Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

fabkingcliff Little George (Lux Haney-Jardin) is getting bullied at school and when Mary, his mother(Hilary Swank) finds out, she decides to take him on vacation to the beautiful landscapes of South Africa in a bid to escape suburban life for a while. During their stay in a touristic village not far from the South African capital of Cape Town, Everything is going great until one night when little George is bitten by a mosquito hence infecting him with malaria, the deadliest disease in the world. He subsequently dies on the hospital bed three days later.A few Miles out of the country, Ben (Sam Claflin) has been assigned in Mozambique to teach English at a local primary school. There he meets beautiful Micaela (Nokuthula Ledwaba) with whom he falls in love. Their romance doesn't last because Ben too suffers the same fate as little George, one fatal mosquito bite takes his life.The movie follows the lives of two mothers, Mary and Martha (Brenda Blethyn) the latter whose story is analogous to Mary's- brought together by the tragic loss of their sons to Malaria. Their bond quickly grows strong as they relate to each other's tragedy.Well, this is a nice plot for an inspirational movie but unfortunately it was not that inspirational to me. Why? because although the movie runs 90 minutes, everything happened too quickly I mean events just flashed before our eyes as if in fast forward and to me that just took away the connection i was supposed to have with the characters and the story itself. It's almost as if you were watching the trailer; they summarized everything so dully. Not to mention the fact that we didn't get the chance to understand and connect with the victims (Ben & George) better in order to care enough for them. Ben and Micaela's budding romance isn't supplemented at all either. Aside from the cheesy storyline, there's something else that doesn't work for this movie. That thing is the fact that, neither Mary nor Martha would have cared a minute for the millions of kids dying in Africa from Malaria had it not been for the death of their own. This means, i presume, that for the white community to care for third world countries something tragic must happen to one of their own first. Would Mary have fought so hard for the senator's attention if that mosquito had never bit George? Surely not, but I'm certain she was already aware of malaria's evil deeds on the African Continent. But the film is of humanitarian aspirations so..it doesn't matter really.This movie, however, does stay true & genuine to its cause and Hilary Swank does a great job in her acting; her eyes are wet with lingering tears throughout the movie and her performance is quite believable. Brenda Blethyn (Martha)'s performance is average "Mom behavior" that any mother would have enough inspiration to deliver. The whole idea of "Mary and Martha" is great but it just doesn't have that spark you know, it does get really sad at times but it just lacks that warm atmosphere that you find in movies like Schindler's List, Pursuit of Happiness or Savior.In conclusion, this is the kind of movie that will gain praise from moms all over the world because let's be honest, what is worse than losing your child? More so if you're partly responsible?It hasn't worked for me, alas, but...what the hell, my mother loved it.

ljsd First...NO WESTERNER would EVER leave their respective countries to travel to anywhere in Africa without Malaria medication in the 21st century--especially a child. The scenario that the writer and director presented was false. Plus, one does not get the symptoms of Malaria two days after they have been bit by a mosquito. Second...why do we need to showcase two white people who lives have been turned upside down because of malaria to make people realize that the African people are neglected? Why couldn't the story be a black teacher who may be a "professional" makes very little money that he even can't pay for medical care for his wife who has malaria? This would be more meaningful and more true. When I was in Africa, I met a teacher who could not come to work because his wife was sick with Malaria. Hence...he could not come in to teach because he needed to take care of his sick wife and could not earn his salary because he had to be home. Regardless of how ridiculous I thought the premise of the story is, African people need help. They are so impoverished and have very little to be able to take care of their families. We send aid over to many African countries and the money is sucked up by corrupt politicians and top business leaders, leaving next to nothing for the people. If the African people receive 1 percent of the money we give the government for programs, I would say they would be lucky.

Paddy-49 Richard Curtis has a great track record of writing amusing, often hilarious films which all have some sort of hidden message. "Four Weddings and a Funeral" was ultimately about the value of tolerance. "Notting Hill" about how deep down, however famous we might be, we are ultimately human and vulnerable. "Love Actually" was about the power and risks and torments and delights of love. Curtis's lightness of touch has always belied an inner seriousness."Mary and Martha" is a much more serious film (albeit with some lighter moments) about two women brought together by tragedy - the losses of their sons to Malaria. They are utterly different. They differ by age, nationality, background, lifestyle - everything. And yet they find a common cause in their campaign to get more funding from the West, specifically the US, to fight the scourge of malaria in Africa.There is an element of documentary about the film - it certainly aims to inform us about the disease the assumption being (rightly in my case) that we are unaware (A) How much of a problem it is and (B)That something CAN be done about it.But notwithstanding the educational element of the movie the story line is strong and believable. We see the waste of two young western lives contrasted with the waste on a massive scale as thousands of children fall to Malaria every day. And all for the want of a net to put over their beds and drugs to treat them.Mary and Martha prick the consciences of American legislators by delivering a powerful and emotional message to a Congressional committee. The story is empowering because it says if we have the determination to succeed then minds really can be changed if the cause is just.

ianlouisiana Mr Richard Curtis is a very nice man.I say that in the full knowledge that I have never met him although I saw him one evening last year in a restaurant in Walberswick with his daughter looking like someone who desperately does not want to be recognised. He has written "Mary and Martha" for "Red Nose Day",which he instigated many years ago and which has made millions for Good Causes all round the world. It concerns malaria which apparently kills half a million children every year,an appalling statistic. Equally appalling is the alleged indifference of the so - called Developed World until two nice middle class white children are killed,and slowly,ever - so - slowly,it sits up and takes notice of this unacceptable state of affairs.That is the gist of Mr Curtis's film. It features Miss B.Blethyn - one of the least "actressy" of English actresses and Miss H.Swank,the sort of woman you would like beside you in a foxhole facing The Hun(no offence). Both have lost their sons to malaria - one of the more easily (and cheaply) preventable of the many diseases that curse Africa. These two formidable women team up and present evidence to a Senate Appropriations Committee in order to draw more attention to the plight of hundreds of thousands of African children. That - in essence - is "Mary and Martha".An achingly sincere portrait of loss and the need to make some sense out of the apparently senseless. That it fails to tell the whole story makes it even more tragic. Aid from the West is often looked upon(not by those who need it,mind you)as a continuation of Colonialism by other means and opposed on Political Grounds. Several people I know who have been to Africa working for N.G.O.s have found themselves marginalised and actually obstructed by officials with their own agenda. I fear it is not quite the "Rainbow Nation" Mr Mandela visualised and Mr Curtis has presented. Having said that,"Mary and Martha" is a considerable achievement that he should be proud of and if I ever bump into him in Walberswick again I hope he won't mind if I tell him so.