9 reviews
The movie in a way is rather moving, no boring moment and draws your mood to keep watching it till the end. But obviously it actually is a pro-cloning movie and encourages people to support cloning. For that part, I don't like it. I don't care how other people think but I just find cloning people is simply not right! To use cloning technique to save life and cure disease that is anther matter. But cloning a baby just because you cannot get an own baby through other way? That is terrible! A child is not a toy, we should not make one like designer's product in factory. Be mature, in our life we cannot always get the things which we want. You want a child, then go and try to adopt one, there are thousands of nobody's child waiting for parent care and family love!
I saw this Movie and thought it was dreadfully slow. The plot has good bones and could have been something more spectacular. Basically its about aging Parents who lost their child and decide to clone their dead child. They find a doctor and team that are willing to do this. It is basically takes place before Cloning issues and laws were developed - it likens cloning to test tube babies and IVF as an alternative method for people to have children. It also shows some arguments against it.
I think the actors did a great job with a bad script.
Its not a sci-fi or even exciting medical doc. Deserved its time slot of 12.30am. I recommend not to bother with it unless you are really bored.
R
I think the actors did a great job with a bad script.
Its not a sci-fi or even exciting medical doc. Deserved its time slot of 12.30am. I recommend not to bother with it unless you are really bored.
R
While some may say that this is just an ordinary tv movie, I must concede a point, they are correct but that is not the whole story. What you may fail to realise is the ethical questions raised by the cloning of a human being. The movie addresses quite few issues that seem as relevant today as when the movie is set. Press invasion is nicely treated and the fame hungry Bridget Fonda's character goes through somewhat of a change. She goes from a cold-hearted glory-hungry monster to ethical reporter (I will not spoil the ending). Next we see a much more sympathetic depiction of the doctors involved and the research they use and the reasons they do what they do. What is most interesting is the ethical questions that you ask yourself. Would you do the same thing if it was your only avenue for having a child? Put yourself in their shoes then try and tell me you would not.
- temoginvampireslayer
- Apr 3, 2002
- Permalink
NO ORDINARY BABY (TV movie 2001)
2.5 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:45min
BASIC PLOT: Dr. Amanda Gordon (Mary Beth Hurt) is a fertility specialist, who, with the help of her partner, Dr. Ed Walden (Philip Bosco) have just successfully cloned the first human being. The parents, Chris & Virginia Hytner (Adam LeFevre Valerie Mahaffey) wanted a clone of their dead child, tragically killed in a accident.
Chris was driving the car when the accident occurred, and feels guilty, both about his child's death, and his wife's grief. It seems perfectly fine to both of them to just replace the child they lost, even though Dr. Gordon repeatedly tells them this will be a separate individual.
A nurse in Dr. Gordon's clinic, Ms. Donovan (Claudia Ferri), disagrees with cloning, and gives the Hytner's medical files to an investigative journalist, Linda Sanclair (Bridget Fonda).
Linda breaks the story to much fanfare, but is she doing the right thing? What will be the consequences to Dr. Gordon's and Dr. Walden's careers? And the most important question of all, will little Amy be born healthy and happy?
WHAT WORKS: *IF YOU ARE PRO-CLONING, THIS MOVIE WILL WORK FOR YOU It is a pro-cloning, press bashing, piece of propaganda. However, if you aren't a fan of cloning, and if you think true investigative journalism has a place in our society, you'll find this movie offensive. They set Dr. Gordon up to be a renegade hero, and the parents of the cloned child are regarded as visionaries. I am not religious, so my objections are more personal. I understand grief, I've lived with it for a long time. But bringing someone who has died back by cloning, will not help you through your loss. The clone will have different experiences from conception, through adulthood. IT WILL NOT BE THE SAME PERSON! So, what exactly is the point then? To spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to have a child that looks like the one you lost? Wouldn't it be more advantageous to spend the huge amounts of money you'd shell out on cloning, to make a better world for your child? Isn't it the very definition of hubris to think your genes are "special"? To quote another movie, "Your are not a beautiful and unique snowflake!"
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *THE SCRIPT IS A SANCTIMONIOUS SERMON FROM START TO FINISH I don't know how Richard Kletter adapted Richard Kadrey's original short story, but the outcome is NOT GOOD. It's just a bunch of self-serving, moralistic clap-trap, that's not even entertaining.
*THE REPORTER IS CONSTANTLY MADE TO LOOK LIKE A VILLAIN FOR DOING HER JOB Linda Sanclair (Bridget Fonda), the investigative journalist, is again and again made to look like scum for following a story about the first human clone. Isn't that her function in our society?
*DR. GORDON & DR. WALDEN PURPORT THEMSELVES TO BE HEROES OF THE SCIENTIFIC WORLD But at the same time, they acknowledge they have no idea how a human clone will turn out. Doesn't that make them Dr. Frankensteins, instead of the Nobel Prize winners they claim to be?
*BOTH THE PARENTS & DOCTORS PERPETRATE A CRUEL HOAX ON THE JOURNALIST but we're supposed to be ok with their actions on that count too.
*REPORTERS AREN'T ALLOWED ON YOUR PROPERTY Dr. Gordon is mobbed outside her house, with reporters following her to her door. This wouldn't happen, they would be arrested for trespassing. They have to stay on the street, or the public sidewalk.
*THIS MOVIE HAS PACING PROBLEMS At about the 30min mark, this movie begins to have problems. It starts rehashing events, slows to a crawl, and there's no real movement of the story forward. I know this is more of a character study, and it's trying to explore the issues of cloning, but you have to make it interesting either way.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *After watching the whole thing, I can't recommend this movie. Not only do I think it's propaganda (for cloning, and against journalism), but it's not even entertaining. There wasn't one character I cared about, or empathized with, except for Dr. Gordon's son, and he's only on the screen a total of 4 minutes. The script was terrible, and should never have been greenlighted. It's a waste of good actresses like Bridget Fonda and Mary Beth Hurt. However, I can't even recommend this film to their fans. It's a convoluted, smug, moralizing piece of detritus, that never should have made it off the page, and onto the small screen.
CLOSING NOTES: *This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch/rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.
BASIC PLOT: Dr. Amanda Gordon (Mary Beth Hurt) is a fertility specialist, who, with the help of her partner, Dr. Ed Walden (Philip Bosco) have just successfully cloned the first human being. The parents, Chris & Virginia Hytner (Adam LeFevre Valerie Mahaffey) wanted a clone of their dead child, tragically killed in a accident.
Chris was driving the car when the accident occurred, and feels guilty, both about his child's death, and his wife's grief. It seems perfectly fine to both of them to just replace the child they lost, even though Dr. Gordon repeatedly tells them this will be a separate individual.
A nurse in Dr. Gordon's clinic, Ms. Donovan (Claudia Ferri), disagrees with cloning, and gives the Hytner's medical files to an investigative journalist, Linda Sanclair (Bridget Fonda).
Linda breaks the story to much fanfare, but is she doing the right thing? What will be the consequences to Dr. Gordon's and Dr. Walden's careers? And the most important question of all, will little Amy be born healthy and happy?
WHAT WORKS: *IF YOU ARE PRO-CLONING, THIS MOVIE WILL WORK FOR YOU It is a pro-cloning, press bashing, piece of propaganda. However, if you aren't a fan of cloning, and if you think true investigative journalism has a place in our society, you'll find this movie offensive. They set Dr. Gordon up to be a renegade hero, and the parents of the cloned child are regarded as visionaries. I am not religious, so my objections are more personal. I understand grief, I've lived with it for a long time. But bringing someone who has died back by cloning, will not help you through your loss. The clone will have different experiences from conception, through adulthood. IT WILL NOT BE THE SAME PERSON! So, what exactly is the point then? To spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to have a child that looks like the one you lost? Wouldn't it be more advantageous to spend the huge amounts of money you'd shell out on cloning, to make a better world for your child? Isn't it the very definition of hubris to think your genes are "special"? To quote another movie, "Your are not a beautiful and unique snowflake!"
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *THE SCRIPT IS A SANCTIMONIOUS SERMON FROM START TO FINISH I don't know how Richard Kletter adapted Richard Kadrey's original short story, but the outcome is NOT GOOD. It's just a bunch of self-serving, moralistic clap-trap, that's not even entertaining.
*THE REPORTER IS CONSTANTLY MADE TO LOOK LIKE A VILLAIN FOR DOING HER JOB Linda Sanclair (Bridget Fonda), the investigative journalist, is again and again made to look like scum for following a story about the first human clone. Isn't that her function in our society?
*DR. GORDON & DR. WALDEN PURPORT THEMSELVES TO BE HEROES OF THE SCIENTIFIC WORLD But at the same time, they acknowledge they have no idea how a human clone will turn out. Doesn't that make them Dr. Frankensteins, instead of the Nobel Prize winners they claim to be?
*BOTH THE PARENTS & DOCTORS PERPETRATE A CRUEL HOAX ON THE JOURNALIST but we're supposed to be ok with their actions on that count too.
*REPORTERS AREN'T ALLOWED ON YOUR PROPERTY Dr. Gordon is mobbed outside her house, with reporters following her to her door. This wouldn't happen, they would be arrested for trespassing. They have to stay on the street, or the public sidewalk.
*THIS MOVIE HAS PACING PROBLEMS At about the 30min mark, this movie begins to have problems. It starts rehashing events, slows to a crawl, and there's no real movement of the story forward. I know this is more of a character study, and it's trying to explore the issues of cloning, but you have to make it interesting either way.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *After watching the whole thing, I can't recommend this movie. Not only do I think it's propaganda (for cloning, and against journalism), but it's not even entertaining. There wasn't one character I cared about, or empathized with, except for Dr. Gordon's son, and he's only on the screen a total of 4 minutes. The script was terrible, and should never have been greenlighted. It's a waste of good actresses like Bridget Fonda and Mary Beth Hurt. However, I can't even recommend this film to their fans. It's a convoluted, smug, moralizing piece of detritus, that never should have made it off the page, and onto the small screen.
CLOSING NOTES: *This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch/rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.
- vnssyndrome89
- Aug 6, 2024
- Permalink
The real title shown in Lifetime TV is 'One Particular Baby' or something like that.
Bridget Fonda is just great as the journalist who has the exclusive story of the first clone baby. The Doctor who actually gets through the first clone, looks like 'Weakest Link' hostess, but never says 'Goodbye' in any part of the movie.
The movie shows all the process, from the first steps of the cloning, throughout the pregnancy and the baby born (even showing the first anniversary of such news coming out).
It actually shows the reality that could come out of something like a baby clone, from the human point of view of a mother who lost her daughter and wants another baby looking just like the one she lost.
The problem is that the movie stands the not so objective side and tries to suggest that cloning is OK, when that is something being banned not only in USA or the World. So... it gives you the opportunity to disagree and hope that nobody follows such example without showing the bad that could come out of it (like the bad sheeps that came out BEFORE the first GOOD clone one), but I guess that would be 'another movie'.
Bridget Fonda is just great as the journalist who has the exclusive story of the first clone baby. The Doctor who actually gets through the first clone, looks like 'Weakest Link' hostess, but never says 'Goodbye' in any part of the movie.
The movie shows all the process, from the first steps of the cloning, throughout the pregnancy and the baby born (even showing the first anniversary of such news coming out).
It actually shows the reality that could come out of something like a baby clone, from the human point of view of a mother who lost her daughter and wants another baby looking just like the one she lost.
The problem is that the movie stands the not so objective side and tries to suggest that cloning is OK, when that is something being banned not only in USA or the World. So... it gives you the opportunity to disagree and hope that nobody follows such example without showing the bad that could come out of it (like the bad sheeps that came out BEFORE the first GOOD clone one), but I guess that would be 'another movie'.
- themillion
- Oct 8, 2001
- Permalink
I watched this movie as entitled "No Ordinary Baby", in Australia.
I was tempted to turn off it straight away, as this midday movie, seemed to be presenting a pathetic uninteresting drama whose subject was unappealing to me. But gradually I chose to involve myself, & soon found it was raising MANY issues relevant to our modern society that the media prefers to snowball into greater injustice!
Nor was I sympathetic to the doctor & his devoted nurse, as against the young staff member who presents herself devoutly committed to the cause, but seems to quickly fade in her significance. The nurse, compassionate to her family, yet daring to care more broadly, seems to become a criminal, in broader eyes of deception that her family & friends struggle to be more than bewildered & frustrated by!
Earlier on, this nurse is noted to be deleting computer files, suspiciously! In her turn, the journalist breaking the story, seeks to reconcile herself with her failed sense of infallibility, & sees shades of grey in her emerging dilemmas! Her confessions to her companion are a stark contrast to the bold pronouncements she continues to make in public media presentations, impressively presented!
I thought I would have liked her, this journalist researching & breaking stories! But I didn't think I would have ever liked the nurse! But she was building into her role of frustrated & toughly imprisoned victim, who might have been adjudged in contempt of court, but was growing into her stature of a media celebrity she was not accustomed to, but daring to nonetheless further the rights of her clients! And those beyond!
While the journalist has her emerging dilemmas coming from within. Like partners yet enemies, in a devolving zone of instability that seems to be much less, for their individual contributions! I think this is a great movie! I haven't even addressed the rights & perspectives of the mother & father, let alone, of the precarious situation of the emerging baby!
Each display their own WORTHINESS of contribution in turn & in time!
Each dare to be courageous in their individual & personal decisions!!!
Look at the father's justified sense of frustration! Look at the mother's tolerance of pain & yet quiet wisdom amidst the furore about her! Look into the eyes of the innocent victim! And still more emerges of mother & father & child, as if in a manger, & bewildered to be there! Imprisons in the modern era, have many boundaries! Look too at a steadfast doctor, & a compassionate nurse & her son & her husband, & a judgemental sensational broader media fury! So confronting & yet so real! As if straight out of Lindy Chamberlain & dingo folklore of contrivance, as presented in, "Through My Eyes", or too in Douglas Woods' journalistic masterpiece exposed in "Cry Freedom" in Nelson Mandela's unlikely escape into freedom! It's all here, in a drama of CRISES we should not react against, but embrace!
Only love is its ultimate conqueror!
But which one will find a salvation in this earthquake zone of uncertainty? I saw what I saw! It's your turn to judge, & see what you might see.
But try to go at this with an open-mind, not blinded by posters & flashes of media hype! You will find much of merit here, if you decide not to be bedazzled by flash bulks, that die as quickly as they are clicked into existence!
I was tempted to turn off it straight away, as this midday movie, seemed to be presenting a pathetic uninteresting drama whose subject was unappealing to me. But gradually I chose to involve myself, & soon found it was raising MANY issues relevant to our modern society that the media prefers to snowball into greater injustice!
Nor was I sympathetic to the doctor & his devoted nurse, as against the young staff member who presents herself devoutly committed to the cause, but seems to quickly fade in her significance. The nurse, compassionate to her family, yet daring to care more broadly, seems to become a criminal, in broader eyes of deception that her family & friends struggle to be more than bewildered & frustrated by!
Earlier on, this nurse is noted to be deleting computer files, suspiciously! In her turn, the journalist breaking the story, seeks to reconcile herself with her failed sense of infallibility, & sees shades of grey in her emerging dilemmas! Her confessions to her companion are a stark contrast to the bold pronouncements she continues to make in public media presentations, impressively presented!
I thought I would have liked her, this journalist researching & breaking stories! But I didn't think I would have ever liked the nurse! But she was building into her role of frustrated & toughly imprisoned victim, who might have been adjudged in contempt of court, but was growing into her stature of a media celebrity she was not accustomed to, but daring to nonetheless further the rights of her clients! And those beyond!
While the journalist has her emerging dilemmas coming from within. Like partners yet enemies, in a devolving zone of instability that seems to be much less, for their individual contributions! I think this is a great movie! I haven't even addressed the rights & perspectives of the mother & father, let alone, of the precarious situation of the emerging baby!
Each display their own WORTHINESS of contribution in turn & in time!
Each dare to be courageous in their individual & personal decisions!!!
Look at the father's justified sense of frustration! Look at the mother's tolerance of pain & yet quiet wisdom amidst the furore about her! Look into the eyes of the innocent victim! And still more emerges of mother & father & child, as if in a manger, & bewildered to be there! Imprisons in the modern era, have many boundaries! Look too at a steadfast doctor, & a compassionate nurse & her son & her husband, & a judgemental sensational broader media fury! So confronting & yet so real! As if straight out of Lindy Chamberlain & dingo folklore of contrivance, as presented in, "Through My Eyes", or too in Douglas Woods' journalistic masterpiece exposed in "Cry Freedom" in Nelson Mandela's unlikely escape into freedom! It's all here, in a drama of CRISES we should not react against, but embrace!
Only love is its ultimate conqueror!
But which one will find a salvation in this earthquake zone of uncertainty? I saw what I saw! It's your turn to judge, & see what you might see.
But try to go at this with an open-mind, not blinded by posters & flashes of media hype! You will find much of merit here, if you decide not to be bedazzled by flash bulks, that die as quickly as they are clicked into existence!
Yet another tv movie, about cloning, and yet a bad one if that, it stars Bridget Fonda in the rollin, rollin, rollin, rollin, rollin, type performance as the reporter who's women's fetus is a clone , stupid teleplay and a three word line that I Have never seen in the history of tv movies " that beats limp bizkit", which had should have been called My ordinary bizkit, instead of this dreary dull wreck, if only fred durst would have starred in the tv movie instead of this, this tv movie is about as bad as the band.
My Ordinary baby aka" After Amy
Rating: * Star
My Ordinary baby aka" After Amy
Rating: * Star
- afijamesy2k
- Oct 7, 2001
- Permalink