Mary Reilly . Tucson Weekly . 03-07-96

Mary Reilly

DIRECTED BY: Stephen Frears

REVIEWED: 03-07-96

The tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde told from the point of view of Jekyll's house maid, Mary Reilly (played by Julia Roberts). The film is essentially a character study of Reilly, and the question is Why? Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a strange, intelligent story that has a point. The story of Mary Reilly (based on the novel by Valerie Martin) is slow, predictable and empty. Half of the movie is taken up by shots of Julia Roberts walking around in the fog, or wandering around the stunning sets by Academy Award-winning production designer Stuart Craig. The sets are pretty, Roberts plays the pretty victim to perfection, and even John Malkovich is kind of good-looking, but the question remains--what's the point?

--Stacey Richter

Other Films by Stephen Frears
The Hi-Lo Country
The Van

Film Vault Suggested Links
Apt Pupil
The Kingdom
The Butcher Boy

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