Flowers for Algernon
by Jeff Bleckner
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DVD details
Actor: Bonnie Bedelia, Jeff Pustil, Kelli Williams, Ken James, Matthew ModineDirector: Jeff Bleckner
Brand: Echo
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-18
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Flowers for Algernon
DVD Review: SPOILERS - PLEASE don't read this if you want to be surprised!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm going to reveal the ending of this film (more or less), since it's the point of my review. Please stop reading if you want to be surprised.
And the message of my review is: please don't watch this film if you like happy endings. It's a VERY good film; but it ends with the hero doomed to failure, yet unaware and determined to keep trying. I think that makes him a noble, tragic character; but for some people, the ending will be just too sad.
And in that way, this film is an excellent translation of the short story, which has the same noble but tragic ending. And in my opinion, it's far better than its predecessor, Charly, that psychedelic 60s relic. As a fan of the short story and of Cliff Robertson, I had high hopes for that film, and was disappointed by its rambling, disjointed story. (Later, I read the novel, and forgave the film a little bit: like the film, the novel is rambling and disjointed. The short story is better, tighter, and more moving.) Though I scarcely know Matthew Modine's work, I'll look for it in the future. He is a far more convincing Charlie Gordon, both as a struggling low intellect and as a troubled genius.
It has been a couple decades since I read the short story, and longer since I read the novel. I'm sure this film probably falls between the two (I don't think the short story included the subplot with Charlie's mother); but it feels like a lot of the fluff from the novel was trimmed out. The result is just about ideal for a 92 minute film, with nothing I would sat needs cutting, and no questions unanswered or character motivations unexplained.
If there's a weak spot in this film, it's the teacher, Miss Kinnian. This is no critique of Kelli Williams, who is well cast as the caring, intelligent, crusading female lead (much as she played in The Practice); but the character is never given time to develop into a three-dimensional person in her own right. She has roles to play in Charlie's life: first as surrogate mother, then as coach/confidante, and then as reluctant lover. But we see no real person underneath, just the person Charlie needs her to be at times. But this is Charlie's story, not hers, so that's to be expected.
Description of Flowers for Algernon
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