A Map of the World (1999)

65% of critics liked it
(55 reviews)
51% of users liked it
(1,991 ratings)

In this contemporary drama, Sigourney Weaver plays a woman out of her element and at the end of her rope. Alice Goodwin is a wife and mother who finds that the pressures of her life are starting to become more than she can bear. Alice works part-time as a school nurse while her husband Howard (David… More In this contemporary drama, Sigourney Weaver plays a woman out of her element and at the end of her rope. Alice Goodwin is a wife and mother who finds that the pressures of her life are starting to become more than she can bear. Alice works part-time as a school nurse while her husband Howard (David Strathairn) runs the family farm; they both look after their two daughters. Alice, who wasn't raised in farm country, still feels like an outsider, and she embraces a cynical, sarcastic humor as a defense mechanism. Alice's only real friends in town are Dan and Theresa Collins (Ron Lea and Julianne Moore), who live nearby and often babysit Alice's kids; Alice does the same for the Collins children as well. One day, while watching Theresa's two-year-old daughter Lizzie, Alice has to step away for a few minutes, and she returns to discover Lizzie has fallen into a pond near the house; the child falls into a coma and dies several days later. Lizzie's death puts a permanent wedge between Alice and Theresa, and most people in the community believe Alice is to blame for the girl's death. Any support she might have had is driven away when Robbie (Marc Donato), a boy who lives nearby, claims Alice molested him. Alice is sent to jail while awaiting trial, and Howard (who can't afford her $100,000 bail) must watch over their daughters and keep house by himself as he tries to keep the farm afloat. As Alice falls into a deep depression behind bars, Howard and Theresa begin edging into a romance. Based on the best-selling novel by Jane Hamilton, A Map of the World was adapted for the screen by Peter Hedges and Polly Platt and director Scott Elliott. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 5 min.
Directed By: Scott Elliott (II)
Written By: Peter Hedges, Polly Platt
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Dec 3, 1999 Wide
On DVD: Sep 26, 2000

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, Variety
Sigourney Weaver dominates with her powerful performance but the film, a feature debut from theater director Scott Elliott, is so poorly conceived and staged that much of the emotional impact gets lost
Jay Carr, Boston Globe
Gives three first-rate actors a chance to stretch.
David Edelstein, Slate
That which does not kill us makes us ... well, still alive.
Kevin Maynard, Mr. Showbiz
Worth navigating for its refusal to play to the crowd. There's certainly nothing safe or sweet about Weaver's performance.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
[A] imaginative, nimble performance.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
An accomplished film that continually takes us beyond our first impressions of people and situations.
Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online
Cast somewhat against type, Sigourney Weaver is terrific even if the film is a bit staid.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
A profoundly unnecessary movie with pretty good performances; perfectly captures the noble mediocrity of the novel.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
The fairly simple storyline...is certainly stretched quite thin over the two hour running time.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
An emotionally effecting drama about one woman's difficult journey into forgiving and making peace with herself.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
For those who crave intelligent 'mom in trouble' dramas.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
A Map of the World is a grim, humorless melodrama with very little entertainment value.