I swear, it was as if a pedophile wrote the script in a desperate attempt to get sympathy for other pedophiles. Roxana Zal gives a poignant performance as the victim. I'd expect nothing less from her in a film like Something About Amelia, where she initially doubts her daughter's claim of molestation. As I watched, I got more and more uncomfortable, because I realised that I was a victim of abuse myself. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. TMDb She sends Amelia to her room. He immediately repeats the words "with a boy" again. In this instance, William Hanley's screenplay focuses on a suburban middle-class family called the Bennetts. A 1986 opening bumper for the ABC Monday Night movie, re-broadcasting its award-winning 1984 television film "Something About Amelia" which starred Glenn Clo. The Bennett's, from all appearances, look like the typical American family. [3], It received eight Emmy nominations in 1984, and won in three categories, for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special (Leonard Goldberg / Michele Rappaport), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series (Roxana Zal) and for Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special (William Hanley). The plot follows thirteen-year-old Amelia (Roxana Zal) has been keeping a secret since age eleven. An intelligent treatment of incest in a middle-class household. Jump on his desk and swear him out and throw a fit because you should. More at Amelia is convinced her mother won't believe her. Amelia's younger sister (Missy Francis) is angry with her for telling and disrupting their family. This is a television message picture done right. The effects are devastating, from the feelings of anger and betrayal from the mother, Gail(Glenn Close) , to the denials from the very sister she was trying to protect. The acting is fine, and I do remember there was a great deal of reporting about cases in the news. Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady? Ted Danson Glenn Close Olivia Cole Roxana Zal Lane Smith Jane Kaczmarek Melissa Francis Kevin Conway Matthew Faison James Carrington Mark Withers Michael Bond Ed Call Robert Hitt Keri Montgomery Patrick O'Brien, Leonard Goldberg Deborah Stoff Michele Rappaport, 100mins At one point, he says, "I can't believe I didn't know anything about you going to a dance with another boy." 1 hr 40 mins. With Ted Danson, Glenn Close, Olivia Cole, Roxana Zal. our privacy/terms or if you just want to see the damn ", O'Connor also added that the film "manages to stick close to the incredibly painful experiences of each member of the Bennett family. Making the relationship completely believable are two extraordinarily fine performances from Ted Danson (the series ''Cheers'') as Steven, and Glenn Close (the film ''The World According to Garp'') as Gail. Confronted with this horrifying piece of news, Steven's wife, Gail, can't believe it's true, and he professes his innocence. We are changing the login scheme for contributors for simpler login and to better support using multiple devices. How did the TV movie starring Ted Danson and Glenn Close that basically said incest could be fixed with family therapy be made and win so many awards? Highly recommended. What exactly does the title refer to? The film starred Ted Danson, Glenn Close, Missy Francis and Roxana Zal. Basically, the patriarch of the Bennett family is a scumbag who's been sexually abusing . It had to be written by a pedophile or something its totally disturbing how they casually blame the mother for the father sleeping with a 13-year-old daughter. I recognize him from the episode of All in the Family where he played the retarded grocery clerk. Learn more. Not even of all the Emmy nominations! The counselor is horrified, and takes her words seriously, calling in her mother (played by Glenn Close). Yet, as the title of tonight's ABC Theater presentation at 9 warns, there is ''Something About Amelia.'' She acts circles around everyone else, though Ted Danson and Roxana Zal are good in their own rights. Hello. Something About Amelia Jump to Edit Summaries Counseling helps family deal with the discovery that their child was sexually abused by the closest relative. Innocent college student Dakota Johnson begins a relationship with troubled businessman Jamie Dornan. Zal became the youngest primetime Emmy-winner in history for her work. She hung herself because she could not protect her little sister. I love when Glenn Close smears cum in her hair. Muhammad Noman. Mrs. Hall attempts to explain the law but Gail is too angry to listen. There was an episode of Hill Street Blues where cops are called for a domestic disturbance. Take a look at It has just 363 user votes at imdb.com, presumably since only that many viewers could finish the icky tearjerker. Mrs. Hall: Jane Kaczmarek. The only solution for that problem is for him to move to a hotel and promise that he will have no contact whatsoever with the children. As a 21 year old I thought that was so clever to paint him as bad early on by showing that he was a smoker. Hello. ", Leave it to Lifetime to make an unrealistic made-for-television movie that's totally disrespectful towards survivors of incest and molestation!Something About Amelia isn't a bad film in the technical sense. Posters are sourced from TMDb and Posteritati, and appear for you and visitors to your profile and content, depending on settings. - something about amelia stock videos & royalty-free footage It's insulting and gross, almost entirely focused on the "poor" mom and dad who treat it all like an inconvenience that calls for a few couples retreats and the child who has been scarred for life should get over it because they don't want to acknowledge the true horror of what's been done to her. Made by fans in Aotearoa New Zealand. Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special, Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television, In a Controversial TV Movie, Teen Actress Roxana Zal Tackles a Taboo SubjectIncest. Original, more exploitive title was. Well-acted for an 80s TV movie, but insanely dated and offensive. It was a huge risk for Danson to play the role. I hate the ending. By law Mrs. Hall must notify the police. It was Escandalo at my Middle School, iirc there was an assembly about it so we could talk about speaking out if molested. Find a coworker in tears because some asshole is telling he what hed do to her pussy (office brokerage setting). I was 14 and I remember talking about this made-for-TV movie in hushed tones at school. Plus, why does no one mention that this wasn't some temporary insanity on the dad's part, when Amelia started avoiding him, he began making plans to do the same to his younger daughter. Allegations that rock the heart of the family to its very core. A kindhearted counselor, the gentle Olivia Cole, takes on Zal's case and explains the facts to her to convince her that she's not to blame. I haven't got anything else to say about it. Shame and fear have kept Amelia Bennett silent about the sexual molestation she's been suffering at the hands of her father, Steven. Danson's offense against Zal is horrendous and he definitely needs to pay for what he did if evidence proves that he's guilty. [3] The A.C. Nielsen prime time ratings for the week ending Jan. 15, gave ABC an 18.1 rating with a 28 percent share of the viewing audience; CBS a 16.9 rating with a 26 shareand NBC a 15.4 rating . Any personal history that created that belief is boring and worthless and you know it. Something About Amelia: Directed by Randa Haines. No jail time for many years for raping a 13-year-old girl would help, not therapy that basically blames the mom for letting the spark leave marriage. Menu. Something About Amelia 1984 Drama TV MovieSomething About Amelia 1984 Drama TV MovieSomething About Amelia 1984 Drama TV Movie In his review for "Something About Amelia", John J. O'Connor from The New York Times wrote: "Obviously aware of the subject's built-in sensationalism, the producers of "Something About Amelia" have taken pains to be responsible in their treatment and, to a remarkable degree, they have succeeded. The Emmy-winning teleplay by William Hanley fails, really, to give us a strong, sound foundation in which to build the central drama, while the young heroine (Emmy-winner Roxana Zal) internalizes her pain, becoming a somewhat somnambulant victim. Yes indeed, we too use "cookies." Amelia confides in her school guidance counselor, Mrs. Hall, that her father is forcing her to have sex with him. There are 2 scenes to note in the film: When Gail confronts her husband about what he has done to the family and her, it is so full of emotion that you can feel the pain from every word that Gail spits at him. What does her mother do when Amelia and the counselor inform her? CBS' Tuesday night movie about drunk driving, 'License to Kill,' placed 16th with a 19.3 share, and Bob Hope's Christmas in Beirut special was 20th with an 18.1 rating. I was a kid at the time but I would read my Mom's People magazines. 'Something About Amelia,' the tastefully told story of what happens to a middle class family when the elder daughter reveals she has had an incestuous relationship with her father, was the No. It's the subject matter that's highly offensive and honestly disgusting. Their advice to the daughter is stop wearing skimpy clothes. Amelia blames herself and worries that Steven will start molesting her younger sister Beth (Melissa Francis). Painful subject is sensitively and realistically handled, Brave attempt at a controversial subject, but an impenetrable glaze of phoniness remains, When BIG pain hits get some counseling. I watched this film back in the late eighties when someone had recorded it on tape (remember tape?). Gail is at first protective of her husband, but her position is painfully clear: She must protect her daughter from her own husband, who not only molested their daughter, but have betrayed her in the process. Uma Thurman stars as an assassin who seeks bloody revenge on those who left her for dead on her wedding day. Letterboxd Limited. The Top 10 shows for the week ending Jan. 15, according to the A.C. Nielsen Co.: 1. 80s TV movies are a lot better than the crap that comes out on Hallmark. The casting and sets create an atmosphere to let the story unfold in a seemingly average American home, which adds both to the realism and power of this movie. 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. It's hilarious how poor G lost at the Emmys for this movie. In the 16-week-old television season, CBS now has won 12 weeks and ABC 4. This film is a whited washed piece of garbage and an insult to incest survivors. I remember this but didn't want to watch Sam Malone molesting his kid. 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