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Movies / On DVD / A Map of the World
A Map of the World

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A Map of the World (1999)

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Reviews Counted:54

Fresh:35

Rotten:19

Average Rating:6.4/10

Consensus: Disjointed storytelling overshadows noteworthy performances.

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: As a mother who’s trying to cope with raising two little daughters, her part-time job as a school nurse, and helping her husband run their "working" farm, Alice Goodwin (SIGOURNEY WEAVER) has an... As a mother who’s trying to cope with raising two little daughters, her part-time job as a school nurse, and helping her husband run their "working" farm, Alice Goodwin (SIGOURNEY WEAVER) has an unflappable, almost whimsical attitude towards the complexities of life. But her outspoken "mouth"— reflecting her droll perspective on human nature— is often wrongly misinterpreted by the simple folk in the rural Wisconsin town where they live. As relative "newcomers," the townsfolk treat Alice and her husband, Howard (DAVID STRATHAIRN) as outsiders anyway, and their only real friends are another young couple, Dan and Theresa Collins (JULIANNE MOORE), who also have two little girls. Alice and Theresa have become best friends and often babysit each other’s children.

One morning, while babysitting for Theresa’s children, as well as her own—having promised to take them swimming in the pond on the farm—Alice is momentarily distracted as she searches for her bathing suit. A few minutes later, she is shocked and horrified to find Theresa’s two-year-old daughter Lizzy floating face-down in the pond. Although Alice quickly pulls Lizzy out of the water and immediately gives her CPR, the child remains comatose and, a few days later, she dies.

Theresa’s pain and loss is immeasurable, and so is Alice’s, but she is more numbed by the terrible pain of guilt. And while life has taken on a whole new dimension for Alice, with which she is unprepared to contend, the community now sees her as the person solely responsible for this great tragedy, instead of empathizing with her and realizing that it could happen to anyone. Suddenly, Alice is seen as a reckless, irresponsible woman, unpredictable in her ways, and Alice cannot help but see herself as worthless.

In the midst of this turmoil of guilt and grief, an altogether astonishing thing happens: a young boy at the school accuses Alice of sexual abuse and she is abruptly arrested, taken away from her family and imprisoned because she and her husband cannot raise the $100,000 required for bail. The charges seem totally false—we will learn that what actually happened is that the boy spit a mouthful of medicine in her face and she impulsively slapped him. Again, another moment in time that cannot be recalled, and as her life spins even further out of control, Alice, still paralyzed with guilt over Lizzy’s drowning, has no will to defend herself.

In prison, Alice is almost a willing object of ridicule and abuse by the other inmates. Meanwhile, her husband is desperately trying to take care of their children and run the farm, and their prison visits are full of misunderstandings and anger. But the love they feel for each other still survives, changes, but grows stronger…as her husband, against her wishes, sells their beloved farm to raise the money for her bail.

At the trial, the forgiving Theresa takes the stand in her defense and the truth about the sexual abuse charges are revealed by the skillful lawyer (ARLISS HOWARD) who has taken on Alice’s case. After she is acquitted, Alice and her family move to the city to start a new life, and Alice tries to find her way in the world, in the same way, as a child after her mother died, she drew "a map of the world" to try to understand where she was. [More]

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Julianne Moore, David Strathairn, Louise Fletcher

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Julianne Moore, David Strathairn, Louise Fletcher, Ron Lea, Chloë Sevigny, Arliss Howard, Marc Donato, Hayley Lochner, Kayla Perlmutter, Dara Perlmutter, Victoria Rudiak, Timm Zemanek

Director: Scott Elliott

Director: Scott Elliott
Screenwriter: Peter Hedges, Polly Platt
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
Composer: Pat Metheny

[See More Credits]

Reviews for A Map of the World

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sigourney Weaver dominates with her powerful performance but the film, a feature debut from theater director Scott Elliott, is so poorly conceived and staged that much of the emotional impact gets lost

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
12/26/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/22/06
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/30/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
02/07/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
06/04/04
Sarah Chauncey
Sarah Chauncey
Reel.com

No review available.

comment Comment
02/05/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

Cast somewhat against type, Sigourney Weaver is terrific even if the film is a bit staid.

comment Comment
10/27/03
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
Nitrate Online

A profoundly unnecessary movie with pretty good performances; perfectly captures the noble mediocrity of the novel.

comment Comment
10/11/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

No review available.

comment Comment
08/17/03
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

The fairly simple storyline...is certainly stretched quite thin over the two hour running time.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
10/20/02
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
04/03/02
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/19/02
Globe and Mail

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment Comment
03/05/02
Jeremy Heilman
Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com

An emotionally effecting drama about one woman's difficult journey into forgiving and making peace with herself.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/04/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

For those who crave intelligent 'mom in trouble' dramas.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/09/01
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Although the action is a bit predictable, both women play anguish well as they battle back from grief.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
 
 
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