X
- 1986
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 59 m
- 1986
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 59 m
Summary A new speech teacher (William Hurt) at a school for the deaf falls in love with the janitor, a deaf woman (Marlee Matlin) speechless by choice.
Directed By: Randa Haines
Written By: Mark Medoff, Hesper Anderson, James Carrington
- 1986
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 59 m
- 1986
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 59 m
Children of a Lesser God
80
7.4
Where to Watch
Summary A new speech teacher (William Hurt) at a school for the deaf falls in love with the janitor, a deaf woman (Marlee Matlin) speechless by choice.
Directed By: Randa Haines
Written By: Mark Medoff, Hesper Anderson, James Carrington
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 13 Critic Reviews
80
77% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
23% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 13 Critic Reviews
80
77% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
23% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
In terms of human understanding, the film is worth dozens of documentaries on deafness. [10 Dec 1986]
An exceptionally adroit adaptation of a play to the screen. As a film, it flows beautifully under Randa Haines' direction and has considerable humor as well as dramatic intensity. It is a classic love story--romantic, passionate, involving vibrant characters.
It’s another seamless performance for Hurt. Matlin, who makes her professional acting debut here and is in real life hearing impaired, as is much of the cast, is simply fresh and alive with fine shadings of expression.
[Matlin] has an unusual talent for concentrating her emotions--and an audience's--in her signing. But there is something more here, an ironic intelligence, a fierce but not distancing wit, that the movies, with their famous ability to photograph thought, discover in very few performances. Children of a Lesser God, though given a handsome openness in Director Haines' production, cannot transcend the banalities of the play. But Matlin does. She is, one might say, a miracle worker.
Despite this flaw, several dramatic lulls, and an aggressive determination to "sparkle," the film often makes for crackling good drama with plenty of leavening humor and magnificent performances by Hurt and newcomer Matlin.
Watching Children of a Lesser God, the screen adaptation of Mark Medoff's 1980 Broadway play, is like being on a cruise to nowhere aboard a ship with decent service and above-par fast-food. Everything has been carefully programmed so that there are no surprises, no discoveries, nothing to do except to sit -with eyes propped open - and applaud the crew's efficiency.
I suppose the constant repetition is necessary (Matlin's character only communicates through sign language), but it points up the film/play's willingness to sacrifice situational truth for didactic accessibility.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 User Ratings
7.4
91% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
9% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 User Ratings
7.4
91% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
9% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Berlin International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
