Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992 TV Movie) User Reviews

dueling dysfunctionals in an exceptional film

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 24 February 2002]

Wow. A made for TV movie that could have been a feature - what a switch! Usually you pay ten bucks for something that would have played better on TV.

"Doin' Time on Maple Drive" is a powerful film, more or less based on the syndrome of the controlling, affluent parents/children afraid of their disapproval, trying to please them and not measuring up. So it will hit home with lots of people. In fact, probably with most people.

The film is of special interest because of a supporting dramatic role by none other than Jim Carrey. He and the whole cast are excellent and ring true.

A therapist once told me, "There are no secrets in families." This movie points that up magnificently.

Doin' Time on Maple Drive is irresistible - when it's on TV, even if you've seen it, you won't be able to resist watching it again.

No Sweet Sugar on Doing Time on Maple Drive ***1/2

[edwagreen · 8/10 · 18 March 2009]

Who knew or remembered that Jim Carrey could be dramatic? He offers a genuine deep performance as a troubled youth, bright, but a high school drop-out who is unbearably harassed by his holier than thou parents, especially a father who is a perfectionist in every sense of the word.

Ironically, the Carrey character soon takes a back seat to a brother, a closet homosexual, who breaks off with his fiancé, and a married sister, ready to abort her pregnancy because the father always believes in being financially prepared before starting a family.

James Sikking and Bibi Besch are first rate as the parents out of the 1940s and 1950s who are living the 1990s as if that period never existed.

This is a very well done film worth watching.

Meet the Carters

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 17 April 2014]

The Carters live on Maple Drive in unnamed New England town and they look like they're getting ready for a red letter day. Their youngest William McNamara is about to tie the knot with Lori Loughlin. But all of their kids feel just like they're Doing Time On Maple Drive.

The parents are James Sikking and Bibi Besch and its another case of what seems like an ideal family isn't all that ideal. Sikking is a restaurant owner of what looks like a posh establishment, he's always seeming so uptight. As for Besch, she drinks on the sly, but always is concerned with appearances whatever the situation.

Oldest is son Jim Carrey who does absolutely no funny shtick here, but gives a fine performance as a kid who is not drinking discreetly. We never really find out any specifics in his case, but given his parents we can fill in the blanks.

McNamara finally comes out as gay and just can't marry Loughlin. Besch is upset because this all so embarrassing to her. After that daughter Jaynie Brook lets loose with some secrets of her own that shock her husband David Byron who is just observing his in-laws with a cool appraising, but not approving eye.

Doing Time On Maple Drive got a few Emmy nominations including a truly deserved one for Bibi Besch. And in William McNamra you see a fine portrayal of gay kid ready to ruin his own life to satisfy what society thinks he ought to be.

A must for gay audiences.

Thought provoking drama.

[Olhado · 22 March 1999]

Firstly I should say that this film shows how well Jim Carrey can act when he's not in "manic" mode. He has only recently come close in "The Truman Show".

I went literally around the world before I found this film on video, having searched for five years. I am so glad that I succeeded.

For once in a movie I actually felt sorry for the people that I was meant to feel sorry for, quite a directorial achievement. Carrey's "best man" speech led everyone down the wrong track, expecting a self pitying outcome, only to be twisted into a noble speech right at the end.

This is one film that is well worth the effort of tracking it down.

This was made for TV? Hey Hollywood, take notes!

[hughman55 · 10/10 · 17 December 2011]

I first saw this movie before IMDb existed and so my opinion of its genius was kept to myself. Until now. This is not a typical "made for TV" production. This "film" is amazing in every respect. You have to start with the script by James Duff. He manages to outline, fill in, expand, and perfectly pace, this drama, and, flow out of, and into, commercial breaks!!! All films succeeds or fails starting with its script. This script is as close to perfect as you can get.

In the skillful hands of director Ken Olin, the actors are guided along the craggy cliffs of the "perfect" American family. The performances are outstanding and the staging is well crafted to convey greater meaning than what you are seeing on the surface. One metaphor I loved was the Mother, played brilliantly by Bibi Besch, standing at the sink cutting vegetables, carefully, and perfectly. It is the visual embodiment of her belief that if she serves her family perfect food, they will be perfect as a result. The problem is, however, one son is an alcoholic, one daughter is on the verge of doing something very destructive to her marriage and herself, and the youngest son, who is about to marry the perfect girl at the perfect wedding, is not who he seems to be. And the authoritarian father, played by James Sikking, presides over this little kingdom as a benevolent dictator. He is feared, and loved, equally.

Cracks emerge early in the film. The first is the noticeable heavy drinking of the brother played by Jim Carrey. He is sad and sympathetic and cripplingly vulnerable. This is the rubbery-comedian Jim Carrey making a statement, early in his career, that he can act. (We all know how this turned out.) At the time, however, it was like, "he can act???" Matthew McNamera plays the son with a secret and though he does a good job he is much overshadowed by the stronger performances around him by James Sikking, Bebe Besch, and Jim Carrey. James Sikking gives a complex, nuanced, and NATURAL, performance. I don't know if he got all the best lines in the script, or just delivered them more celestially than all the other great performers around him, but his stern, then sobered, "father figure" will stay with me for a long time.

Finally, there are two unsung geniuses in this little piece of art. The cinematographer, Bing Sokolsky, and the editor, Elba Sanchez-Short. Sokolsky's visual angles and tracking, IN A TV MOVIE, are meticulously choreographed. One shot floats into, or out of, another, lending a seamless feel to the story that says, we're all connected, even when we don't know each other is there. Sanchez-Short's editing, far from just being the academic punctuation marks of a story, cuts, contrasts, compares, and layers this story together in perfect harmony with the dialog and action. There aren't enough good words to put together to credit these highly talented invisible cast members.

The end result of the great script, directing, acting, cinematography, and editing, is a film about a family at the brink of its breaking point. After one son began drinking himself to death, and the daughter married outside the families acceptable faith parameters, the parents have placed all their hopes and dreams on the youngest, the second son, the one who is going to marry the perfect girl, and carry the torch that Mom and Dad will hand off to him. But the wedding falls apart because he is in love with someone else. And that someone is, another man... oops. What follows is a difficult, thought provoking, process of grudging acceptance by some,and grudging intractability by others. As the family begins to unravel we, as an audience, begin to see that the unraveling is just what it needed for it's survival.

The intensity and drama of this story is effectively delivered by everyone whose fingerprints are on it. It is a wild ride, an intense ride, a little bit sad, but not at all hopeless. James Sikking deserves some kind of award for playing a very unlike able father who, while you don't come away endeared to him, you do come away understanding him; and not hating him for who, or what, he is. And that is, after all, the point of the film. I like this film very much and would recommend it to anyone who likes gay themed films; or just really likes well made, well acted, films. You just can't go wrong here. I would like to give it an eleven, but IMDb only allows for up to a 10.

Sensitive handling of delicate issues in dysfunctional family...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 9 January 2007]

JAMES B. SIKKING is the father who loves his youngest son (WILLIAM McNAMARA) but despises his oldest (JIM CARREY) because he has drinking problems; mother (BIBI BESCH) is the perfect mother who doesn't want to know about other people's imperfections; and the preppie son from Yale comes home with a girl he says will become his bride, until she finds out that he's hiding his past as a gay man with a three-year relationship to overcome.

That's the material at the heart of this well acted, intelligently written and played TV drama that might be called the poor man's "Ordinary People".

Carrey was not particularly well known at this point in his career and gives a sensitive performance as the conflicted older brother who rather resents his father's fondness for the youngest son. McNamara has the pivotal central role, unable to face the reality of his situation as a gay man in a family of conventional attitudes, who has to confront his parents with the truth once the wedding plans have to be canceled. He's a handsome and appealing young actor.

Way above average treatment of serious themes, extremely moving performances from the entire cast with very convincing showdown moments when the conflicts come out in the open. Ken Olin's direction is tight and forceful and makes us feel sympathy for MacNamara's plight.

Trivia note: Nominated for three Emmys, including Besch for Best Supporting Actress.

Jim Carrey At His Best

[lgammaray2 · 10/10 · 27 December 2002]

One of the most incredibly honest family dramas I've ever seen. Exceptional writing and acting. Jim Carrey's (pre-fame) dramatic acting is his best to-date, in my opinion. This little film is underrated and should be aired more frequently, and at least released on video/dvd.

An achievement of great acting and family tensions

[claybo76 · 7/10 · 3 May 1999]

I know everyone is raving over Jim Carrey's performance as a serious actor in this TV movie, but you can't let that be the sole highlight of this film. There isn't a single bad scene or a sign of pitiful acting. This movie tugs at your heartstrings and makes you feel for each character. Of course, the pressure of Matt to be the perfect son is the catalyst to blowing the lid of a family in pieces.

A father disappointed in his oldest son and his daughter's choice of husband. A mother hiding behind the accolades and awards of her children to create her own illusion of the perfect family. A son so morbidly depressed by being bullied by his father, and overlooked in favour of his younger brother, that he drinks himself into bliss every night. A daughter too scared to have a child at this point in her career, for fear of her parents' reaction. A "perfect" son who turns out not to be so perfect, and the struggle within to tell the truth.

It is worth watching to see the scene where the truth comes out, and the effect it has on this family.

A wonderful film, with excellent acting and a touching story. It will make you grateful for the family you have.

Excellent!

[surrey · 10/10 · 28 December 1999]

This is probably the best TV movie ever. It really made you sit up and think about your family, friends, people in general. I wish with all my heart Jim Carrey would see this movie again and do some more dramatic work. His performance in this was outstanding.

brings back the memories

[shawshank86 · 7/10 · 11 February 2007]

this is a film about raising children, and one of the few films that goes beyond the average bitchy teenage drama. i don't know what the households are like around the rest of the world, but i grew up in rural ohio and this movie really hits close to home. i would highly recommend it to anybody that wants to be a parent or is a parent because you will see what some common mistakes are in parenthood. probably the best part of the writing is that there is never a distinct solution. that sort of thing genuinely pisses me off because solutions need to be found on our own terms, not shoved down our throats.

ps~not a standard jim carrey role. he's good, but he's not funny.

Did I watch something different?

[Buzz Vinard · 2/10 · 9 January 2003]

I grew up gay in a straight-laced family, so when I saw this film advertised, I decided that I would have to watch it. As it happens, there was a lot more than a gay son involved in the plot. Not only was EVERYONE in the story messed up, but cliches abounded, and the over-acting put Charleton Heston and Rod Steiger to shame!

And who did William McNamara's clothes and hair? I don't think even Boy George would dress THAT gay. He turned out to be quite the crusader, though. First, his sexuality is such a burden that he tries to kill himself. Then, he's proclaiming to his dad, "I AM normal!". Well, three cheers for you, Evan Wolfson!

Had the film aspired to true drama (and a degree of truth), Matt should have died and left his secrets to be discovered in the wake of his death. I'd love to have seen how the individuals in the family would have reacted to that. Without such a tragedy, we are left with the impression that this streotypical dysfunctional family will somehow survive and grow. Warm fuzzies all around!

For an honest view of this situation, I'd recommend turning off the TV and reading 'Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son'.

Great movie, ahead of times ( coming out )

[waldemarchicago · 10/10 · 12 February 2004]

When I saw this movie for the first time , I was confused, almost as the main character there Matt. Confusing times, coming out, dysfunctional family under the cover of "american smile"; these are just few subjects that are mentioned in this film. Similiar to movies showing same dysfunctional family problem, is shown much later in "American Beauty" but going much deeper. "Doing time on Maple Drive is the beginning era of breaking down stereotypes which were imprinted back in 50's. As most recent "Monalisa Smile" shows the roots of dysfunkcionality. We need to live in this society today, and knowing possible problems, that may develop will help to overcome them.

Just on the side, William McNamara became my hero, ever since I saw this movie. I identified with Matt's role very much, even thoug I was born and raised in Poland, I think that movie applies very much there as well. William is a great actor. Love him for his performance and being himself.

I had a crush on him when I saw this movie..... LOve to meet him sometime, that would be really awsome.!!!

Cheers!!!!

30 SOMETHING ON MAPLE DR

[Old70115 · 7/10 · 25 April 2004]

Ken Olin of TV "30 Something" directed this! I can see why. This family mopes and complains (like the tv show "30 somehting"). Jim Carrey is good in this however he is not GREAT. The movie is alot of talk! Its very hard to imagine, that the adult children in this movie would stay at their parents home any longer than a Thanksgiving Dinner. But no they stay for the weekend! T he secrets that family keep! No longer a ground breaker its just a good "Acting Class" for the well know cast! Don't get me wrong this isn't a bad movie! Its just has been done 100 times before.

Went in expecting one thing... coming out with so much more...

[khohen1 · 5 March 2001]

Some major plot line details are mentioned... don't read any further if you haven't seen this and don't want to spoil the fun.

Okay, I am one of the biggest Jim Carrey fanatics out there. The only reason I bought this movie (on eBay) was to see Jim Carrey in his "first dramatic role". It cost me $26!!! So, obviously, I went in only to see Jim. But then the title character came on, Matt, and I was like, hey, I know him... I like him. And then Laurie Laughlin (Becky from Full House, don't know how to spell her real name) came on, same reaction. And I also recognized the sister and the father. So I was like, hey, maybe it'll even be a good movie anyway.

Well, let me tell you, Jim Carrey was secondary as of twenty minutes into the film. While I wished that Tim would have been a bigger part of the story, I was completely taken into the story of Matt and being gay. I think they tackled the pressures of being gay, and hiding secrets to a "too perfect to be true" family. I think there should have been three storylines...the back stories of the sister and of Tim's were way too big to be back stories... but the movie was already 94 minutes long and I don't think any scenes preexisting should have been taken out... I guess I just think it shoulda been three different movies... I don't know. Every single actor in this movie does a beautiful job. The storys are sympathy envoking and the characters are likable, exept for the mom and for the father until about ten til the end. And speaking of the end... it was too wrapped up for my taste. A little hasty about face for the Father to go through... but anyway, it was a TV movie right?

I definately think this is right up there with Truman Show as far as Jim's acting goes... anyone who says my man can't act can't see. Thanksyou very much!!! ;)

8/10

Parents and their children should see this one!

[Seedy · 10/10 · 25 April 2000]

This movie offers a sensitive and realistic, if not fully comforting, view of how parents can warp the lives of their children if they don't change their approach to them as they grow-up. An experienced high school counselor once told me that while parents should exercise consistent and reasonable control on younger children, they should ease into being consistently loving and supporting, not controlling, as their children move into the high school years. By that time values have been formed and continued control serves only to warp and distort relationships. This movie illustrates very well how unrealistic parental expectations can smother and alienate children. There are great lessons here, especially regarding sexual matters and the unique aspirations of individual children. This movie deserves a very wide audience. Beyond the message and plot, this is a movie with fine production standards and near brilliant directing. The holds and fades are timed to perfection and the cast is superb. I'd recommend this one to anyone without hesitation.

Sympathetic portrait of being gay....

[ohlabtechguy · 6/10 · 9 January 2019]

Main problem with this film is it lost its way in an attempt to quickly hit all the gay rights talking points of the late 1980s. None of the characters were likeable during the first half of the movie, but that changes dramatically once the gay character attempts suicide. What follows is an unrealistic break in the character of the father and the gay son. The father suddenly becomes the perfect dad, loving and accepting of his gay son, while the gay son, heretofore, so deeply closeted that he'd rather commit suicide than come out to his parents, suddenly gets a boulder of rock solid courage to tell them all how it is. Not really, but made for a sentimental ending.

Surprising

[jambos · 8/10 · 2 April 2002]

It's a story about a dysfunctional family centering on the up-coming marriage of one the sons, and how years of trying to keep everything up for appearances finally unravels and nearly destroys everyone with it. Oddly, the most functional member of the family is an alcoholic (played by Jim Carey), the only one with the ability to state what's true and to speak his mind.

The story and plot are well developed, as are the characters. The only thing I would've like to have seen more of was the sister and her husband. The movie hints at some serious issues (beside the one immediate one at hand) between them--which seemed oddly down-played.

Anyway, see this when it comes on cable!!

Reasonable TV melodrama

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 4 May 2015]

Matt Carter (William McNamara) is returning home from Yale with his fiancée Allison (Lori Loughlin) from a wealthy connected family. His father Phil (James Sikking) is a commanding bully. His brother Tim (Jim Carrey) is an alcoholic. His mother Lisa (Bibi Besch) is obsessed with appearance. His sister Karen (Jayne Brook) has husband Tom (David Byron) but feels diminished by her father. Andy is made the best man after Kyle is dropped. Underneath the perfect veneer, the family is hiding unspoken secrets with Kyle gone away months ago.

This was probably an edgy movie during its day. Ken Olin does a reasonable job directing this TV movie. The acting is solid although Matt could have been done better. I like most of the family dysfunction but some of it does go overboard. There are probably a couple of spots where I get thrown off. The abortion doesn't seem to fit. Karen's relation is dysfunctional enough before that particular reveal. I am glad that Tim's alcoholism doesn't come with a neat explanation. The movie could probably work better with fewer dramatic reveals so that it can concentrate more on the one that matters most.

a truly great made for television movie!

[richwgriffin-227-176635 · 10/10 · 10 April 2012]

I simply love this movie! (: The performances are all top-notch, especially William McNamara, as the gay son at the center of this drama about a dysfunctional middle class family. All of the relationships are interesting, every performance is riveting, and Jim Carrey gives a terrific dramatic performance. This is not the usual coming out story; he is engaged to a nice young woman, and it would have been tragic for them to marry, at least down the road. The homophobic parents don't do a 180; they are still homophobic at the end, with the military dad making some progress in acceptance, and the mother being unable to do so. The friendship scene where Matt comes out to Andy was unusual in that I wondered if the actor playing Andy is gay in real life? This is 92 minutes well spent and if you find it on DVD or on cable, watch it!! (:

The most accurate depiction of a dysfunctional family I've ever seen

[scooch-6 · 10/10 · 24 July 2008]

How "Doing Time on Maple Drive" could garner just 7 out of ten points is astonishing to me. Even 16 years after its release this made-for-TV film remains the best written, most accurate portrayal of the fake "perfect family" I've ever come across, either on TV or the big screen.

In fact, after seeing it for the first time I spent weeks trying to figure out when someone interviewed my own family as research for a screenplay. Some of the key scenes in this film occurred nearly verbatim in my own household.

The genius of this script is its reality: it was one of the first gay-themed films that didn't either sugar coat the issue, or wrap it in cliché' tragedy. Yes, there is a suicide attempt, but it's only half-assed, the way most suicide attempts are in real life. This film is also distinguished by the performance of Bibi Besch who portrays the family's mother. Instead of welcoming her gay son with open arms and smiles, she is able to eventually muster nothing better than a forced acceptance which barely fronts utter disgust. Like it or not, that's the way things wind up in many families, a fact that's rarely portrayed in movies.

More kudos for the film's subplot which, instead of being a mere time-filler, nearly outshines the primary storyline in its engagement. Jim Carrey and James Sikking are amazing in this piece. Again, not a standard Hollywood plot resolution to be found anywhere.

Wonderful Family Values

[Lechuguilla · 14 October 2008]

At first, the characters in this family melodrama all seem so ordinary and well adjusted. The dad (James Sikking) is financially successful, competitive, and something of a perfectionist. Mom (Bibi Besch) is motherly and traditional. One son is getting married. The other son has just a slight fondness for alcohol. And the daughter and her husband have returned for a pleasant visit, and to attend the family wedding. Our ideal family lives in a two-story house with manicured lawn on Maple Drive. As in the 1950's sitcom "Leave It To Beaver", all is peaches and cream, comfy and cozy, a household that is the very archetype of American family values.

But viewers are alerted to the shallowness of this overall image when the story's POV character tells another character: "See, he just has to be perfect. And if he isn't perfect, just keep it to yourself because I don't think anybody in this family wants to know". As secrets and anger surface, verbal conflict builds. And by the film's end, all these people are revealed to be complex, flawed, vulnerable, and hurting.

"Doing Time On Maple Drive" gets off to a slow start. I think the script setup might be a tad too long. And the writers could have been a little clearer about who is related to whom. Other than that, the script is well written and highly thematic. With rich characterization, the story conveys a realistic view of contemporary America, with its penchant for shallow idealism that overlays deep social and psychological turmoil. Although the dialogue seems a bit dated, it nevertheless has some good subtext.

Overall acting is quite impressive. I couldn't find any weak performances. It's nice to see Jim Carrey play a serious role; I wish he would do more drama. The film's color cinematography is adequate.

I have two complaints. First, the score consists of dreary, nondescript elevator music; second, sets seem cheap. However, this is after all a made-for-TV movie; visual breaks show where the commercials were inserted. And I can imagine that the budget here was fairly low.

But the film's strength is its script. "Doing Time On Maple Drive" is a poignant story that has genuine thematic depth. For what director Ken Olin set out to do, I think he succeeded quite well. Although there have been more recent films dealing with the same general topic, the high quality of this film makes it worth watching.

Jim Carrey is top-notch in this film!

[carpbear-1 · 9/10 · 16 June 2012]

Which isn't quite fair to the other performers -- every single person in this film is really outstanding. The family is dysfunctionality on steroids but tries to keep up appearances with two surprise revelations coming close together at the end of the film. It is extraordinarily powerful and really deserves wider play than it has been given.

I have NEVER cared for Jim Carrey as a comedian; but his serious acting in this film is absolutely top-notch. It's a shame Carrey went into comedy -- he would have had an outstanding career as a serious actor.

I would love to see Jim Carrey acting alongside Meryl Streep in a serious movie -- that would be something to watch!

An Excellent TV movie

[Murron-5 · 8/10 · 7 June 2000]

A wonderful TV film that deserves to be more recognized, Doing Time On Maple Drive focuses on the Carter family and the pressures of living up to the standards of parents.

Excellent performances are given by the entire cast but I make a special mention of Jim Carrey. This is a change from his usual comedic style of acting where he proves to be quite a serious dramatic actor as well.

A sad and well made TV movie. Go and see it!

This disturbing and moving film has stayed with me through the years..

[lgammaray2 · 10/10 · 22 December 2001]

"Doing Time on Maple Drive" is one of the most incredibly well-written, superbly-acted films about family dynamics. In particular, a young, pre-super-stardom Jim Carrey gives the dramatic performance of a lifetime as the tormented, alcoholic older son. I recommend this film to everyone and anxiously await its release on video.

excellent film showing how a "perfect" family covers a lot of pain

[bry-13 · 10/10 · 1 September 1999]

I must admit, that I cried.Seeing the film 4 times during the night. It showed how the "perfect" family often hides the true identity of persons. How parents, who demands a whole lot of there children, often harms them more than they realize. Ex. Had the girlfriend not found the letter from Kyle, who knows what would have happened in there marriage. What I found the best was the way the subject of homosexuality was included in the film.