X
- TV-MA
- HBO
- TV-MA
- HBO
Summary The TV movie focuses on Henrietta's daughter Deborah (Oprah Winfrey) as she seeks to learn more about her mother (Renée Elise Goldsberry) and how her cancerous cells became a part of medical breakthroughs with the help of journalist Rebecca Skloot (Rose Byrne) in this adaptation of Skloot's book of the same name.
- TV-MA
- HBO
- TV-MA
- HBO
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Season 1 Premiere: Apr 22, 2017
64
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Summary The TV movie focuses on Henrietta's daughter Deborah (Oprah Winfrey) as she seeks to learn more about her mother (Renée Elise Goldsberry) and how her cancerous cells became a part of medical breakthroughs with the help of journalist Rebecca Skloot (Rose Byrne) in this adaptation of Skloot's book of the same name.
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
64
50% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
50% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
64
50% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
50% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
It's an emotionally powerful film that does justice to Henrietta, her legacy and her family.
A fine if somewhat formulaic lesson in how to pare a very complicated and often technical story down to its emotional essence.
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks is too sentimental for its own good. It’s not really fair to compare a film to its original source material--books and movies are different mediums with different strengths--but it’s hard not to rue what’s lost in this version, which skimps over both the science and the relationships that form the heart of Skloot’s book. At least Winfrey’s performance brings Deb to boisterous, believable life.
Despite noble intentions, though, HBO has set a high bar for its movies, and the task of transforming this adaptation into something with a life beyond the printed page is where Henrietta Lacks proves lacking.
It’s often hokey and overstated, with Winfrey giving a broad, showy performance. By the end, you get the idea that Henrietta Lacks was very important, but as a person, she remains distant.
With the exception of Renée Elise Goldsberry--who gives a half-saintly, half-corporeal dignity to Henrietta herself in a few brief flashback scenes--director and cowriter George C. Wolfe, a terrific theater artist, seems to have instructed Winfrey, Byrne and the rest of the cast to play to some nonexistent rafters. And this only pays off twice.
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Production Company:
- HBO Films
- Your Face Goes Here Entertainment
- Harpo Films
- Cine Mosaic
Initial Release Date: Apr 22, 2017
Number of seasons: 0 Seasons
Rating: TV-MA
Awards
Black Reel Awards for Television
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
Image Awards (NAACP)
• 3 Nominations
NAMIC Vision Awards
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations