Profoundly Normal (2003)

The Age of Commercialism

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

This movie is excellent. I too have a developmental disability, a very mild one. I'm a very high-functioning autistic college student. This movie sends out the correct message about labels. To put it in my own words labels are nothing but meaningless pieces of crap that should never be relied upon. Each case is different.The point is also made here that people with these and other kinds of disabilities can make and find their way in life. Richardo and Donna getting married and having a child is absolutely no different from other people doing the same things. All this nonsense about them having to ask is just that. They are not children, no one else has to ask.Yes there are some people who can't live on their own but not all. Margaret just could not. She was just not capable of it. There is nothing wrong with that.

At the age of eight Donna Selby (Bouffard) was sent to live at Forest Haven a home for the mentally challenged a place with children of different levels. There she meets fellow resident Ricardo Thornton (Wilson) they form an amazing bond of friendship, years later when Forest Haven is closed down Donna (Alley) & Ricardo (Lindo) find themselves faced with difficult challenges . Tasks such as cooking, cleaning, shopping , working and living on their own is tough but they manage to do well their friendship turns into love soon enough Ricardo asks Donna to marry him. They face social services who don't think that retarded people should get married their social worker Charlotte (Dunsmore) helps them out and eventually Donna & Ricardo exchange vows and rings. If getting married was hard enough they decide to have a baby, months later their son Ricky is born now they raise their son in a world full of struggle but through it all their love keeps them together. 8/10 Stars

This was a sweet movie, based on a true story about the often forgotten mentally handicapped population. Kirstie Alley and Delroy Lindo both do an excellent job of portraying Donna and Ricardo. Each character captures your attention with the reality of their world. This movie is reminiscent of the struggles to "be normal" in the movie The Other Sister starring Juliette Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi.

As a mental health professional, I felt this was one of the most tastefully performed movies that I have ever seen involving issues related to mental illness.I must admit that I am an fan of both Alley and Lindo and wanted to see the movie based on this affection to both. I was presently surprised to see that the basis for the movie was involving mental illness.Over the past decades, mental illness and treatment has been view in such a negative way, with absolutely no humanistic qualities involved. And for the most part, that was the truth! This movie put the humanistic aspects back into focus. In fact, I saw it as a love story that rose out of darkness. So many lessons to learn.....for all of us!The acting was superb! The chemistry of Alley and Lindo was invigorating! They must have researched their characters well! I see academy award nominations for both.