Such a frustrating disappointment

Amateur movie with Big budget

A different way of telling a story

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

When I watched the previews for this movie i could already tell thatt it was going to be incredible. This movie is one big emotional roller coaster. It gave you everything a movie should. You no when you watch a movie and after its finished you want to go out into the world and be a better person. This movie gives you that. Kirstie Alley gives an incredible performance in this film. She made me feel as if i was in the movie and she made you feel all of her emotion(especially when she fell asleep on the bus trying to go to work and the bus driver wouldn't take her back, she made you feel sad and thats what I like about actors like that. That whats so special about this movie.

I didn't know what to expect from this film, having no prior knowledge of the Thorntons. But after seeing this movie, I had gained a tremendous amount of respect for the couple and their struggles. They overcame so much to reach their current state of autonomy and proved that those who society believes is not "normal" can actually live profoundly normal lives.The pitch-perfect performances of Kirstie Alley and Delroy Lindo are what really bring this TV Movie to a higher level than your average Movie-of-the-Week. They impressed on so many levels and after seeing the real couple on 60 Minutes I realized that Kirstie Alley successfully captured Donna's spirit so much that I forgot I was even watching Kirstie. An overall great film and kudos to everyone involved.

Kirstie Alley is wonderful as Donna, a retarded character based on a real person, who overcame many odds to marry another retarded person. At the beginning of the movie, Donna, Ricardo and their son are being interviewed, and the story is told through flashbacks, which at the beginning alternate between the characters' lives as adults and their experiences as children. Donna and Ricardo live in an institution for the mentally retarded, and at the beginning of the movie, the facility is about to close and force them out into the world. Donna and her friend Margaret get an apartment together, and with the help of Charlotte, they begin adjusting to the real world. Margaret has a harder time, but it's just as well because Donna will soon have enough problems without having to take care of Margaret too. Ricardo shows up at Donna's place one night for a party and, since it is too late for him to go home, he stays the night. Believing that a man and woman shouldn't spend the night together without being married, they decide they should get married. Charlotte supports the idea but has trouble convincing her boss, who would have to approve of the arrangement. The situation gets resolved a little too neatly (I was disappointed there wasn't more of a fight). Once they get married, since we have already seen their 'normal' son, we know what will happen next. It's interesting to note: although I saw 'Jungle Fever' earlier in the day, the fact that Donna is white and Ricardo is black doesn't come up until their son is born and they get a nasty letter.Alley makes this movie work, and she doesn't resemble any of her previous characters. She is smart (considering the circumstances), funny, and determined. Delroy Lindo is also good but he doesn't usually seem retarded. The actress playing Margaret also does quite well, effectively showing problems that are more serious than just mental retardation. And the children in the scenes from the characters' early years are very good also. There are flashbacks from those early years late in the movie which are quite unpleasant. Overall, the movie's tone is upbeat and inspiring, and the characters teach us a lot, making us wonder if we 'normal' people are capable of more.SPOILER: Actually, the reason for dealing with all the unpleasantness is made quite clear at the end, a touching moment where the family visits the grave of Donna's childhood friend, on the former institution grounds.

I watched PROFOUNDLY NORMAL, the made-for-tv-movie on CBS last night, and I really enjoyed it. This remarkable story of two mentally handicapped people was amazing in that it grabs you right where you are and pushes you into a world seen through the eyes of The Thorntons (played truly amazingly by Kirstie Alley and Delroy Lindo.) You really should get around to seeing this movie. I also watched the 60 Minutes special with them, talking about their son and how life has been as a retarded couple who went against all odds, got married, and had a child. Breathtaking.9/10