Not Without My Daughter

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Not Without My Daughter

73% Liked It
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Not Without My Daughter

Alfred Molina, Mony Rey, Roshan Seth, Sally Field, Sarah Badel

The Arab anti-defamation leagues understandably had a field day with this one. Sally Field plays Betty Mahmoody, an American who marries an Iranian (Alfred Molina) and has a child. They go back to Ira...( read more  read more... )n for a visit and, to her horror, he tells her he's decided to stay there. If she wants to leave, she must leave her daughter behind. If she stays, Betty must live in a culture vastly different and, she believes, very dangerous. Part thriller, part culture clash, the film certainly takes advantage of Americans' perceptions of Iran after the unrest of the '70s and early '80s. Molina is truly despicable as the husband, while Field projects a lot of overheated anguish as Betty tries to figure out a way to escape the country with her daughter. Overheated, in fact, is the word for the whole melodrama. --Marshall Fine

Id: 10903267

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Not Without My Daughter Recent Reviews
  • StaisilD
    March 4, 2008
    StaisilD
    Our story begins in Alpena, Michigan, 1984. Betty Mahmoody lived happily with her husband Moody and their daughter Mahtob. Moody is from Iran. He came to America 20 years ago and works as a doctor at the hospital. Unfortunately, many fellow doctors made cracks about Iranians righ...( read more)t in front of him. Moody truly missed his family and his country. Members of his family, Mammal and Nasserine, just had a baby boy. Moody wanted to go see them and he wanted to bring Betty and Mahtob with him. Betty was very reluctant to go to Iran because it was such a wartorn, oppressive, primitive and dangerous country, but Moody swore--on the Holy Koran, that everything would be alright and they would return in 2 weeks tops. Betty agreed and so the family boards a plane to Iran. Little did Betty know that she had just boarded a one-way flight to Hell; Moody's family was waiting to greet them. There was Moody's sister, Ameh Bozorg, and Mammal, Nasserine, Zia, Fereshte, Zoreh, Reza, and Baby Hajji. Downtown Tehran was a very strange place: posters of the Ayatollah everywhere, military personnel patrolling the streets and all women wore head coverings. Betty had to wear one too. They stay in Ameh Bozorg's house, but she seemed to hold a grudge towards Moody for an unknown reason; Two weeks quickly passed and Betty was eager to return to America, but then Moody dropped a bomb shell. Two actually: first, he was fired from the hospital and second, he said they were not going back and that they were to stay and live in Iran. He wanted Mahtob to become a Muslim. Betty was shocked beyond comprehension. Moody had made up his mind and forced his wife and daughter to stay. Seven months later after Mahtob's 6th birthday, Betty learns her father is very ill and so Moody grants her permission to go home to the U.S. to see him. The bad news: Mahtob had to stay in Iran. Meanwhile, Hamid arranged travel for Betty on the 29th, but Moody booked Betty a flight for the 26th. And so as soon as Betty and Mahtob could get away, they phoned Hamid and begged him to move back the date. So he did. That night, they began their dangerous, treacherous journey out of Iran and to Turkey. First Betty called Moody and told him where to stick it, then they drive with Hamid's friends out of town and through checkpoints. They had to switch cars numerous times and eventually make it out to the desert. The dry lands. The treacherous mountains. But finally, after a very long, dangerous, windy, stormy journey, Betty and Mahtob find themselves back in civilization. Next stop: The U.S. Embassy. That's when Betty sees the most beautiful sight she had seen in a very long time: The American flag. Finally, it was all over. They were going home. February, 1986, Betty and Mahtob return home.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 16, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    A depressing but courageous movie. It made me dislike those cultural beliefs even more.
  • LauralyBeautiful
    June 12, 2007
    LauralyBeautiful
    A co-worker had told me about this after she saw me reading a book called "Out of Iran" by Sousan Azadi. The two are drastically different, this being an American who goes with her husband to Iran, then can't get home, and the book I was reading was about an Iranian woman who fl...( read more)ees to the US with her son because their lives are in danger.

    Anyway, I have to say that this was unfortunately boring, especially given my high hopes for it. I regret to say I didn't watch the entire thing exactly for that reason... I was tired, and I wasnt interested enough to miss out on an extra hours sleep. (Hey, I have a month old son--my priorities are rearranged now!)

    I also didn't like how Sally Field calls Iran primitive--was there actually a reason for that other than to get Americans puffed up with patriotism? To say something is different, foreign, strange, that is one thing, but to call it primitive... how can you expect tolerance when you can't tolerate someone else?

    Anyway, the Flisxter synopsis sums this up nicely when it calls it a melodrama. I'm not surprised, then, to see the ratio of female flixterites liked this more (not much, but still) than the males on here.
  • dreamfaeries
    March 5, 2007
    dreamfaeries
    Very well done, intelligent film.
  • brandonmachew
    September 19, 2006
    brandonmachew
    The story of Betty Mahmoody and her journey to freedom from Iran.
  • OoHSoAmaZiNg
    December 9, 2009
    OoHSoAmaZiNg
    ONE OF MY MOST MEMORABLE SALLY FIELDS MOVIE!!
  • Liloh
    November 26, 2009
    Liloh
    I read the Book first, 5 years later I watched the Movie. Regarding the difference between the Movie and the Book itself and the fact the Movie was based upon a book with the same title, written by Betty Mahmoody and William Hoffer and based on Betty's version of events.. I f...( read more)eel to defend this Movie as saw it is shocking underrated. Needless to write that Movies based upon Books and true facts lack in details. Believe me if this Movie would have gone in to details, that would have been a Mini Series and maybe we would have never seen the Message of the Movie. Sally Field was AWESOME in her Role.


    A 15 year old reading a NOT Without my Daughter. Imagine it was a shock for me to read there is a world out there that I would never imagined in my nightmares.
    Well if you ask me, the Movie contents the important stuff, but if you really really are interested in details, you have to read the Book.


    ALFRED MOLINA in his Role:
    Seeing Alfred Molina in other Movies kindda alerts Not without my Daughter. Well he was really great in his role as Moody, too well.


    Betty Mahmoody:
    Some folks meant that Betty Mahmoody over reacted blah blah...Well I have a message for you MORONS any Mother would go a Hell through for her child.

    Message to all those in Free World living Women who tend to whine, how horrible their lives JUST BECAUSE THEIR CREDIT CARDS ARE ON MAX or BECAUSE THEIR MEN JUST NEED ABIT TIME OFF or WHEN SUDDENLY A NEIGHBOUR HAS NEW CAR or A NEW DRESS AND YOU DONT all those stupid things you are whining on everyday. Stop whining look around and you ll see you HAVE A GOD DAMM thing called A LIFE. Go ask those Womens who are locked in their own "so-called Homes" what Hell they are goin through EVERY GOD DAMM single Breath.


    Atlast I would like thank my former Prof. and that he made me write an Essay on Not without my Daughter. Aside from that, he recommedend it to me cuz when I was 15 I use to whine mostly on everything. An important lesson I learned just by reading one Womans story that I AM FREE! AND BETTER OFF
  • blueicefem
    October 18, 2009
    blueicefem
    I hated it. I hated it so much for what was happening there. Wonderful movie, but i can't stand to see it once more... I hated that violence and the sensation of deja vu it caused me.
  • twraiderfan
    October 12, 2009
    twraiderfan
    great movie..sally field should of won a oscar
  • GreenGoblin92
    September 29, 2009
    GreenGoblin92
    Had good scenes, but the ending was too long and anti-climactic.
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