Her Own Rules (1998 TV Movie) User Reviews

Good actors save a dire story

[johnbridger · 5/10 · 21 December 2008]

The portrayal of England is hysterically funny to any English viewer. The heroine appears to arrive in a bizarre parallel universe England of the 1930's wearing 1990s clothes and driving a 1990s car. One assumes that this 'quaint' view of the UK is intended to somehow appease a US audience whom the producers believe will know no better. The stereotypical stock US idea of English characters is frankly ridiculous.

In the opening scene for example. By the 1990s all English country stations were unmanned due to cost cuts and the idea of a railway employee who shuts doors without grumbling is hysterical. Then we meet the woman police officer called 'The Constable' who apparently knows all the local people - when the only ones she would know would be the criminals - and the police station she worked in would have dozens of constables.

Melissa Gilbert and her supporting cast do well with this nonsense and manage to salvage a watchable film out of a badly written screenplay and poor direction.

Good enough.

[010 · 30 July 2001]

Shame it doesn't follow the book. Lucas in the book is French and some twists in the film are attributed to the mother, while it's the daughter's history.

The film is decent enough to watch, but doesn't follow the book. So to those who have read the book as I have, don't watch it. (Or as I did, happen to see it on the TV while zapping.) You will find a lot of mix ups, discrepancies and weird twists. In the book the daughter's quest is much more like a detective story, which didn't make it on the screen unfortunately.

Time waster

[GladtobeGrey · 1/10 · 29 April 2019]

If you really have nothing better to do on a wet winter afternoon then you have an excuse to sit and waste an hour and a half on this mushy tale. Interesting if only for spotting those actors who went on to became better known for appearing in 'Father Ted' or 'Ballykissangel' for although set in England, 'Her Own Rules' was filmed in Ireland. One thing I found rather irritating was the casting of fine actress Jean Simmons in a role for which she was twenty years too old. All in all a case of the bland leading the bland. I gave it one star only for the scenery and the lovely horses.

Cheesy boring TV flick

[HotToastyRag · 2/10 · 25 July 2017]

Her Own Rules is a Lifetime TV movie about a woman who's afraid of commitment. It was made in the 90s, so there's the proverbial black friend who has no character development and is only concerned with finding her friend a love interest, and there's the slow-motion flashbacks to her childhood where everyone overacts and the lighting is weird.

Not only is it cheesy and predictable, but the big mystery of why Melissa Gilbert is so messed up because of her adoptive childhood isn't very interesting. Maybe the subject matter hit close to home for the writer, but for the audience, it's pretty boring. Not all television movies are bad, but this one is, so be sure and check your TV Guide for a more interesting flick.

Great Actors make ok story good to watch

[camiela · 7/10 · 14 November 1998]

Melissa Gilbert stars as Marygold/Meredith.A sad and lonely writer returning to her home town in England for the first time since she was about 6 or 7 years old,after being adopted and raised in America.

While there she decides to look for her mother's grave,and finds out her memories are not exactly what she thought they were,her mother is alive.

She then sets out to find her mother and some answers and finds both.

She also falls in love, of course, but has a problem with long term commitments.

Melissa Gilbert does a good job here but the best performance is turned in by Jean Simmons as Kathrine Stanton (the mother).Simmons goes through a whole range of emotions in her time on cammera,and each one is done perfectly both in her face and voice.The real crimes here are that the writing could have been better,Simmons and Gilberts characters should have found each other earlier and they should have action more action between them,and the girl that played Simmons as a young woman not only had blond hair and Simmons dark brown,but the girl also had a completely different accent!!Did they really think no one would notice?! Also they photographed Simmons in the worst possible light,and even Gilbert looked kind of weird at times around her nose.

Still the daughters quest is interesting,and Simmons alone is worth the watch....though she's not the great beauty she once was her beautiful,classy voice is still beyond compare.

The persons play well, but the scenario is a little nobody.

[lionel.willoquet · 27 July 2001]

On the scene of her childhood, in England, a businesswoman meets himself in front of mystery surrounding her adoption... This history rests more on the personality of the interpreters than on the constructed scenario.