When the Bough Breaks (1994)

Waste of time

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I never forgot this one after all these years, but it was hard-to-find on DVD. And just now I was quite surprised to see all the reviews, since I considered it to be a forgotten movie. And these reviews do state what I was going to point out re the unlikeliness of the institutionalized character being able to write, so OK, I'll just say that Ally Walker was absolutely ideal for the part, and that without her in it, I'd never have gone for the movie in the first place. She is very, very attractive and obviously very smart. And I do feel like a fool now because I was going to talk about the lonely lead character with the scars on her back in this darkly bleak thriller, but I'd just be parroting what the other reviewers brought forth. I'll just mention that the dog's leash was tied to the ice cream van, so when it drove off at speed, there was supposed to be another upsetting sight, but instead the dog just disappeared, a major goof! There were material here that could have spawned an entire TV series, instead there was a bit of a rush towards the finale. And I fail to make the link between child molestation, and the doctor who did hand transplants - two separate cases, right? As for the reviewer who thought Ally's character's chain-smoking was unnecessary, I disagree. It's all clearly linked to bad memories, as if she's chasing away the cold inside her, despite it being summer. By the way, the movie doesn't have the remotest summery feel to it, despite all those July references. All in all, a remarkable performance by Ally Walker, but there should have been more! And who is the woman on the poster/DVD box cover? Fortunately, the character does not look like that!

On July, 4th in Houston, a teenager finds a human hand in the sewer. Captain Swaggert (Martin Sheen) is investigating the discovery of seven hands, each one precisely severed and with a number tattooed on the palm, along many years but without any lead. The highly qualified Special Investigator Audrey Macleah (Ally Walker) is assigned to join the team and give support to the investigation. When the police department receives a call from a medical doctor in an institution, Audrey visits him and the doctor introduces the autistic boy Jordan Thomas (Tara Subkoff) to her, disclosing seven hands that the boy had drawn on the wall. Audrey dedicates her attention to Jordan and discovers that he is connected to the serial-killer."When the Bough Breaks" is a surprisingly solid thriller, with a well developed dark story and a good conclusion. Ally Walker has a great performance in the role of a professional with many specializations, but also with a trauma from her childhood. Tara Subkoff is also amazing with her double-role. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Assassinatos Macabros" ("Macabre Murders")

My God, is it possible? That boy is actually played by a girl? I can't believe it. I had no thought of that boy actually being a girl when I saw the movie. Very ODD I might say!! I just can't believe how a girl can look that boyish. I don't believe this actually. But I guess it's true. I guess you can't trust in what's a girl and what's a boy anymore. What you think is a girl can actually be a boy and vice versa!!??!! :/But I liked the movie. It was a good one. If you haven't seen it, do!! It's a must if you like these kind of movies. I liked the ending. Not that I think that someone who haven't seen the movie would read this here and now but I will however not give away the ending as I'm not sure. All I can say is that I liked it and that it was really touching. Better achievement from the actors there is very hard to find, especially from this girl who obviously plays Jordan.

When the Bough Breaks sets an all-time record for unresolved loose ends: scars on the back, birth defects, numbers on the palms, role of the full-time ice cream clown, and on and on. Of course, there are suggestions of untold stories that parallel and bisect the story. But there's enough here to feed a decade-long TV series. (Oops. There goes my chance to make a killing on the spin-offs.)There are signs of a heart beat in the characters of Audrey Macleah and Jordan/Jenny--but the pulse is weak.