Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992)

I'm glad this was out on DVD

This is one of my favorite movies on the subject of Co-dependency. It's interesting to see Jim Carry (Tim) before he became famous. I strongly recommend this DVD especially for people dealing with coming out in a family that is very co-dependent. I had copied it off the FOX station with my VHS but now that VHS is no longer the prefered media I was hoping to find it on DVD so I can keep it forever.
March 3, 2008

Excellent relationships drama

Excellent drama about family relationships, expectations and, ultimately, revelations. Acting is above average for all players and it is interesting to see Jim Carey in an early, serious role. An excellent, and much under-promoted film. October 22, 2007

Changed My Life.

In 1992 when this movie was released, I was only 15 years old, and was living very much a secret life in The Country Club world of Broken Arrow, Okla. When the TV spots for this add hit FOX, I knew I had to see it. As I watched in my room, I remembered feeling the same way William McNamara's character felt. I was scared, yet somehow empowered. I reccomend this film to anyone who has ever lived a secret. Doing Time on Maple Drive will forever be one of my FAVORITE films. BUY IT! April 12, 2007

Surprisingly heartfelt family drama

This film probably would not get 5 stars from me if it was released in the theatre, but for a made for tv movie, from 15 years ago, Doing Time on Maple Drive is hard to beat. The story is intense, realistic, and relevant. The acting is superb. And the directing and cinematography make it much more than another churned out tv drama.

The story centers around a family, that through the mother's and father's influence, seeks to display itself as perfect all the time. As the film begins with the youngest brother coming home with his new bride-to-be, the audience is slowly let in on the secret that maybe that's not what's really happening in this family.

Since I didn't know any of the plot when I watched it, I'd rather not reveal anything that would take away from the slow and honest way that the filmmakers chose to reveal the secrets of each character. Suffice it to say that this is a film about family honesty and pressure.

Jim Carrey is the name and face they put on this film, and because of his box office success and fanbase, how can you blame them, but he's really just a supporting character here, although he does turn in a great performance. And so does everyone else in the cast. Every scene is surprising in its honesty and emotional depth.

If you're checking this out because you're a Jim Carrey fan, like I did, then it's definitely worth it. If you just like made for tv dramas from the 90's then I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better one.

There's not many extras on the DVD. Just a tv spot that must have been reworked from the original, because it only mentions Jim Carrey as the star, and in 1992, I don't think that would have brought many people to their tv set. March 7, 2007

Truth Triumphs

"DOING TIME ON MAPLE DRIVE"

Truth Triumphs

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

Once upon a time a made for TV movie was considerd inferior than a movie you pay to see in a movie theater. Then along came "Doing Time on Maple Drive", a powerful film with a lot to say. It is the kind of movie that hits the viewer hard because it deals with real issue and real values. It looks at the syndrome of the controlling, affluent parents who have children that are afraid of disapproval. And it also has Jim Carrey in a dramatic role.
Psychiatry maintains that there are no family secrets, there are just things that are notspoken about openly and that seems to be the thesis of the film. "Doing Time" makes you sit up and think about your life, your friends, yor family and people. When it premiered in 1992, the movie packed a wallop. Today it may seem a bit contrived but it does make you aware of just how far we have come in terms of tolerance. It is an honest look at the workings of a family and it is made even more real by excellent writing and acting.
Our dysfunctional family in "Maple Drive" is busy thnkng about the upcoming wedding of one of the sons and how years of keeping up appearances has failed and with the failure almost destroys everyone involved. Strangely enough, the most functional member of the family is the alcoholic (brilliantly portrayed by Carrey). He is the only one who can say what is true and what is on his mind.
The gay subplot of the brother Matt was another major issue of the film and it was hadled respectfully and beautifully. Thinking his family was "perfect", Matt felt he had to hide his homosexuality.
What I especially liked about the film was howit managed to draw the audience in and by doing so made us members of the family.
For the gay population of America, the movie had a lot to say and by showing that truth is the optimum way to live a life and it is important for gays to be true to themselves if they want others to acceptthem. "Maple Drive" shows us how important it is to listen--to ourselves and to others.When we listen to ourselves we bring things out into the open and can then find ways to tackle any problems we may have. In the case of the gay son, if he had listened to himself and heard what others waere saying he would have realized that he was perfectly fine.
The makers of the film and the actors in it should be applauded for even tacking a movie of this nature. The honesty presented here wil not soon be forgotten.
January 14, 2007

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