Tim (1979)

A somewhat mentally handicapped 20-year-old man works as a laborer, but everyone abuse his naiveté. A nice 40-year-old American woman hires him one day and they become close. However, the town and his family see her as predatory.

Director:

Michael Pate

Writers:

Colleen McCullough (novel), Michael Pate

Stars:

Piper Laurie, Mel Gibson, Alwyn Kurts

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Piper Laurie	...	Mary Horton
Mel Gibson	...	Tim Melville
Alwyn Kurts	...	Ron Melville
Pat Evison	...	Em Melville
Peter Gwynne	...	Tom Ainsley
Deborah Kennedy	...	Dawnie Melville
David Foster	...	Mick Harrington
Michael Caulfield	...	John Martinson
Margo Lee	...	Mrs. Harrington
James Condon	...	Mr. Harrington
Brenda Senders	...	Mrs. Parker
Kevin Leslie	...	Curly
Allan Penney	...	Mr. Thompson
Brian Barrie	...	Dr. Perkins
Geoff Usher	...	Minister

Storyline

Tim is a young man with below average intelligence. He works as a builder's labourer, and is often taken advantage of by his fellow workers and other people. Mary asks Tim to work around her yard for a day. The day stretches into a few weekends, and the two soon become good friends. Some people, however, are suspicious of their friendship which seems to be continually strengthening, accusing Mary of taking advantage of Tim's innocence. Will changing circumstances in Tim's family life change his relationship with Mary?

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Plot Keywords:

male and female protagonists | borderline mentally retarded | looking at oneself in a mirror | man wears eyeglasses | woman wears eyeglasses | 

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Taglines:

A Heartrending Story of Courage and Devotion

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 1979 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Colleen McCullough's Tim

Filming Locations:

Palm Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pisces Productions,G.U.O. Film Distributors,New South Wales Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In her 2011 autobiography, Learning to Live Out Loud: A Memoir, Piper Laurie revealed that she and Mel Gibson had a one-night stand while on the set, despite their almost-25-year age difference and the fact that she was married at the time.

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Goofs

The boom and the shadow of the boom operator follow Mary out of her kitchen in the bottom right of the screen at the beginning of the film.

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Quotes

Tim Melville: [Excitedly] Did ya hear that? I'm going to the beach with Mary!

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Connections

Featured in Mel Gibson: The High Octane Birth of a Superstar (2002)

User Reviews

Not bad....

This is one of the better films I have seen starring Mel Gibson. A low budget, Australian film, made in the late seventies, it is a real change from his usual offerings. The basic plot outline (promise I won't spoil! :)) is that Gibson plays the title role of Tim, a 24 year-old man who is slightly mentally retarded. Piper Laurie excels as 'Mary Horton' a successful forty-something widow who takes a romantic interest in Tim, but is unsure if a relationship will work.

The thing that struck me about this movie was it's basic principle. It is not uncommon for rich, forty-something men to be seen with attractive, supposedly less-intelligent women. 'Tim' turns this on its head having a rich, older woman hooking up with an attractive, less intelligent younger man. Society frowns on the latter form relationship, I'm not sure why, and it adds an interesting angle to the story.

The only complaint about the film is the ending. They had such a fantastic idea but the movie just...ends. Loose ends are left and to be honest it seemed tacked on or just plain rushed.

It is a good, heartwarming film with a few weepy bits and one-or-two good ideas not explored well enough but still entertaining nonetheless.