Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Good movie but grossly overrated

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I like this movie. In general, my favorite movies are ones based on true stories, and this is a good story. Liz Murray is a good person born in a bad family. Her mother was always on drugs and booze, her father was an intellectual who detached himself. In an early scene, while mom and the two young daughters are fighting over whether the food money would actually go for food, or for drugs, the father Peter (Michael Riley in a good performance) is watching the TV show 'Jeopardy' and correctly answering all the questions, detaching himself from the argument. Near the end of the movie, when Liz tells her homeless dad, who now has AIDS, that she loves him, he responds, "Don't love me. It is a waste of energy. I'm not a people person." Thora Birch narrates and plays the teenage Liz Murray who, after her mom dies of AIDS, talks herself into a good school, and is encouraged by her teacher David (Robert Bockstael). She works hard, becomes the top student in her school, catches up to do 4 years of school work in two. She gets a NY Times scholarship to attend Harvard. As the ending notes state, she left Harvard in 2003, not yet with a degree, but supports herself with fees she receives from her appearances. So, even without a Harvard degree, hers is an inspirational story, and Thora Birch is remarkably good.The DVD included a 7-minute interview with the real Liz Murray. We only see her answers and comments, and get a good glimpse of this young woman. Of note, she doesn't believe her story is that extra ordinary, that many people set goals and accomplish what they want. Her humility is refreshing. She just wants a normal life.

The film was fun to watch, and Thora Birch was terrific, as always. She is one of the finest young actresses we have today.The movie was at its strongest when it depicted Liz's difficult years on the streets. But the ending let us down.The movie ultimately did not tell us why Liz left Harvard. And actually, it makes you wonder if her story is worth telling if she couldn't finish her education there. It could have been titled, "Homeless to Harvard for a Year or So."Did she leave Harvard because she couldn't take the work? Did she have trouble fitting in with other students? Did she sell out, believing she could make money now by giving motivational speeches and writing a book about her story?If so, wouldn't it have been better if the New York Times gave her scholarship to someone else, someone who truly wanted the college education and was willing to finish it? Did a more deserving scholarship candidate miss out because Liz took it, only to let it go?The ending raised too many questions. I have no doubt that Liz is gifted and brave. But I think her story would have been truly meaningful if she had finished what she started.She should have finished college. The movie should have told us why she quit.

Thora Birch is Liz, a young woman who grows up in a poor household where both parents are excessive drug addicts. She's a genius but she refuses to go to school because she doesn't know how to interact with her peers (she's intellectually superior to them).When her mother leaves to live with her sexually abusive grandfather, Liz tries to live there but runs away after an argument with him. She lives on the street, and in a group home. She stays at friends' houses from time to time. She discovers what hardship really is.After her mother dies from AIDS (which she acquired from drug use), Liz wakes up, and realizes her potential. She also realizes that she doesn't want to be homeless anymore, and that she wants to move on to a civilized lifestyle. So she goes to school. She is in gifted classes and she finishes High School in two years. She also receives a scholarship to Harvard, from the New Yor times for an essay she wrote about overcoming obstacles to get to her success.The movie is very inspiring one of the best Lifetime movies created. Thora Birch proves that she is one of the best younger actresses today. Her powerful performance is very much deserving of an Emmy Award.

I was expecting this movie to be really good. Just by watching the previews of it made it sound like it was interesting, and boy was it. Thora Birch does an excellent job of portraying Liz Murray, a young woman who beats all the odds. She grows up in a broken home with two drug addicted parents who do nothing for her or her sister. Kelly Lynch is amazing as a mother with serious problems. The story really draws you in and it's sad. You want to feel sorry for her, but then you also wonder why she didn't pick up her life earlier than she did. I am so glad I watched this movie. It was truly inspirational.