'The Memory Keeper's Daughter' - Sat. on Lifetime

As I was looking over the TV listings, I noticed that "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," a made-for-TV adaptation of Kim Edwards' novel by the same name, will be on Lifetime this Saturday at 9 p.m. The movie stars Dermot Mulroney as Dr. David Henry and Gretchen Nol as Norah.

I reviewed The Memory Keeper's Daughter last year on my blog, so I won't reiterate the plot here. While the novel was sometimes poignant, I commented that "the slow-paced narrative, while thought-provoking, regularly rehashes the same material; I felt as if I was watching an endless film loop replay itself in my mind."

That doesn't bode well for a made-for-TV movie; in fact, the movie review I read noted:

"When a book is so powerful and the characters are so vivid, it can be a letdown to see the book become a movie, as is sometimes the case with the Lifetime version of The Memory Keeper's Daughter."

Apparently, the movie has a "ridiculously pat ending" (as does the book, in my opinion). The highlight of the movie, according to the reviewer, was the fact that actors who have Down syndrome play Phoebe, the infant girl who is sent to live in an orphan asylum when her doctor father discovers "she's a Mongoloid."

So, if you're feeling the need to veg in front of the tube Saturday evening and you don't set your expectations too high, you might consider checking out this movie. As for me, I'm gonna pass. But if you watch it, be sure to write in and tell us what you thought of it.

Source for movie review:
Zap2it, by Jacqueline Cutler
Book Review: The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Comments

[michelle]

will lifetime be airing the memory keepers daughter again i have been wanting to watch it and i didn't get to on Saturday do to my work. so if it will be aired again PLEASE let me know everyone is talking about how good it was and figures i would have to miss it. thank you very much michelle