Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2003


Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story

Buy Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story now from Amazon

First, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.

Wikipedia article




'Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story' is an American TV film directed by Peter Levin. First released on April 7, 2003 in the United States, it received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including one for Outstanding Made for Television Movie and one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Synopsis



Thora Birch stars as Liz Murray, one of two daughters of an extremely dysfunctional Bronx family. Her father watches 'Jeopardy!' and knows all the questions. Their bathtub doesn't drain so she has to shower while standing on an overturned bucket, to stay out of the fetid water.

As a young girl, Murray lives with her sister Lisa, their drug-addicted, schizophrenic mother Jean, who has AIDS and is practically blind, and their father Peter, also a drug addict who is intelligent, but also has AIDS, lacks social skills, and is not conscientious. She is removed from the home and put into the care system as her father cannot take care of her.

At 15 she moves in with her mother, sister and grandfather who sexually abused her mother and her aunt. After a fight with her grandfather who hits Liz, she runs away with a girl from school named Chris who is being abused at home.

After Jean dies of AIDS, which she got from sharing needles during her drug abusing years, Liz gets a 'slap in the face' by her mother's death and begins her work to finish high school, which she amazingly completed in two years, rather than the usual four. She becomes a star student and earns a scholarship to Harvard University through an essay contest sponsored by 'The New York Times'.

Cast



* Thora Birch Elizabeth "Liz" Murray

** Jennifer Pisana Young Liz Murray

* Michael Riley Peter Finnerty

* Robert Bockstael David

* Makyla Smith Chris

* Kelly Lynch Jean Murray

* Aron Tager Pops

* Marla McLean Lisa

** Elliot Page Young Lisa

* Marguerite McNeil Eva

* Amber Godfrey Dawn

* Seamus Morrison Bobby

* John Fulton Old Irish Cop

* Rejean Cournoyer Young Irish Cop

* Mauralea Austin Miss Wanda

* Cecil Wright Mr. Maki

Reception



Awards and nominations

; 2003 Emmy Awards:

* Nominated: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Thora Birch

* Nominated: Outstanding Made for Television Movie

* Nominated: Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Anita Brandt-Burgoyne

; 2003 Casting Society of America (Artios):

* Nominated - Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week Susan Edelman

; 2004 American Cinema Editors (Eddies):

* Won - Best Edited Miniseries or Movie for Commercial Television Anita Brandt-Burgoyne

References




Buy Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story now from Amazon

<-- Return to movies from 2003



This work is released under CC-BY-SA. Some or all of this content attributed to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1107453309.