which seems remote in the 21st century. With only a couple chaste male-male kisses, the film is certainly discrete and suggests little of gay life, other than darkly lit bars, furtive encounters, and the rare tolerant parents. However, the Bush years are history, Proposition 8 has been passed, and gays need films with more bite than this de-fanged piece. With a potentially important and gripping story and a talented cast, "Prayers for Bobby" is a lost opportunity to make a statement about the role that organized religion plays in demonizing gay Americans and denying them their inalienable rights.