A Mother's Prayer (1995 TV Movie) User Reviews

A Touching, Sincere, Heartfelt, In-Depth and Emotional Film

[Owen L. · 13 March 2000]

"A Mother's Prayer" is the touching story of single mother Rosemary Holmstrom who has just been diagnosed with AIDS and is seeking to find suitable parents for her son TJ before she dies. The movie is extremely in-depth and examines her courageous determination to find a loving and caring home for her son and also examines the mother-son relationship as she struggles with AIDS and he has to adjust to the fact that he will have to live with new foster parents and lose his mother forever.

The movie is an extremely sad and moving story and it had me almost reduced to tears by the time it had ended. But it accurately and poignantly conveyed the feelings and emotions expressed by both mother and son as they undergo this traumatic ideal. And it does have a great amount of humour in it as well. It also examines a lot of issues-single parenthood, AIDs, foster parents-in an accurate but extremely sensitive way.

I liked everything about this movie. Linda Hamilton does an excellent job of portraying Rosemary Holmstrom and therefore continues her high standard of acting. Noah Fleiss ranks alongside Hayley Osment in his maturity and ability to act at such a young age and convey so much emotion. All the other actors and actresses-RuPaul and Kate Nelligan to name a few-also do an outstanding job and help to give the movie a strong sense of credibility.

A wonderfully done, touching, inspiring and ultimately excellent film. I would recommend this film to anyone and it must rank as one of my favourite films.

Rank: 10/10

Oscar worthy TV-movie!

[Treg1980 · 10/10 · 12 May 2005]

This is a great movie. Next to Linda's Terminator performances and her role in TV's Beauty and the Beast, this is her best performance to date. Which is a big thing to say, given the fact that Linda, in my opinion, is one of the best and most underestimated actresses Hollywood has ever had. She plays Rosemary with all she has to offer. You really feel what she feels. I also love the fact that she cut her (then) beautiful long hair short, and choose not to wear a wig. She really wanted to BE Rosemary Holmstrom. But all the other actors are great in this movie, especially Noah Fleiss, Kate Nelligan and RuPaul. Lately I hear someone say that when they watch certain actors/actresses, they always have the feeling they're watching the most famous character they've played. I never have that feeling when I watch Linda Hamilton. I never feel like I'm watching Sarah Conner or Catherine Chandler, or Linda Hamilton herself. Give Linda and this movie a chance!!!

Noah Fleiss, a star is born.

[km004a5534 · 10/10 · 22 November 2002]

Much of what I have to say has already been said by others. So my contribution will be brief. This is one of the most sincere and touching films that I have ever seen. If you are easily moved to tears, have a whole packet of tissues handy.

Though we may not be aware of the fact, there are women all over the world dying of Aids. Often they leave orphaned children behind. They and their children are frequently the innocent victims of a husband's selfish behaviour. Rosemary Holmstrom (Linda Hamilton) finds herself faced with just such a predicament completely out of the blue. She is a widow with no suitable relatives to look after her precious only child, T.J.(Noah Fleiss) after her inevitable premature death. So she sets about finding suitable parents to adopt him. The whole process tears her heart out, and it will do the same to you.

Linda Hamilton is convincing as the stricken mother and there are sensitive contributions from S. Epatha Merkerson and RuPaul, amongst others. But Noah Fleiss, as T.J., steals the show, not for the first time or for the last. He plays a child in a state of shock; confused, angry, deeply hurt, uncertain of his future, but still, witty, funny and above all loving. Simply terrific in only his third film. In one scene, in the middle of the film, T.J. is asked when he feels the hurt. There is a pregnant pause before T.J., staring wide-eyed straight into the camera replies, "All the time." I knew instantly that I had seen this before. In "The Sixth Sense" Haley Joel Osment is asked when he sees dead people. He pauses, opens his eyes wide, looks straight at the camera and replies, "All the time." Ironically that little poignant scene, possibly cribbed straight out this movie, helped Osment pip Fleiss (Joe The King) to the young actor award!

a mothers prayer

[parent485 · 10/10 · 10 February 2008]

last night on the night of February 9th 2008 i watched a mothers prayer for the first time,i have never been so moved by a film before and to know that these situations did occur,it opened my eyes and i cried out loud,i am a gay man and i truly loved this film even though i watched 12 years after it was made,it is truly an inspiring film not only on the mothers part but the sons as well and it truly moved me i felt so bad for the mother knowing her child had to have another family before she died,once again it was a truly excellent film.I never had a film on the other hand to affect me so much as this one.The courage of this mother who was a good person should inspire all mothers to do their best for their children.

Stereotypical Lifetime movie

[Goon-2 · 18 March 2001]

I caught about half of this one when it was playing on my TV set when I woke up one Saturday morning. I hate waking up to Lifetime TV movies, but I suppose this one wasn't quite as bad as some of them.

Linda Hamilton play Rosemary, a single mother with AIDS who must give up her son, TJ(Noah Fliess, who always pops up in movies to play some "angst-ridden," "troubled" son). Rosmeary does find a very nice couple, the Walkers, who are more than willing to adopt TJ. Rosemary also battles her AIDS, which makes her weaker with each day. Also weakening is her relationship with TJ, whom, according to saintly Mrs. Walker, is just arguing with Rosemary to make the final separation process easier. But Rosemary finds it hard to accept this. I can't really blame her, either. TJ is rather difficult. He pretends not to know Rosemary when she picks him up from school with her hair done in a perm. " You look line an old curly Sue," shouts TJ, and runs on home ahead of Rosemary, who instead of asking TJ what he's even talking about(I assumed he meant an adult version of that bratty "Curly Sue" movie character, but I don't know) , just feels said. And her emotions just continue to get the worst of her, after TJ gets angry at her on Mother's Day because Rosemary had done some story for the _New York Daily News_ about them and makes her give the Mother's Day card he bought for her BACK! The brat.

I am to assume that Rosemary and TJ get things all worked out in the end, before Rosemary, well... but sadly I was not able to finish this film, because somebody in my family turned the channel. I wasn't exactly in tears, but I suppose I might watch it again, since it had some moments.