Christopher Reeve (1952-2004) was an actor best known for his starring roles in the Superman movies and the tragic horse riding accident in 1995 that left him quadriplegic for the rest of his life. Besides acting, he also did some directing, notably The Brooke Ellison Story, a TV movie based on the life of a real person of the same name.The story begins at around 1990 when the Ellisons, a suburban family of five, receive sad news about their young daughter Brooke (Vanessa Marano as a kid; Lacey Chabert as a young adult): she has been severely injured after being hit by a car. It soon becomes clear that she will remain paralyzed from neck down and need a breathing apparatus for the rest of her life. The resilient Brooke is not someone to give up easily though and insists on continuing her schoolwork, eventually graduating from high school and entering a prestigious college, all the while being assisted by her loving mother Jean (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and supported by her father Ed (John Slattery), as well as her siblings Kysten and Reed (played by Jenson Goins and Devon Gearhart as kids; Lauren Barrett and Ryan Hudson as young adults).As can be guessed, a lot of crying and sentimental music is to be expected, like in any inspirational story of this type. It is easy to imagine this having been a very personal project for Reeve who died before the film was aired, but unfortunately it doesn't try to provide anything very impressive or to expand the boundaries of the "inspirational biopic" genre. Brooke herself is portrayed as so perfect and eager to keep living that it is difficult to see any real tragedy about her; it is well known that human flaws are what make people and fictional characters fascinating, but sadly Brooke seems to have very few of them. Likewise, the other most interesting aspects of the story are barely hinted at: the frustration of Brooke and her self-sacrificing mother, the stress on the parents' marriage, the budding depression of the big sister Kysten... There would have been potential for decent drama, but perhaps the insistence to make Brooke's story a positive example prevented the writers from handling the darker details in a worthwhile way.The overflowing positivity and inspirational message are probably best suited for viewers who are parents themselves and thus extra-sensitive to tragedies involving children. Anyone looking for decent dramatic writing is most likely going to be disappointed, but I guess this type of movies have their own devoted audience as well. The Brooke Ellison Story doesn't bring anything unexpected to the table, but if that is a good thing to you, you may well end up liking it.

This movie was too amazing to be down-sized by a couple of words. When I heard about this movie, I was very anxious to see it. I watched Brooke Ellison on Larry King a few days later, and I thought she was such an amazing person. The cast of this movie was outstanding. I forgot that I was watching a movie, I felt like it was the real thing. Christopher Reeve shone as a director, and no one will question his talent or work, the movie speaks for itself. I think this was just amazing and incredible. In the movie, Brooke Ellison's mother, Jean, told Brooke, "You can either contribute to this world or be paralyzed. The choice is yours." Brooke Ellison decided to contribute to this world, despite her disabilities, and I am sure she has inspired many people with spinal-cord injuries to make something of themselves. Brooke Ellison even inspires those of us without injuries to be the best we can be and Brooke's Story teaches us that we can't be paralyzed by the small things in life. We must keep going and enduring the pain while we continue on life's journey. Because, tragedy or triumph, pain or sadness, life is going to continue. Brooke Ellison is the type of person who proves how strong women are. The story also does a wonderful job of proving how strong a family can be. Brooke's accident could have easily torn her family apart, but they stayed together and grew closer than ever. With unconditional love and support from her family, and the undeniable love her mother, Brooke Ellison was able to go to Harvard and graduate summa cum laude from Harvard University, a huge challenge for anyone, disability or not. I wish Brooke Ellison the best of luck and I recommend that everyone watch The Brooke Ellison Story. *Christopher Reeve will be missed but he accomplished life's purpose, he spent live working to have something that would outlast it.*

I just got finished watching the Brooke Ellison Story and I have been so touched at the courage that she has. At every obstacle that she faced, she conquered. I just wish that everyone would have the ambition and courage to do so much more. It also showed how much parents will give up to make sure that their children are happy. Her whole family is full of support for Brooke. I very good movie, directed by a terrific man, who will be greatly missed by many. Lacey played an excellent part, really made you feel what Brooke felt. I hope that everyone will watch this movie and learn something.

I just caught this on A & E. The dedication is to Christopher Reeve, who directed it, so it makes me think it is the premiere of the movie but I don't know (I thought it had aired earlier this year). The story is about Brooke Ellison, who was struck by a car at a very young age. Her family helped nurse her back to health and to get through the rest of school as well as university, her mother attended all classes with her and helped her physically. According to the movie, Brooke used a voice-activated computer system for her work and she controlled her chair by a retainer in her mouth. It is amazing what she and her family went through to get her through school. As it turns out, she was/is very bright, thus getting accepted to Harvard. A great story. If you have no disabilities, it shows how lucky some people are not to have them; but at the same time, some who do have them do not let it slow them down and are probably more determined to get on with a meaningful life.Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is always lovely to watch and Lacey Chabert, as Brooke, is wonderful. Highly recommend it!