Rating: 
Summary: Not Without My Daughter - don't rent it
Review: Whilst sitting in my world cultures class one day shortly before Christmas break, our teacher explained that there would be a project due when we returned. *collective groan* the assignment was to watch this movie and write a summary report. I was wary at first, and soon found that this feeling was justified. Throughout most of this film the actions of the characters are either overplayed, or drawn out and boring. What looks like a plot twist at first, becomes a staple for the movie, happening again and again, until it can no longer be classified as a plot twist. At risk of sounding uninteligent, I'd say the best word to describe this film is just "silly".
Rating: 
Summary: This Movie is Excellent
Review: I saw this movie for the first time about 4 and a half years ago and have seen it about 3 or 4 times since. Although personally, I think the book is better than the movie, but the movie is excellent in it's own right. If you like drama and culture this movie is for you. Sally Field and Alfred Molina play their parts very well. It keeps you on your toes and you can feel and understand the pain that Betty (Sally Field) is going through.
Rating:
Summary: Culture Clash
Review: I recently watched this film and enjoyed it a great deal. I thought the acting was very good and conveyed the situation of Betty Mahmoody in a sincere way.I do not think that it is meant to present the Islamic religion in a negative way at all. It does, however, illustrate the complete culture clash that Betty Mahmoody encountered in Iran. Alfred Molina is English, by the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Excitement & Intrigue
Review: The excitement and intrigue in this movie was quite extraordinary. I enjoyed the musical scores and the background drops and scenery. The story line was certainly filled with mystery and suspense. As with the book, I found it difficult to keep remembering it was a true story according to one woman. The movie was fast moving and kept one's attention. The inferences were established in the actors looks and movements. I found it a gripping movie and one I watched more than once. I am not reveiwing the validity of the claims of the experiences of this family. I am reviewing the movie for it's content and ability to keep interest.
Rating:
Summary: I beleived it!
Review: This rare look into the private lives of Iranian men and women was engaging. This film certainly delivers suspense! Not your usual run of the mill on-the-run-from-the-bad-guys thill ride either. It is thought provoking to consider where the line between culture and personal rights should, or could be drawn. Sally Field does what she does well: fight for what is right against all odds. She could give Barbra Walters a run for her money when it comes to making people cry! But,I was easily caught up in it and found it entertaining,so pick up kleenex and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Liked it
Review: I saw this movie and i like it, but I know some people said it did not happen that way. Well I think it is a true account of what Betty Mahmoody went through. When you watch this film don't get the wrong idea about Islam, because its not like that. Muslim men respect their wives, however some don't. Don't get me wrong its only a few Muslim men who use violence against their wives. Islam is a beautiful religion, so don't get the wrong idea.
Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT but what about Mahtobs View
Review: WOW! I posted my opinion in the book section about both the books from Betty Mahmoody, but I just found the video section for this and I am impressed at ALL the different VIEW on this film! I thought the movie was incredible. Of course I have never lived in any Middle Eastern Country so I can't say anything about the believability of the scenery etc, but then that wasn't really what I was concerned about. I was rivited to the story line and the way Betty manipulated her bad situation until it became manageable for her to get out of a place she didn't want to be in. AND keep her daughter. I do have to say thought that the Iranians and other people from the Middle East that I have only met (not lived with)have been fabulously intersting and so willing to share their culture and experiences with me that I love all the differences. Anyway even though the people I personally met from that area of the world have been intelligent and interesting, that doesn't mean that there aren't people who are mean or cruel or abusers or liars, just like there is in the U.S. and no one can deny that. I had some trouble in that in the books they seem like a lady who didn't have successful previous marriages got into another one. That one wasn't the way she wanted it to be either. Maybe it had seemed exciting because it was a different culture and would allow her to get some real worldy experiences other than the U.S. but then maybe it just didn't met her expectations. I did think she exaggerated from a scorned woman's point of view until I saw the movie. Then it seemed more real to me. Words can mean different things to different people, but like they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words". I'd like to hear from Mahtob like I said in the book reviews, but I DID LIKE this movie ALOT and I have watched it now dozens of time! Everytime someone comes to watch videos, we ALWAYS put this one in first. It ALWAYS leads to a night of unending conversations and opinions. LOVED IT!
Rating: 
Summary: This movie was true and I lived it
Review: To all of you people who have called this movie ridiculous...You live it and then tell us how ridiculous it is. Not only did I go through this with my mother when I was a child, but I unfortunately returned to live in the Middle East 15 years after she got me out and my father, again, tried to keep me there against my will. I have lived in a world you will hopefully never have to live in. So, please don't ever say it's not 'real'.
Rating:
Summary: Refused to "Get It"
Review: I don't think anyone refused to "get it". I think it depends on where you are coming from. Those who know the area and the majority of people in the Iranian culture probably understand that the movie wasn't even filmed in the area and so it seemed false and silly to them. Others seemed to view it as a woman who was divorced a couple of time telling a story of her reasons for the second divorce. Still others saw it for Ms. Mamoody's dilema in finding that if she divorced her husband in Iran that the children are usually given custody to the father, unlike the US where they are usually awarded to the mother. Just a cultural difference. BUT to Ms. Mahmmody, who was raised in a little town in the US, she expected and wanted the child. Naturally she wanted her daughter and would have gone to whatever ends she had to in order to see that happen. Most mothers I know are the same way. They don't leave their children. I was stranded decades ago with my two young children in a foreign country too, and I can tell you I didn't let them out of my sight and NO ONE was going to take them away from me! So well, maybe I am just a bit more sympathetic than some. In lieu of commenting about the views of other posters, it is their right to have their opinion so I will only conclude by commenting that I own the movie and I liked it. Nothing personal I assure you!
Rating:
Summary: A true-life account...NOT an attempt at defamation.
Review: I own the film "Not Without My Daughter," and have viewed it many times. I've also read both of Betty Mahmoody's books. Frankly, I'm amazed at the terrible reviews of the movie by those who obviously feel the movie was a blanket attack on Islam. Without having visited Iran myself, I can't say whether the scenes of Tehran are likelife. But the story itself was based on a true-life account of a woman who escaped her husband who held her hostage in a country she didn't want to live in. THAT'S ALL. It was not an attempt at blaming all of Islam for this woman's bad marriage, but rather her husband ONLY, as an individual man. Moreover, many or even most of the characters in the movie are portrayed as sympathetic and caring. The only "bad" characters are those who attempt to hold a woman and child in a country against their wills. If you read Betty Mahmoody's books, you will see she has wonderful things to say about the value and beauty of Islam, and encouraged her daughter to celebrate her Islamic heritage back in America. Betty apparently had and maintained many Arab friends in the US after her return from Iran. I don't know what more she could do to get the point across that she appreciated Islamic culture and its people, and was only against people of any country or culture who try to abuse the rights of others. The point of the movie, to those who obviously refuse to "get it," is that Betty Mahmoody and her daughter were forced to stay in a country against their wills. They were kept there by threats of violence or real acts of real violence. The movie is NOT about Islam. It's about an abusive man who happens to be a Muslim. And it depicts that the consequences of that man's actions on his wife and daughter.
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