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Prayers for Bobby

  • TV Movie
  • 2009
  • TV-14
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
19K
YOUR RATING
Sigourney Weaver, Ryan Kelley, and Austin Nichols in Prayers for Bobby (2009)
Prayers For Bobby: Don't Be Afraid
Play clip1:01
Watch Prayers For Bobby: Don't Be Afraid
1 Video
67 Photos
BiographyDramaRomance

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.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.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.

  • Director
    • Russell Mulcahy
  • Writers
    • Katie Ford
    • Leroy Aarons
  • Stars
    • Sigourney Weaver
    • Henry Czerny
    • Ryan Kelley
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.0/10
    19K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Russell Mulcahy
    • Writers
      • Katie Ford
      • Leroy Aarons
    • Stars
      • Sigourney Weaver
      • Henry Czerny
      • Ryan Kelley
    • 72User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys
      • 4 wins & 18 nominations total

    Videos1

    Prayers For Bobby: Don't Be Afraid
    Clip 1:01
    Prayers For Bobby: Don't Be Afraid

    Photos67

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    Top cast61

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    Sigourney Weaver
    Sigourney Weaver
    • Mary Griffith
    Henry Czerny
    Henry Czerny
    • Robert Griffith
    Ryan Kelley
    Ryan Kelley
    • Bobby Griffith
    Austin Nichols
    Austin Nichols
    • Ed Griffith
    Carly Schroeder
    Carly Schroeder
    • Joy Griffith
    Shannon Eagen
    Shannon Eagen
    • Nancy Griffith
    • (as Shannon Eagan)
    Scott Bailey
    Scott Bailey
    • David
    Rebecca Louise Miller
    Rebecca Louise Miller
    • Jeanette
    Lee Garlington
    Lee Garlington
    • Psychologist
    Madge Levinson
    • Ophelia
    Marshall McClean
    • Reverend Owens
    Susan Ruttan
    Susan Ruttan
    • Betty Lambert
    Dan Butler
    Dan Butler
    • Reverend Whitsell
    Anna Badalamenti
    • Michelle
    Ele Bardha
    Ele Bardha
    • Doug
    Linda Boston
    Linda Boston
    • Marge
    Marty Bufalini
    • Councilman
    Hadas Corey
    • Cheryl
    • Director
      • Russell Mulcahy
    • Writers
      • Katie Ford
      • Leroy Aarons
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews72

    8.018.6K
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    Featured reviews

    10jazzything

    Required Viewing for All Parents

    The movie went off five minutes ago and I'm still sobbing. This movie should be required viewing for every parent. Beyond the powerful subject matter, Prayers for Bobby is ultimately about loving and accepting your children for whoever they are. It's about nurturing their self-esteem, raising them to treat others with respect and praying that they go through life with love in their hearts. Bottom-line, it made me realize that I will always love my son unconditionally. He's four now. And if I'm blessed enough that we are both around when he's 14, 24 or 44, I will stand by and love him for whoever he is as he comes into his own and forever.
    9tj19

    Poignant and effective, leaves you emotionally lethargic but also hopeful

    BASED ON A TRUE STORY I'm not much of a fan of the Lifetime network. They usually produce wishy-washy and cliché titles usually about divorce, or pregnancy issues, or something that really has no plot or substance. However, being a fan of Sigourney Weaver and her work, and also interested in the story that actually has an actual important theme, I debated whether it would be worth two hours of my time. It was. It is 1979. Bobby Griffith (Ryan Kelley) is a teen who has a loving family and a pretty good life. However, he believes himself to be a homosexual. He fears that his mother, Mary, (Weaver) will not accept him and love him anymore, due to her clear and well-known loath and contempt of gay and lesbians due to her faith and literal interpretation of the bible. When Bobby tells his brother he thinks he is gay, his brother tells their mother, hoping his mother can help Bobby. Instead, she treats Bobby as if he has a disease that can be "cured" through God. Mary's overbearing and abrasive treatment towards Bobby distances him from his family out to Oregon to live with his cousin, who believes anyone should be allowed to love anyone. While in Oregon, Bobby meets a guy who makes him feel good about himself. When Bobby comes back from his vacation, he tells his family about the guy he met and his mother reacts as if he is a perverse and sick person. She tells him she WILL NOT have a gay son. This upsets Bobby enough to permanently move to Oregon without a goodbye from his mother. While in Oregon, feeling the isolation of the family he loves, he becomes suicidal and cannot take it anymore. He commits suicide. For the rest of the film, we see his mother go through some major character development and we see her try to overcome her ignorance. I never cried during a movie before until I saw this movie. Prayers for Bobby was truly an amazing movie. Watching Sigourney Weaver as Mary Griffith broke my heart. She was believable and perfect. Ryan Kelley also did a great job playing Bobby. He showed a lot of range and purity in his performance. The movie definitely has a made-for-TV and Lifetime channel feel to it. It WAS a made-for-TV Lifetime original movie, so get over that (I did). I am so glad I saw this and I urge anyone and everyone to see it. 9/10
    9edwagreen

    Say Amen to Prayers for Bobby ***1/2

    Sigourney Weaver hits a home-run performance as a right-wing bible carrying nut who can't accept the fact that her younger son is gay.

    She resorts to just about everything possible to get him to amend his ways. She sends him to therapy, constantly belittles him and uses the bible frequently to justify her disdain for his lifestyle.

    A confused and bewildered young man, Bobby eventually commits suicide. The real tragedy here is to get his mother thinking that the condemnation of gays is really not the way to go.

    The film is a very good one as it especially comes to grips with the church's condemnation of the gay life style and the use of the bible to distort this way of living.
    10itent

    Far-reaching impact

    Aside from the production values (script, acting, cinematography, direction, etc.), which were excellent, this is one of those rare movies that incites thoughtful and far-reaching discussion and maybe even debate, that can impact and change people's lives. That, in my mind is the objective of every filmmaker.

    Prayers for Bobby takes Mary Griffith's transformation to the next level. Her impact on parents, while substantial, could only reach a small populace. The filmmakers have taken that outreach and (literally) broadcast it to the world. There is no end to the positive impact this film will have, not only on parents and their children, but on those who may have preconceived notions about gay people.
    10LauraAnnTull_artistichope

    A movie for anyone who has felt misunderstood or alone.

    Have you ever felt like you did not fit in? Have you ever had your parents not accept something about you? If you think you can not get this movie or understand and you are straight, think again. I am straight, but this film reminded me of all the times in my life I did not feel wanted or as though I fit in. I've spent the last year of my life fighting for the one place on the planet I felt like I belonged, and the one industry I felt I fit into. Have you ever had to fight to be? Have you ever had to stand up for something you believe in? Have you ever thought you were right about a belief and then discovered how wrong you were? Have you ever judged someone by ignorant standards, only to realize you were wrong? Are you part of a minority that has been persecuted and degraded? If any of this applies to you, see this film. It is more than just a movie about homosexuality. It is a film about people, family, love, friendship, and understanding. And if you are someone who thinks that homosexuals are evil, I dare you to watch this film.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      In 2020, Sigourney Weaver reflected on the movie during her interview with "Entertainment Tonight." She said, "This one is the one I'm most grateful I got to do, because I hope that it will be such a support to these young kids. My heart goes out to all of them. I think there probably is nothing more difficult than not being able to express who you are and all the questions you have about that in a safe space."
    • Goofs
      Bobby's mother sends him a church pamphlet about AIDS (in the film's time-line, this would be 1981 or sometime in 1982). The CDC began using the acronym AIDS in September 1982, but it was some time before the term became widely used.
    • 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. These are all the things I said to my son Bobby when I found out he was gay. When he told me he was homosexual my world fell apart. I did everything I could to cure him of his sickness. Eight months ago my son jumped off a bridge and killed himself. I deeply regret my lack of knowledge about gay and lesbian people. I see that everything I was taught and told was bigotry and de-humanizing slander. If I had investigated beyond what I was told, if I had just listened to my son when he poured his heart out to me I would not be standing here today with you filled with regret. I believe that God was pleased with Bobby's kind and loving spirit. In God's eyes kindness and love are what it's all about. I didn't know that each time I echoed eternal damnation for gay people each time I referred to Bobby as sick and perverted and a danger to our children. His self esteem and sense of worth were being destroyed. And finally his spirit broke beyond repair. It was not God's will that Bobby climbed over the side of a freeway overpass and jumped directly into the path of an eighteen-wheel truck which killed him instantly. Bobby's death was the direct result of his parent's ignorance and fear of the word gay. He wanted to be a writer. His hopes and dreams should not have been taken from him but they were. There are children, like Bobby, sitting in your congregations. Unknown to you they will be listening as you echo "amen" and that will soon silence their prayers. Their prayers to God for understanding and acceptance and for your love but your hatred and fear and ignorance of the word gay, will silence those prayers. So, before you echo "amen" in your home and place of worship. Think. Think and remember a child is listening.

    • Crazy credits
      Epilogue:  "On December 6th 1995 Mary Griffith testified before members of the Congress of the United States. Her tireless work protecting the rights of gay and Lesbian youth has established her as a major force in the fight for human rights."
    • Connections
      Featured in The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Here I Am
      Produced by Michael Lloyd, Greg O'Connor

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • January 24, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Lifetime TV
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Молитви за Боббі
    • Filming locations
      • Detroit, Michigan, USA
    • Production companies
      • Daniel Sladek Entertainment
      • Once Upon a Time Films
      • Permut Presentations
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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