Butterflies Are Free (1972)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

A Masterpiece!

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I remember watching this film in my teens (I am 41 now) and being mesmerised! Its slow-paced, no action occurs whatsoever but I had to keep watching as it was completely gripping. I watched this with my boyfriend last night and he too thought it was good! Each actor excelled in their character guise and towards the end you really grow to love, care and respect each of their individual qualities. You can really understand why it was a play as the movie plays as such. My FAVOURITE scene is toward the end where Don's heart is breaking to see Jill fake a love for the random introduction of Ralph. The camera stays with him and we see him pretend to smile, struggle to comprehend what is happening to inevitable tears - stunning!! Very underrated classic. I gave this a 10 star! My main criteria - Could it have been any better? Simple answer = NO!

I bumped into this movie, a Goldie Hawn feature that I hadn't heard of. It turned out to bit of a gem. Clearly, written for the stage rather than the big stage, it did translate into a watchable couple of hours although I still consider that the stage is probably the most suitable home for this piece. The acting was terrific. Hawn was quirky, charming, frustrating, not to mention sexy. Such a confused and immature character, yet you couldn't help but like her. You wanted to sympathise with Edward Albert as the blind neighbour and yet, he didn't want people to sympathise with him. He displayed admirable courage and yet a fragility that could break at any second despite his noble. independence. Eileen Heckart won an Oscar for the mother. She was frustrating to start with and then her love and determination to look after her son shone through and you ended up being so full of admiration for her. Lots of talking and yet you get drawn in from an early stage so that you really, genuinely care. Don't let this butterfly pass you by.

I agree with some of the other comments, it's obvious this was written as a stage play, because the film plays the same way. If you're able to get past the dated aspect of the accoutrements (it's replete with late 60s early 70s time-stamping), which you should be able to do considering how good the dialogue is, it's really a terrific piece of work. All roles are extremely well-written and well acted. Very real, in the truest sense.The dialogue is extremely witty, yet equally natural, and scarcely any filler is present. The premise itself is weighty and important. A blind man fighting for independence from his overprotective mother, whom we later learn did everything she did, including the children's stories she wrote, out of maternal love and desire to help him.The character Jill helps the mother to see that she has "overdone her job" and it's now time to let her work (her son) takes on a life of its own. She realizes this to such a degree that when Jill walks out on her son, and in an emotional moment of turmoil he relents his desire for freedom and concedes to go home with his mother, she doesn't let him. She finally really gets it.This work abounds with powerful human moments. It never feels forced, preachy, or artificial. Just powerful. It's a story wherein the three principal characters all grow and learn. What else is there in life?

I just finished watching this movie. I woke up this morning believing I saw this movie years ago, and decided to give it a chance to see if it jogged any memories. Turns out I did see it years ago but now with me being much older, it held much greater significance for me. This film was not dated at all and it would be relative to almost any period in time. The issues dealt with in the movie are the same issues that people deal with all the time, except of course for the role brilliantly played by Edward Albert in which he plays a blind man. One of the beautiful aspects of this film is that the script tries, and succeeds at eliminating the stereotypes and limitations of the handicap to instead focus on the real emotional ups and downs of the human soul. Absolutetly brilliant film.