Our Mother's Murder (1997)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Expected more

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

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I thought this was a well done movie for a made for TV movie. I think the cast all did a good job.James Wilder as the diabolical boyfriend/husband Scott gives me the creeps. Roxanne Hart as the heiress made me feel so sorry for her character. There are times when she talks and is crying and her voice quivers and it is so believable. How any woman puts up with such abuse is so hard to understand. The daughters were a good contrast to each other - Holly Marie Combs as the strong sister Alex and Sarah Chalke as the lush, weak sister prone to her mother's poor choice in men.The way that man shamed and humiliated that woman was unbelievable. Its hard to believe her daughters couldn't have done more to intervene. Hopefully, domestic abuse laws in NY have changed to have more automatic, severe penalties for abusers. The thing that I don't get is that the movie states several times that court favors attempted reconciliation. Why in the world - in the 1990's- would the court encourage a woman to go back to her abuser. This wasn't the 1950's, when abuse was swept under the rug, and people turned a blind eye.I think this movie reveals an important truth - that violence is an equal-opportunity evil; it inflicts the wealthy as well as the poor. People tend to think violence is an inner-city or working-class problem, but it doesn't discriminate. While they may not make up the majority, wealthy killers aren't hard to find in prison. In the graveyard, wealthy victims are even easier to find.

This film is excellent. Roxanne Hart does an excellent job portraying Ms. Scripps, who was actually murdered by her husband in the mid 90's.Holly Marie Combs and Sarah Chalke portray Alex and Annie Morrel, Anne's daughters. The Scripps family-(Just think of publishing, NY and their estate in Bronxville, NY) is an old money establishment, and James Wilder portrays Scott Douglas, Anne's new suitor, who eventually marries the unsuspecting Scripps.Apparently, she did not realize the extent of his capacity for abuse and violence. Perhaps it started as verbal abuse. Douglas seems to resent Anne's life of privilege, though she is a loving mother and wife. He embarrasses her in front of friends, degrades her, and spends his days drinking, while living in her mansion.The performances in this film are very good, particularly Roxanne Hart, who is simply a wealthy,lonely woman, marries a younger man, and becomes the victim. She is sympathetic yet believable. Holly Marie Combs is also excellent, as the daughter who fights back, and sees the predicament her mother is in.This is a decent film which realistically portrays the covert world of spousal abuse. Watch it and you will be interested in learning the true story.

"My Mother's Murder" is a video documentary made by Charles Stuart, whose 74 year-old mother, Emily "Cissy" Stuart, was murdered in 1989. It remains the only homicide case unsolved by the Princeton, NJ police department. The film, shot in a "what-I-did-for-my-summer-vacation" style, is as honest and balanced a portrait of human anguish as ever made. Somehow, miraculously, Stuart is able to walk the tightrope between the subjective and the objective... revealing his own feelings and questions amid a series of events that he captures, flawlessly, through the crystal eye of his camera. The film is further proof (along with "Living Dolls," "A Long Night's Journey into Day," "Southern Comfort," "Small Town Ecstasy," "Blue Vinyl," "Lalee's Kin," etc.) that HBO is at the forefront of documentary production. I can't recommend it enough. As a diehard Errol Morris and Joe Berlinger fan, I was pleased to see that it's still possible for an "average" person with an important story to see it aired on national TV.

This was a depressing movie, because this was based on a true crime incident. It was depressing for the daughter's plea for their mother to leave the abusive husband, were ignored. The title to this movie said it all. Overall I liked this movie.