This was one of my favorite movies ever. I watched it once and was curiously confused by the twists and uncertainties in the plot. Then I watched it again and I cried more than I have ever cried in my life. I quietly bawled, tears flowing, through the entire movie. I have recommended it to many people as a great movie, but I don't know of anyone who has seen it. I think I will go look online and see if I can buy it. It is deep, deep, deep, especially for people with mental illness in their family, or let's say emotional illness in our society. Powerful lessons are taught about love and caring for our children. People need lessons on how to love, value, and treat each other selflessly. Most of us spend so much energy, research and resources on technological and financial advancement and so little on human concerns and relationship development. Commentators are complaining that the husband is fantasizing about an idealized wife, but we actually don't have to settle for poor quality relationships. We can learn to value, nurture, support each other and be real.

I was in a community theater production of Gillian, and my comments echo another review here.(Contains spoilers)David E. Kelley's screenplay used almost none of playwright Michael Brady's dialogue, the characters were obnoxious, and they made Cindy into sleazy little tramp instead of a complex character who uses attitude to cover real growing pains. Esther was just a vicious harpy and Kevin had no substance to her. Rachel gets drunk at a party, and SHE saw Gillian? He also basically scrapped the whole anthropologist angle, and the abortion vignette, which was so key to David realizing that he had indeed constructed an icon divorced from reality. And of course, Paul, my character, was just a tool!

OK, I know that this movie is based on a play, but still, does the main idea expressed by Peter Gallagher need to directly reflect a line said by John Cage on Ally McBeal 3 years later? Gallagher's character says that while he experiences this "fantasy", he is happy, happier than he is in the real world. John Cage tells Ally that you can't find happiness in the real world, and that is why she is only happy in her imaginary world. Hmmmmmmmm.... This seems a little redundant to me, but as long as we don't see the ghost of Happy Boyle on Ally McBeal, I can forgive DEK.As for the overall movie, I give this movie an 8 out of 10 stars.

What a dutiful wife won't do for a husband. David E Kelley succeeds in making wifey Michelle rather bland in this McBeal-esque drama. It was okay. I could watch it. Claire Danes is as usual totally charming. Self-effacing, well-mannered hottie that she is. Freddie Prinze has bad hair and worse piercings. Kathy Baker is appropriately grating. Peter Gallagher is vague and irritating. Overall, it passed some time pretty harmlessly.