Bonds of Love (1993)

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

The first must-see film of the year.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I met Treat while he was studying the subject of this movie. My parents worked in a group home for mentally ill and mentally retarded adults. (Preferred nomenclature for the time). This was based on one of the residents at the facility. I only watched this when I was 12 so I may be biased from the starstruck feeling I had. This was a good movie to me since I knew the story firsthand. It was a bit exaggerated but still stuck close to the story of his life. The thing I remember most was a time on our front porch. Terry chewed tobacco and Treat stated that he had never tried it. Terry handed him a can of Skoal told him how much to put in. Treat put a proper amount in his lower lip, and then almost gagged when it came time to spit. Terry had a good laugh at it and so did Treat and all of the kids hanging around.

I managed to catch this on the television the other night, this is about a man who is mentally challenged who falls in love with a twice divorced girl who is not. A few things that bothered me was the parents and brother, I know they meant well but they never gave the girl who their son fell in love with a chance because of what they heard about her reputation. I'm sure it must be a concern as she had a drink problem and had her children taken away from her but I felt they should of gotten to know her. I felt the acting was good and Treat Williams portrayal as a mentally challenged man was realistic and the rest of the actors were outstanding.

Being a huge Treat Williams fan, and a chick, I had to see this and when I watched it I was crying at the very end. So beautifully put together, and Kelly Mcgillis brings tears to your eyes as a battered woman looking for another chance at real love. Treat Williams has mastered the character of Robby, u can't help but love how sweet and unjudgemental his character is. Also, there's a fine line between insane and doing something out of love and the actor who plays Kenny portrays it perfectly. There are times that you hate him and Robby's family for what they're doing but at the same time, u understand their reasons and feel sympathy. As previously stated, this was so beautifully put together and the performances are VERY powerful. LOVED IT!

Joel Rice, who describes himself as a "social worker/producer" is credited for several interesting films that rub against problems of people having learning difficulties, and in this item made for television, reportedly based upon actual events, the theme is decidedly unusual, a romantic affair absorbing a man with such difficulties and a woman without. Robbie Smith (Treat Williams) is scorned and carelessly harassed by people in his Kansas home town but is loved by his parents with whom he lives, and by his brother. Despite his mental slowness, Robbie has been accepted as merely a local oddity, a status that is capsized when Rose Parks (Kelly McGillis), a divorcée with a sordid past meets him, their comfortable beginning friendship turning into something stronger as the censure of those about them serves to refill their shared desire to be together. The relationship between evidently mismatched lovers is not effectively developed, little but melodrama filling the scenario, a notable scripting weakness being Robbie's plainly non-discriminatory feelings of affection to others while simultaneously being romantically obsessed with Rose, but a strong element of the film is its emphasis upon the struggles of those involved in their dealings with a non-compassionate officialdom. There are no true villains in this piece shot in Ontario with acts of reconcilement amid the principals lacking conviction, as does Williams in general although he works very hard at creating his part, with McGillis earning acting honours for her full-blooded performance as a woman seeking another chance, while other capable turns in an intriguingly cast production come from Steve Railsback as Robbie's protective older brother, Gordon Pinsent playing Rose's father, and Colin Fox as a judgemental doctor who instigates the primary set of problems for the lovelorn pair.