Such a disappointing movie. I watched it because I like Sally Field so much that I was willing to look past the many negative reviews here. But "Not Without My Daughter" looks and feels like a sub-par TV movie: it's simplistic and predictable, and gives us self-righteous Americans an uncluttered opportunity to hate the brutal Iranians. Character development is almost non-existent. Plot is totally predictable. And as seen through the eyes of this movie, Iranians are black-and-white: either totally bad or totally good. Most disappointing is that this movie barely let Field's talent show through. That's the fault of the script and the director, not the actress.
And yet I was sufficiently engaged to watch "Not Without My Daughter" through to the end. It gripped me in much the same way as "Apollo 13" (although there's no comparison between the two; "Apollo 13" is an infinitely better movie): even though I knew how it would end, I was still caught up in the drama, and my gut was pulling for the mother and daughter. But that's more a comment about drama and its power to engage the viewer than the value of this movie.
I admit that this story was told coherently and strongly. Many movies can't even claim that. But unless your adoration for Sally Field compels you to see everything she's done, your money and time are better spent elsewhere.
And yet I was sufficiently engaged to watch "Not Without My Daughter" through to the end. It gripped me in much the same way as "Apollo 13" (although there's no comparison between the two; "Apollo 13" is an infinitely better movie): even though I knew how it would end, I was still caught up in the drama, and my gut was pulling for the mother and daughter. But that's more a comment about drama and its power to engage the viewer than the value of this movie.
I admit that this story was told coherently and strongly. Many movies can't even claim that. But unless your adoration for Sally Field compels you to see everything she's done, your money and time are better spent elsewhere.