Amy (1981) User Reviews

Fairly enjoyable Disney movie

[herrcarter-92161 · 7/10 · 25 September 2023]

I watched this on Disney+, and it was pretty enjoyable and entertaining. It definitely had a TV movie feel to it, and it turns out that Disney originally made it as a TV movie and then decided to release it in the theaters. As a 1981 production, it definitely feels a bit dated, but if you can get past that, it's definitely worth watching.

The performances were solid, particularly from Jenny Agutter as Amy. You really felt her warmth and sensitivity, her absolute dedication to the children she teaches, and her hidden pain over her rough past, including the loss of her son. Her relationship between the kids in the school seemed touching and real, although I felt like the relationship between her and the perpetually-smiling Henry, who seemed to have a crush on her, was a bit cringy. Barrry Newman, as Dr. Ben Corcoran, gave an adequate performance, though the romance between the two of them felt a little flat. They also kind of brushed the whole issue of her still being married under the rug. Apparently, the kids in this movie were actual deaf kids from a deaf school, which, I think, gave the movie a feeling of authenticity.

I like the fact that Disney took on some serious themes in this movie that they might not have touched before. Themes like the way we treat the disabled and death in an age where medicine was still fairly powerless to deal with life-threatening infections. The movie was also fairly progressive, in that it allowed a woman to escape a stifling marriage, forge a meaningful life and career for herself and stand up to a controlling husband. Yes, they did throw in a new romance, which a modern movie might eschew, in favor of the woman being fine on her own without having to have a man in her life. But it was clear that her relationship with Dr. Corcoran was not the reason she decided not to go back to her husband.

In the final analysis, this was a feel-good movie with characters that we liked and cared about, and a story that was compelling. Yes, it was dated and seemed a bit amateurish compared to more modern productions. But it was still enjoyable to watch.

It starts with one word.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 17 March 2024]

Looking like a subplot with characters spun off from "Little House on the Prairie", this Disney film might have benefitted and seen by more people had it premiered on commercial TV rather than a theatrical release. It's simple and intimate, not exactly a popcorn movie, and not something that movie audiences would rush out to see in a movie theater due to the special subject matter.

That being stated, it's a well meaning sentimental drama where a novice teacher (Jenny Agutter) leaves husband Chris Robinson and becomes a groundbreaking instructor teaching deaf students how to talk. Usually cast in vivacious roles, stage veteran Nanette Fabray is cast against type as the veteran teacher certain that Agutter will fail.

Doctor Barry Newman becomes her staunt supporter, helping her deal with the opposition she faces and the shock of Robinson's arrival. Also becoming her friends among the staff one time child star Margaret O'Brien and the loveable Lucille Benson. The kids too fall under her spell and begin to blossom under her watch, even starting to become involved with local young boys playing football, teaching "normal" kids about reality, acceptance and compassion. Well acted and fortunately not overly sweet or lecturing. Not sure how realistic this would be in 1911, but definitely a film filled with tons of hope.

Quiet, powerful film

[Marta · 11 December 2000]

"Amy" is the story of a woman's crusade to teach deaf children how to communicate at the turn of the century. It's not the film the original "Miracle Worker" is, but it's effective in it's own way. Jenny Agutter is the star of the film, and she makes it work. The impact of her loss and how much it affected her is pivotal to the film, and she's wonderful in the role. I shed a few tears during my initial viewing of the movie, and while it's not a tearjerker it's subject matter is emotional. It's not available anywhere at the moment, but if you can find it, it's worth a look.

Watch out for the Railway, Children.

[southdavid · 4/10 · 29 March 2021]

Ahhh... the cruel vagaries of watching everything on Disney Plus in alphabetical order. Occasionally it might throw up an underappreciated gem, but more frequently it's something like "Amy", a film that despite some solid moments, probably deserves the forgotten status that it now has.

Amy Medford (Jenny Agutter) leaves her affluent husband and comes to work on a rural school/boarding house for blind and deaf children. Though the perceived wisdom at the time was otherwise, Amy believes that deaf children can be taught how to speak, rather than just focus on sign language, and sets about that goal. Though she eventually wins over the school, her husband continues to search for her and hires a private detective to locate her and bring her home.

The problem with "Amy" is that though is commendably worthy, it's painfully dull. It's directed by Vincent McEveety, who would direct quite a lot of the live action Disney films across the late 70's and early 80's. For the most part, this is competently done and very few of the failings land on him, but there is a composite shot at the end of the film that looks woefully dated now. Agutter is decent, as the titular character. The was the same year that she was in "An American Werewolf in London" but as this is a period piece it's a lot more mannered and buttoned up, but with a secret that will eventually have to come out. She does drift close to a love affair with another character - the local Doctor played by Barry Newman. What I found interesting about that is that he looks much older than her, and indeed a bit of research suggests he's 14 years older, and it struck me as pretty unrealistic.

Though the performances are pretty solid across the board, there is a sense to impending tragedy that encircles the whole thing. For me though, there's not enough going on to alleviate the boredom.

Very good, beautiful...

[RosanaBotafogo · 9/10 · 27 August 2021]

Think of a beautiful and delicate film, perfect for those tricky days, when we want to keep our hearts warm... It touches me, it hurts my heart, I cried, aiaiai, a beautiful life lesson, even though it's a fiction, rocked by a beautiful song "So many Ways" by Julie Budd, a film that gives hope to special children, shows the strength of women /mother and mainly from education... Disney relic...

Disney aims for The Miracle Worker and falls well short of the mark.

[IonicBreezeMachine · 4/10 · 2 June 2022]

In the early 20th century, Amy Medford (Jenny Agutter) leaves her wealthy Bostonian husband Elliot (Craig Robinson) following the death of her deaf son when Elliot forced her to send him to an institution. Amy moves to the Appalachian mountains where she takes a position as a speech teacher at the Parker School for the Blind and Deaf to teach deaf-mutes how to speak. Over time she bonds with the children, including Henry Watkins (Otto Rechenberg) who excels as her best student while struggling against inadequate resources and cultural prejudice.

Amy was developed under the working title Amy on the Lips as a television movie by Disney as an attempt at making a film catering more to adult tastes and sensibilities while within the confines of the Disney brand. The movie was made in cooperation with the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, California and featured founder of the National Theater for the Deaf founder Lou Fant in a prominent supporting role as the school superintendent. During production Disney was apparently impressed by what they saw and felt the movie warranted a theatrical release (albeit one that was tied to a re-release of Alice in Wonderland, per the contemporary review in The Washington Post). The movie received very weak reviews from critics of the time who lamented the film's reliance on melodrama often distracting from the story's core of learning to speak and the movie never really had much staying power aside from an 80s VHS release and a manufactured on demand DVD available only from the Disney website. Amy means well, but it's thoroughly misguided despite its intentions.

I will say on a positive note that it was good to cast actual deaf children in the roles of the students as well as Lou Fant as school superintendent Ferguson. Fant is particularly good in the role exhibiting a genuineness and sincerity in his performance that's very down to Earth, and he'd had work on other films involving American Sign Language including the much more successful and well known Children of a Lesser God. Otto Rechenberg is really good as Henry Watkins and his interactions with Jenny Agutter's Amy are probably the high point of the movie dramatically speaking because it's the only time where the focus feels like it should be and it helps that Rechenberg is a charismatic presence.

Where Amy faulters is where most movies of this type faulter in that the story isn't about deaf children how to speak, but rather the primary focus is on Jenny Agutter's Amy moving past the grief of the death of her deaf son and escaping her loveless marriage to her husband Elliott and finding the "right man" in Barry Newman's quirky Irish doctor Ben Corcoran. With the exception of Rechenberg, most of the deaf children aren't given focus and it's because the movie doesn't want us to focus on them and instead wants us to focus on Amy overcoming her problems and building her romance. I'm not saying things like this shouldn't be in this story, but it plays pretty disingenuous when the characterization is greater for the abled teacher and doctor and even Elliott, while the characterization of the deaf students feels like it's maybe 30-40% of the movie. The crux of the movie should be these deaf children learning and struggling to communicate, but the movie isn't confident in its own premise so it keeps heaping on extraneous elements like the subplot of Elliot looking for Amy, one of the Blind children dying, or the late arrival of a 19 year old deaf mute that could've served as a movie in and of itself. The deaf children are basically there to serve as props for the development of its abled characters like Jenny Agutter's Amy and it strikes a fatal blow to this well intentioned movie by suffocating it with extraneous and limp melodramatic and romantic hogwash. And the movie all but admits this by not providing any subtitles for the ASL used by the children in this movie because heaven forbid we know the thoughts of the kids instead of our uninteresting main characters. The movie also feels like the TV film it was intentioned to be through and through, and I can't imagine how poorly this would've looked on a cinema screen.

The Miracle Worker this is not. Granted it's probably unfair to compare Arthur Penn to Vincent McEverty (director of films such as Million Dollar Duck and Superdad) but taking names out of the equation: The Miracle Worker focused on Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan as it was supposed to, while Amy pushes its deaf children learning to speak into the background while giving focus to its titular character who isn't deaf. Unless you need a reminder that "the deaf are people too" (which is where this movie's message starts and stops) there's not much here that engages you on an emotional or thematic level with any potentially interesting characters or ideas kept strictly at arms length.

Wonderful film

[jennykathleen-37021 · 10/10 · 21 November 2020]

Completely disagree with the comment below which seems ignorant to some individual's realities and the stigma they faced back then and still today. Highly recommend!

Past it's time, disappointing

[baechter · 3/10 · 6 October 2020]

Bad writing and poor direction are the two qualities that stand out in this film. An anachronism that probably wasn't good when it was released, is now much worse with 40 years reflection. What I know is meant to be a positive, uplifting film, turns out to be a reminder that it wasn't very long ago that society's views of women and children with disabilities was abysmal. The misogyny is appalling and the treatment of the children in the film is overly simplistic and degrading. The actions of the school board and the woman who runs the school are overly cruel and harsh. The conflict between the teacher and these foils is poorly developed. It was bad all the way around. Don't waste your time with this one.

Dig deeper into your understanding...

[E-I_Beth_F · 21 October 2002]

This film is a great story about love and healing. While the main character, Amy, is suffering a lot of emotional anguish due to the loss of her own child who was deaf, she begins to heal when she takes a job at a school for the deaf and has a positive influence on them, one especially, Henry Watkins. He helps Amy feel needed as a teacher. She learns to cope with the loss of her own son and develops special teacher-student friendships with all of the students at this school for the deaf and blind in Boston.

One of the lighter moments includes a football game against a hearing school.

Ok, I LOVE this movie! It's one of my all-time favorites. Henry Watkins was my favorite character, because he really expresses his emotions both through his sign and his voice. I wish this was on DVD.

Very sweet

[r96sk · 8/10 · 14 September 2020]

A very sweet film, one with its heart truly in the right place.

I had a fine time watching 'Amy'. There's a few very touching moments, alongside a few shocking parts too; one particularly surprised the hell out of me, the most a Disney film has so far in fact. Those come amongst the storyline which entails blind and deaf children, as well as a bit of women's empowerment in there too. They blend it together nicely.

Jenny Agutter is excellent in the titular role, I felt connected to her story whilst also getting the required sense care and charm that her character is intended to have. Otto Rechenberg, one of many deaf/blind people cast, is very good. All the main ones onscreen do a noteworthy job, in fairness.

Enjoyable and hearty. Watch it.

"Amy" still shines...

[dramajunkie76 · 8/10 · 24 October 2020]

Back in the days of "Betamax", when we had to wait a decade or more for such Disney titles as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" or "Cinderella" to be released, Disney's home video library consisted of movies like "Amy", family movies that captivated my young mind as well as engaged parents. Jenny Agutter passionately plays the eponymous heroine who for the love of her late son, uses that love to find a purpose in Life. The cast that supports Ms. Agutter is seasoned, so there isn't any weak performances. I find the writing to be very character driven, and the script uses its characters to tell a story that no matter what ups and downs we have in Life to never stop living it in the name of loving.