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Movies / On DVD / Mary Reilly
Mary Reilly

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Mary Reilly (1996)

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Reviews Counted:40

Fresh:11

Rotten:29

Average Rating:4.4/10

Consensus: The movie looks good and has its moments. But, overall, the movie borders on boredom.

Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: This Gothic melodrama, adapted from the novel by Valerie Martin, depicts the infamous tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the perspective of Dr. Jekyll's naive housemaid, a poor servant girl from... This Gothic melodrama, adapted from the novel by Valerie Martin, depicts the infamous tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the perspective of Dr. Jekyll's naive housemaid, a poor servant girl from gloomy Edinburgh named Mary Reilly (Julia Roberts). Having suffered an emotionally and physically wrenching childhood at the hands of her cruel father, Mary grew up with a dichotomous view of men. It is then fitting that the adult Mary becomes a housekeeper for one Dr. Jekyll (John Malkovich). Slowly, the reserved woman begins to open up to him emotionally, and the two become close. However, as Mary begins to innocently spy on the well respected doctor, she soon discovers strange secrets about his personality, including nightly outings to a seedy bordello run by a vicious madam (Glenn Close). When Jekyll's assistant, Hyde, begins working at the mansion, Mary becomes attracted to him, for he is younger, stronger and more virile than Jekyll. Amidst the ominous walls of the doctor's foreboding home, Mary is forced to realize the truth about her employer and his seductive "assistant." [More]

Starring: Julia Roberts, John Malkovich, Glenn Close, Michael Gambon

Starring: Julia Roberts, John Malkovich, Glenn Close, Michael Gambon, Bronagh Gallagher, Linda Bassett, Henry Goodman, Ciaran Hinds, Moya Brady

Director: Stephen Frears

Director: Stephen Frears
Composer: George Fenton
Story: Robert Louis Stevenson, Valerie Martin
Screenwriter: Christopher Hampton
Producer: Ned Tanen, Nancy Graham Tanen, Norma Heyman

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 12, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Mary Reilly

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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With the exception of a couple of inspired moments, Mary Reilly is merely a curious variation of an often-told story.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Walter V. Addiego
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Examiner

Mary Reilly is haunting, not only because of its foggy, shadowy settings, but because of the questions it encourages us to ask about ourselves and others.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As a study of repression, Mary Reilly has some great moments, but it seems director Stephen Frears was aiming for intense and brooding, and boring is what he got.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

Psychological thriller that nibbles at the edges of the theme of sexual repression and its perils.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/22/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

A perversely courageous disaster that audiences will simply hate.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[Roberts's] acting is of the Melrose Place/Andrew Shue variety, her eyes blank and mouth often agape (not unlike the photo of her used in the print ads).

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
12/28/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Mary Reilly works as Gothic melodrama because it understands the genre so well.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mary Reilly will undoubtedly leave many people cold, but I snuggled into its bleakness.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Mary Reilly is Roberts' worst misfire to date, despite the fact that on paper it must have looked awfully good.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Is it a gothic horror? Is it a psychological thriller? Is it a love story? Ultimately, it seems the filmmakers don't even know the answer, and as a result Mary Reilly doesn't succeed in any genre.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Christine James
Christine James
Boxoffice Magazine

The story lacks purpose.

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
New Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Director Frears seems more interested in the atmosphere than the narrative.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Millar
Jeff Millar
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

My distaste for the movie comes not from disliking these scenes, but from being put to sleep by the boredom of the show.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

'Boring' is just about the worst thing a movie can be and Mary Reilly is boring.

Full Review Source: Film Scouts | comment Comment
04/17/02
Leslie Rigoulot
Leslie Rigoulot
Film Scouts

It's a slight, moribund bugaboo, a bump in the night, and then nothing.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

The film is too mannered, too stuffy.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
06/18/02
Peter Stack
Peter Stack
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Unfortunately, your response to the bizarre story of terror and lust that dare not speak their name is pretty well limited to Roberts' response -- which is, in turn, limited by her technique.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I have nightmares about being forced to sit through 'Mary Reilly' one more time.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/12/03
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Sluggish and interminable, Mary Reilly makes good on little of its potential to be disturbing and none of its chance to be emotionally involving.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/14/01
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Um filme intrigante.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
05/31/02
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
 
 
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