With the exception of a couple of inspired moments, Mary Reilly is merely a curious variation of an often-told story.
Mary Reilly (1996)
Tomatometer
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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
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Reviews for Mary Reilly
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.
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.
Psychological thriller that nibbles at the edges of the theme of sexual repression and its perils.
[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).
Mary Reilly works as Gothic melodrama because it understands the genre so well.
Mary Reilly will undoubtedly leave many people cold, but I snuggled into its bleakness.
Mary Reilly is Roberts' worst misfire to date, despite the fact that on paper it must have looked awfully good.
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.
Director Frears seems more interested in the atmosphere than the narrative.
My distaste for the movie comes not from disliking these scenes, but from being put to sleep by the boredom of the show.
'Boring' is just about the worst thing a movie can be and Mary Reilly is boring.
It's a slight, moribund bugaboo, a bump in the night, and then nothing.
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.
I have nightmares about being forced to sit through 'Mary Reilly' one more time.
Sluggish and interminable, Mary Reilly makes good on little of its potential to be disturbing and none of its chance to be emotionally involving.
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|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
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|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
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