Amy & Isabelle (2001 TV Movie) User Reviews

Seduction and Secrets, in a Beautiful Coming to Age Drama

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 18 February 2006]

In 1971, in the small town of Shirley Falls, in Maine, the odd and lonely secretary Isabelle Goodrow (Elisabeth Shue) raises her teenager daughter Amy (Hanna R. Hall) alone. She has only two friends in her job among her gossiper colleagues. When her overprotected daughter is seduced by her mathematic teacher Peter Robertson (Martin Donovan), the world of Isabelle falls apart. She becomes lost and loses her confidence on Amy, spoiling their relationship. Their bond gets tied again when Isabelle discloses her inner secrets from the past to Amy.

Although being very predictable, "Amy & Isabelle" is a beautiful coming to age drama. The good direction and acting never lets the story becomes a soap opera, although dealing with elements like seduction and secrets. The innocence of the face and look of the gorgeous Hanna R. Hall is amazing. I was impressed (and quite disappointed) how fat the lovely and still beautiful Elisabeth Shue, one of my favorite actresses ever, is. But her and Hanna R. Hall performances were really great. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Inocência Marcada" ("Marked Innocence")

One of the best television movies in a while

[Luckie Starr · 9/10 · 5 March 2001]

At first glance, I wasn't sure what to expect. It was produced by Oprah Winfrey, and I had heard it was a good story, but I knew nothing more than that. My roommate and her friend turned it on, so I sat down to watch it with them and was blown away. It's a very powerful story about a girl seeking ways to rebel against an uptight, anal retentive mother who, we find, is trying to protect her from the "real world" and only perpetuates the cycle. Elisabeth Shue and Hanna R. Hall are both wonderful. The setting, a small town in Maine in the early 70's, is perfect, and so is the filmography, even though it's made for television. The flashback scenes are exceptionally well done. I can't wait for this to be made available on video so I can watch it over and over again!

Elisabeth Shue's performance...

[butterflycomb-1 · 10/10 · 8 November 2005]

Her performance in this TV film was excellent, why she was overlooked for a Emmy nomination i will never understand. This film was such a good film , i watched with my daughter we both liked it very much. One of the many things i liked about the film is strong women roles about love, understanding and friendship, heartbreak....love it! The girl that plays the daughter i thought was also outstanding. I recommend this film to anyone that has a daughter or even a son because it portrays the strengths that build the relationships through time....I also like the beautiful scenery, lots of that in the film, i don't think this film is out on video or DVD yet, but it should be because it is a wonderful film to watch. I remember Elisabeth Shue way back when she played the daughter on a short lived drama series called "CALL TO GLORY" why that series was cut short don't get it, was a good family show to watch every week.

Very Good movie with a lot of value

[FlyingMonkeyJay · 6 March 2001]

This was a very good film starring Elizabeth Shue. It's really to bad the film wasn't longer because I would have liked to have seen more of Amy and Isabelle's troubles and life. I really hope they release this on video so other people can see it, very powerful that really touched home.

WONDERFUL!!!!!!! (for a TV-movie)

[Cookie24 · 9/10 · 5 March 2001]

One of the best TV movies ever. I loved it. Elisabeth Shue was absolutely beautiful in this movie. I only give it a 9 out of ten because a couple of parts were confusing. I got lost with Dottie's story. Some of it was a little odd at parts, but it was all good. A very wonderful movie. If only Elisabeth Shue was like this in every movie she's made. See it for her.

Simply Stunning

[miguel17x · 10/10 · 11 March 2001]

I am one of Elisabeth Shue's most dedicated fans. I recently wrote her a letter in the mail regarding her choice of roles she selects. The past few movies she has had some bad scripts, but she made a nice come back in Amy & Isabelle. She was also pregnant in this film with her second child, but it dosent show that much. Also, this movie scored huge with the ratings, 19.4 million Americans tuned in to see Amy & Isabelle. Good job Elisabeth, and I love the part when she chopped off her daughters hair.

Excellent movie!!!

[tarajil41 · 10/10 · 26 November 2001]

Amy and Isabelle is the best movie I've seen in a long time. It's comparable to a classic like The Scarlet Letter (novel). This movie has layers of meaning and it really makes you think. Loved it!!! It takes place during a hot summer in a mill town. It's all about women's work and women's lives, fantastic!!!