Mary Reilly

It wasn't until I read some positive reviews of this movie when I realized this could have been a good movie. Before I read positive reviews, I found this to be one of the worst movies I'd ever seen; wondering just how the movie was able to scrap off of the cutting board on Rotten tomatoes to get a 27%. All that said, I will say the story definately had potential. It is very intriguing to read the synopsis, and because of that, I'm sure many people have picked it up to watch. However, if one is familure with the movie, they know not to pick it up again. What with always wondering just where Julia Roberts is from and why they chose to waste all of the makeup on Glenn Close and none on Roberts, and not to mention John Malkovich's questionable transition from Jekyll to Hyde. Most scenes with Hyde were not memorable and Roberts motivation was never obvious. Things were wrong that were obvious, and the direction is to blame for half, or more. So if you have two hours with friends and want to be like Abed from the NBC television show "Community," rent Mary Reilly and have a laugh for a couple of hours.

It's very slow, and by the time it got where we all know it goes, I'd lost interest.

Knowing only the general story of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", folks will find this an intriguing, suspenseful movie. A definite good watch. However, if one is lucky enough to see the BBC series Jekyll, you'll find this movie MOST intriguing. It became obvious to me that Steven Moffat must have seen this film when he wrote the BBC series and this movie takes nothing away, but adds to my previous enjoyment of that series. This movie is a very good twist on the typical Jekyll and Hyde tale and most enjoyable to view.

THIS MOVIE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES, JOHN MALKOVICH DOES A FANTASTIC JOB OF PLAYING DR. JEKYL MR. HYDE, I HAPPEN TO LIKE THE PARTICULAR VIEW THIS MOVIE TAKES, SHOWING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARY REILLY AND DR. JEKYL, GREAT MOVIE, HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Although the classic Stevenson tale "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" has its many merits, this dud follows the life of Dr. Jekyll's maid, Mary Reilly, as she discovers the secrets of Dr. Jekyll's transformations. What confuses the viewer is the perspective of the film. Why follow Mary Reilly when Dr. Jekyll's story is so much more interesting? A simple, modern film adaptation of the traditional story would have been so much more welcome. The bulk of this film concerns Mary wandering from one room of Dr. Jekyll's home to another, doing laundry and capitulating to her master's demands. Save your money and read Stevenson instead.