Prayers for Bobby

I love this one, it felt so real (Yea I know it's based on real story what I mean is you can really feel like and it's happening to you or around you everyday). As a guy I'm not very proud to say I cried over this movie but I'm not gonna lie to it either, there were four parts where I cried most, one is when Bobby jumped off the bridge, one when the family received the news, one when the mom was giving that speech, one in the end when she hugged a boy who looked like her son. I felt so happy for Bobby when he had a boyfriend but I already knew the story before I watched this movie so it broke my heart to know he was going to die not long from there. I myself am a gay guy, and I've never told my parents about my homosexuality, not planning to either, some people suggested to watch this movie with their parents after they come out, but I'll just save it for myself, coz with their mind of thinking, they probably would yell at me and say "ARE YOU SAYING UR GOING TO KILL YOURSELF IF WE DON'T ACCPET YOU?!"

So I've watched this movie some time ago and still can't get over it. It's not about the excellent performance, it's not about the tragedy itself, it's the whole picture of this movie that literally blew me away. I normally do not cry during movies and if I do, it feels kind of forced (like in "My sister's keeper" which is made so that you cry and feel better afterwards) but the final of "Prayers for Bobby" felt like "release". Not this "finally-the-movie-is-over-release" but the release you can only experience after watching a loving mother going through the hardest process of her life to accept her son for what he was. I can't imagine anyone who gives this movie a serious shot coming out and saying "Ok, so this was lame, I don't understand the process". "Prayers for Bobby" shows what a real struggle looks like. It shows love, passion and extremes without being cliché. If get your hand on it, try it, it's worth your time and interest.

I will admit. I refrained from watching this one for quite some time just by reading it's synopsis. I'd had enough of listening to hate propaganda about gays from the right wing and the evangelicals, and I just didn't want to deal with anymore hate. But someone said.. Sigourney decimates this film. You need to see it just for her. So I gave it a chance. Whoa... was I surprised. The power of this film is beyond description. You do not walk away from this, untouched or unfeeling. I hid in my room because I couldn't stop crying. It's one of those I think...once you watch it...you're gonna go back and do it again and again. It really is top notch!!

I know this movie is important to people who have had similar experiences, but I just cannot relate to it at all. I never cared whether my parents approved of my being gay, and, frankly, I can't imagine why anybody would - certainly not to the bizarre extent of committing suicide over it. I just don't get it. I'm also sick to death of gay tragedies. For every one who commits suicide, a hundred thousand or more don't; they get through the opposition and disappointments and become functioning adults. Bobby's homosexuality was incidental to his death. He died because his mother had defined his life for him and he was incapable of living apart from her, so he killed himself. That's the tragedy. The only difference his being gay made is that it caused her to throw him out of the nest after 18 years of doing everything in her power to keep him dependent on her. If he'd been straight, she would NEVER have let him go, and his life would have been a nightmare: longer, but worse. At least he had a few months of trying to fly on wings that were too weak to support him, but it was better than seventy years under her in the nest.

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.

Sigourney Weaver is an Actor of rare breed in the tradition of Betty Davis, Joan Crawford and sexy Rita Heyward....The Lady has class whether as Riley or Bobby's mother in her recent TV movie....I am wondering if she is working on anymore action type films because she is all woman in her roles or as my belief she is the Clint Eastwood of all the women actresses, yet I know women still do not get many roles after 40 except for the exceptional Merle Streep. And my belief is that she has some of Shirley MacLaine's mystic attraction that I fine very spiritual in the sense of MacLaine's "Out on a Limb" story. So, I will be returning to this website and will check it regularly for her next roles in new movies.....

Sigourney Weaver hits the mark as a true story mother Mary Griffith. Great acting. The family too. The movie might seem a bit slow, but in fact it takes it time to show how Mary and her son Bobby eventually took life changing decisions. I read so much on the internet from fundamentalist christians and what they think about gays. It's hard for them to have a level headed view of homosexuality. I think this film is a unique opportunity to think about how they deal with gays and their religion that should be about love and acceptance. The movie certainly is a tear jerker and I hope it has a wider audience. I recommend it.

Very touching movie that will definitely bring a tear to your eye. Sigourney Weaver gives a fantastic performance here. Some of it seemed a bit overdone. For example, the scene when Bobby meets with David's parents just didn't seem believable to me at all. It seemed totally overacted. The basic story was just so incredibly sad. It was supposed to be uplifting at the end, but I didn't take it that way. A bright,smart,caring and loving young man is dead and the whole thing could have been avoided in the first place. Regardless of your religious persuasion, you need to accept your children for who they are. You may not agree or like it, but they are your children and you have to be tolerant,respectful,loving and patient. My best advice would be put yourself in their position and think about how you would want to be treated. Parents often have a difficult time doing that.

Having watched this film I scored it 6/10, then after reading the bulk of other comments I wondered if I had been a little mean. I am really not sure. Being neither gay nor a bible-basher...maybe I didn't fully relate? To be honest I think the real problem is that I am not American. (Or perhaps it was set in the '80's and *surely* attitudes have changed?) There just seemed to be too many inconsistencies in the story that bothered me. Bobby has a loving family apart from his fanatical mother and vaguely ambivalent father. He has found happiness with a partner in Portland yet still his mother's words from his childhood drive him to suicide? His mother, supposedly a Christian fanatic who takes the bible literally doesn't know many key verses? Acting was very good, Ms. Weaver is as ever engrossing but though a good watch I just can't get that gushing about this film that so many others have. I'll stick with 6/10, 6.5 if I could.

Good intentions do not necessarily make for good movies, and "Prayers for Bobby," which brims with good intentions, falls short of its creators' goals. The film's story cannot be spoiled for those yet to see a telecast, because televised previews and interviews with star Sigourney Weaver have already done so. A young man comes to the realization that he is attracted to men and cannot change his nature. His otherwise doting mother, who adheres to a strict interpretation of the Bible, cannot accept a gay son. The son commits suicide, and, at fadeout, the mother is leading a gay pride parade. Unfortunately, a wrenching tragic story has been rushed, and the bland results are more "after school special," than truly special, like the groundbreaking "A Touch of Frost." Bobby is well played by Ryan Kelley, although the character's anguish and inner conflicts remain unexplored. The freedom he experiences during a visit to an out-of-town cousin, his budding relationship with a handsome young man, and his father's seeming indifference to his sexual orientation make the boy's ultimate decision puzzling. Evidently, Bobby has even visited an inclusive church, run by gay pastor Dan Butler. Nevertheless, the young man with these avenues of solace before him chooses the darkest solution. Because the story is true and Bobby left a diary, much material must have been cut. Directory Russell Mulcahy, best known for music videos, inserts rapid flashes of a bound Bobby struggling to release himself. However inspired these bits might have seemed, the results are more annoying than illuminating. The mother's character shift occurs with similar whiplash rapidity. The role of Mary Griffith was likely written to attract a major player with award-winning aspirations, and Sigourney Weaver rises to the occasion with appropriate histrionics and serious soul searching. However, a woman who, according to the script, has been bound to her Bible throughout life asks simplistic questions that could have surfaced in Bible school. The torment and inner turmoil that she must have experienced in challenging long-held beliefs are tossed away in a few scenes. Perhaps "Prayers for Bobby" is appropriate for families with a gay child that have no knowledge of homosexuality, which seems remote in the 21st century. With only a couple chaste male-male kisses, the film is certainly discrete and suggests little of gay life, other than darkly lit bars, furtive encounters, and the rare tolerant parents. However, the Bush years are history, Proposition 8 has been passed, and gays need films with more bite than this de-fanged piece. With a potentially important and gripping story and a talented cast, "Prayers for Bobby" is a lost opportunity to make a statement about the role that organized religion plays in demonizing gay Americans and denying them their inalienable rights.