"Mary and Rhoda" TV Movie
MTMshow.com Visitor Comments
Well, folks, it seems like the impressions of the TV movie fell into two, naturally distinct categories:
love or hatred. The comments below were submitted just after the movie aired in February, 2000, but
if you'd like to comment on the movie, please send in your comments to the webmaster
and they'll be posted here. Here's what a few of our visitors had to say:
"It was wonderful to see Mary and Rhoda together again. I thought that
both Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper slipped very easily back into
character, and the chemistry was still there! It was an excellent movie
overall."
"I was so looking forward to this reunion. The story line stunk!
BUT.....it was fantastic to see these two together again!!!! What they could do
with a good script and a different slant on their "new" ages.I hated the one
liners about how old they were, instead of being the same people, only 20 years
older. The writers made them sound washed up, when I saw them as single women
again on their own but without the "job" of finding men to marry. The writers
could have done so much better. What a waste. I'll bet these two won't even try
to do something together again."
"I think the movie was nice because Mary and Valerie are so cute
together, but some of the scenes were too exaggerated and unbelievable. For
example, when Mary switched which tape was going to air, I don't think they
would have applauded her when she went into work the next morning."
"It would have worked better as a sitcom rather than a movie. It
would have worked better with a laughtrack. The plot was good and the acting
was wonderful. Bravo, Mary and Valerie!"
"It was great to see Mary & Rhoda together again after all these years
but I felt the transition from the sitcom format, that we are so fondly familiar
with, suffered somewhat placed into a real life drama format. Would have been
nice if Cloris Leachman and Betty White were in it as well.
Having said all that, I did enjoy the social commentary in it, the differences
between then and now. I did not like the reworked "Love Is All Around" theme at
all!
They took a nice tune and ruined it, in my opinion."
"I thought the movie was good overall. I thought Valerie Harper
recreated her character of Rhoda perfectly. She has aged into a cross between
the old Rhoda and her mother Ida. I did dislike her being divorced again to
some one named Jean Pierre. That is just not who I would picture Rhoda marrying
after Joe.
Mary's character was weaker and seemed more helpless than the Mary Richards of
the 1970's. I didn't care for that very much. This movie was Mary and Rhoda so
the supporting cast were really lost in the background, for me anyway. Overall
I would say it was a good attempt, not perfect but far better than other
attempts I have seen to bring back classic characters from a classic sitcom."
"I thought the acting was superb, however I found the plot a little slow
at times. It seemed that Rhoda (Valerie Harper) did not get as much air time as
Mary Tyler Moore. All-in-all, I thought it was nice to see Mary & Rhoda
together again! What was neat, was that the movie ended in a way that Mary &
Rhoda could become a weekly series, although I read somewhere that Mary declined
to do the series. Oh, well!"
"I was so expecting to see previous actors or maybe even the mentioning
of those actors in the MTM show. I wish it would have brought back alot of the
memories back. It wouldve been nice if maybe she went back to the WJM news
station. They should've had a scene where both Mary and Rhoda just reminisce
together (and at the same time show some clips of the MTM show)."
"It was too much of today, which means it had none of the innocence of
yesterday. But it did have its rare moments. It was amazing how Rhoda looked
very much as she did back then."
"Mary and Rhoda were fabulous, but the writing was on the poor side."
"The best thing about the movie was seeing Mary and Rhoda together
again. That was why I wanted to see the movie in the first place. But beyond
that, I was surprised at the movie's substance, particularly with regard to
each woman's relationship with her daughter (in each case, not exactly what I
would have expected) as well as the story of Mary and Rhoda as older women who
are essentially starting all over again. I found much of the treatment of this
issue to be pretty sensitive and realistic. I would love to see a series come
out of this movie. There's a lot of potential for character development. "
"Of course, great to see Mary and Rhoda together. I approached the
movie in a way that i would not be disappointed. Clearly, it was not going to
be the Mary Tyler Moore Show sitcom i loved in 70;s. It is a movie based on
these two characters. With that in mind, I enjoyed movie in that it gave some
closure to the question: what happened to Mary after WJM. I always invisioned
she moved to New York and continued in news. I am glad to see she did do that
and that she married and had a child. Same for Rhoda.
Only complaint about movie was that I did not feel Mary Tyler Moore was playing
same Mary Richards. Seemed like more of Moore than Richards. Also, hated that
no mention was made of her friends from WJM days. When she said she was lonely,
I wondered, where is Murray, Lou, Phyllis.
I liked that the movie portrayed a woman in her 60s still wanting to work and
being given the opportunity. Like in the 70s when Mary and Rhoda represented
single women working instead of being housewife and mothers, they represented
more mature women still in the job market. So they were a great role model to
todays women and men, for that matter.
I loved the opening sequence with the old tv theme song and then quickly moving
to the 90s version.
Overall, enjoyed the movie and she and Valerie still have great chemistry
together. Not so sure that anymore reunions need to be done. Too hard to try
and update a classic TV show like MTM."
"I really thought the movie was great! Of course, I'm am huge MTM
fan, so
that could be a huge reason why I liked it as I did.
I didn't see much of a plot, except for some cliches I'd been expecting. The
acting, on the other hand, was woderful. It's too bad the writing wasn't any
better. There really is no comparison to the original MTMS, but I realize that
is
impossible."
"I give the movie one point for the scene in the street with the cab,
where Mary and Rhoda rediscover each other; and another point for Rhoda's one
Rhoda-esque line: "I went back to my first love... but you can only eat for so
long." Otherwise the movie was appallingly bad. No mention of a single other
character from either series (though there seemed to be any number of
opportunities for Lou Grant's name to come up); plus a "moral" that seemed
totally at odds with the original MTMS. I'm referring to Mary's monologue about
giving up her career to raise her daughter, a noble parental notion, but one
that violates the accomplishments of the original series. Add to that an
unfunny script and scenes so contrived that they were embarrassing and you have
an utter failure. The film's nadir came in the bar scene when the patrons were
"moved" by the TV news spot that Mary had edited."
"I can not believe how horrible the writing was for "Mary and Rhoda".
Mary and Rhoda are probably the two most loved TV characters ever. The original
show was funny and always made you feel better because you watched it. All the
characters on the '70s show were lovable. They were not all likable, but
certainly lovable.
On the TV movie, only Mary and Rhoda were lovable or likable. Their daughters
were
spoiled bitches and everyone at the TV station was sickening as well. The movie
did not make me feel better because I watched it.
I still would like to see Mary and Rhoda made into a TV series. First, the
writers need to be fired and start all over with new ones. Second, make the
daughters more like their mothers and create a supporting cast worthy of being
on the same stage with Mary
Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper!"
"I thought the plot and the acting were excellent! Too bad none of the
other cast dropped in on them!"
"While it was great to see these two characters (and actresses) back
together again, the writers for this movie needed to sit down and watch a
Mary-thon on Nick-at-Night. No mention of the gang back in Minnesota? No
mention of Rhoda's sister, Brenda? And could that scene in the bar have been
any more tepid? I was rooting for Mary to get the right story (b/c I just hate
the news media), but everything about where she worked was so... fake. And
annoying. But, I do have to say that the scenes with Mary & Valerie were
priceless - just like watching the old show again. If they do decide to do
another movie, or series, I'd watch it, but mostly for the gals. Just get
different writers to work on the script, eh?"
"One of the best things about "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was the theme
song by Sonny Curtis, over time it has become an anthem for women everywhere.
The version used in the show was atrocious. It sounded like a bunch of
chipmunks on speed. Simply awful. If they do a series please bring back the
version by Sonny Curtis and the Crickets."
"I felt the movie was very well done and a great joy to watch. It felt a
little to much like a pilot of a new series. I was on the verge of tears when
they saw each other for the first time in the film. This was a very moving scene
to anyone who is a fan of the show.
Even though I enjoyed the movie I still think it should not have been made. I
had imagined in my own mind what had apponed to the gang from MTM and I think I
was happier with my version. Sometimes it is best to just leave things as they
are!!"
"Mary and Rhoda was entertaining and enjoyable. The characters
transitioned well into present time, and I liked the fact that it didnt rely on
"nostalgic looks back" but looking at two people at a new point in time. I
didnt think Mary was in full character, but Valerie was indeed Rhoda. Mary's
acting seemed frail, whereas Valerie was nailing the character as she did so
long ago. I only had contempt for one scene in the movie - the news viewing bar
sequence. It was a little overboard, and didnt play well into the movie. Other
than that, I would seriously consider tuning in from week to week if we were
lucky to have these characters back again."
"I so much wanted to love the reunion. I was really dissappointed for a
variety of reasons. I needed a much more acceptable reason for Mary and Rhoda
to lose contact, for starters. I just didn't buy it. And, although it is
consistent with Mary's character to "run" when things get really serious, I can't believe she would bail on her daughter for the months
immediately following the girl's father passing away. The very forced irony of
Mary's daughter being a "rebel" and Rhoda's daughter being more of a good girl
was annoying. Mary should have NEVER tried to pull off the cutsie/quirky
behavior that she was the queen of in the early years. I wanted her to provide
for us what she did years ago, which was a woman that embraced her independence
and singlehood, in a world that frowns apon it. I wanted Mary to age with grace
and continue to be a role model for women. As the wife of a politician I would
think she would have been exposed to motion detector sliding
glass doors. Her reaction to those doors was so bad. I feel like a big jerk
for ragging on the show. But, I am a huge fan and was SO bummed out about it.
WHO wrote the script, anyway?"
"Seeing Mary and Rhoda together again was the best! My favorite scene is
where Mary and Rhoda see each other again for the first time after being apart
for so many years! (And when they hugged....OH!!) The movie has a different feel
to it without the live studio audience, but I like it that way...it was more
realistic. I also enjoyed the daughters and loved the scene where Rhoda is
introducing Mary to her daughter when she said, "Mare, Mer!" and she put her
hands over her mouth to contain her excitement. Loved that! But, what I've
always loved THE MOST in the MTM show as well as in the movie is when Rhoda
calls Mary "Kid". It's so endearing, and no one else could say it like Rhoda!"
"I saw the movie and I really enjoyed it. I can only give it a 9
because nothing will ever compare to the perfection of the original shows.
However, I thought the movie did a great job of updating us on the lives of our
two favorite best friends."
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