Rating: 
Summary: Emotionally Entertaining
Review: "Children of a Lesser God" is one of the best films released in 1986, starring William Hurt and Marlee Matlin. Its brilliant plot never loses its emotional value. Its story about a high school teacher, James, who teaches deaf students, then meets a deaf female janitor who doesn't speak, Sarah, is unique. As secrets are revealed about Sarah's past, the film becomes increasingly interesting. James and Sarah later fall in love, but the battle between Sarah and her inner demons prevents the relationship to function at the fullest. Such twists turns arise within the characters that keep audiences always awaiting anxiously for what happens next. Therefore, this film is more than a love story; it's a story about hope. Such combination adds more unique themes. The distinction between the spoken words and the sign language was brilliantly translated. Rather than typing subtitles on the lower screen during the sign language scenes, James usually speaks what they are saying. Many say that having subtitles may have likely ruined the film's emotional affect. Such accomplishment makes the writing more brilliant. Marlee Matlin became the youngest person to win the Oscar for the Best Actress catagory (age 21). Her role as Sarah proved highly difficult, considering she only expressed herself nonverbally. Her body language distinuish Sarah's emotions perfectly in every scene. Few others have accomplished this in such magnitude. Only one other actress has won an Oscar for playing a non-speaking lead role (Holly Hunter, "The Piano", 1993). William Hurt performs his role as James wonderfully. Though not as demanding as Matlin's role, his emotional value still holds on top. James struggles between love and reaching out are expressed beautifully in every scene. All other actors, major or minor, also perform their roles beautifully. "Children of a Lesser God" is a wonderful film for those looking for powerful themes. This is sure to continue pleasing audiences for many more years. Its quality proves that this is destined to become a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Emotionally Entertaining
Review: "Children of a Lesser God" is one of the best films released in 1986, starring William Hurt and Marlee Matlin. Its brilliant plot never loses its emotional value. Its story about a high school teacher, James, who teaches deaf students, then meets a deaf female janitor who doesn't speak, Sarah, is unique. As secrets are revealed about Sarah's past, the film becomes increasingly interesting. James and Sarah later fall in love, but the battle between Sarah and her inner demons prevents the relationship to function at the fullest. Such twists turns arise within the characters that keep audiences always awaiting anxiously for what happens next. Therefore, this film is more than a love story; it's a story about hope. Such combination adds more unique themes. The distinction between the spoken words and the sign language was brilliantly translated. Rather than typing subtitles on the lower screen during the sign language scenes, James usually speaks what they are saying. Many say that having subtitles may have likely ruined the film's emotional affect. Such accomplishment makes the writing more brilliant. Marlee Matlin became the youngest person to win the Oscar for the Best Actress catagory (age 21). Her role as Sarah proved highly difficult, considering she only expressed herself nonverbally. Her body language distinuish Sarah's emotions perfectly in every scene. Few others have accomplished this in such magnitude. Only one other actress has won an Oscar for playing a non-speaking lead role (Holly Hunter, "The Piano", 1993). William Hurt performs his role as James wonderfully. Though not as demanding as Matlin's role, his emotional value still holds on top. James struggles between love and reaching out are expressed beautifully in every scene. All other actors, major or minor, also perform their roles beautifully. "Children of a Lesser God" is a wonderful film for those looking for powerful themes. This is sure to continue pleasing audiences for many more years. Its quality proves that this is destined to become a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Tryanny of The Deaf!
Review: A Superbly mounted film starring William Hurt . Marlee Matlin..with good work from the likes of Phillip Bosco and co, Its heartfelt and true and the director should be applauded for handling the subjects of alienation, loneliness and isolation. Its not too ironic that Piper Laurie shows up playing the mother. This wonderful actress lets the audience know what pain there is in all the subjects examined by this film. I can only think of that same Piper Laurie look in 1961,s " The Hustler" and gain some perspective on life. Unique film experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Good acting but a bad lesson
Review: A very fine acting job by all and Marlee Matlin is a real babe! The only bad part of the movie is the message. This movie says that deaf people are handicapped and second class citizens. They MUST be taught to speak or they are not really people. Total BULLCOOKIES of course but that's what the movie says. For anybody learning sign language this movie is a must-have. Marlee's signing is a thing of beauty. What's-His-Face's however is robotic. BTW: Contrary to her actions in the movie, in real life Miss Matlin does indeed talk and does a fine job of it too. I prefer her to sign though. As I said she's a master.
Rating:
Summary: I love this movie!
Review: As a hearing person, I have always want to experience in the world of deaf. This movie does benefit me a lot and make me feel close to all the deaf community. This is one of a special kind feature film I ever seen!
Rating: 
Summary: Children of a Lesser God
Review: For a movie so 'profound' in its beauty of bridging the gap between hearing and non-hearing people, maybe this movie could have been much more. As it is, it's practically just the idea of 2 different people relating that holds the movie up, and much of the screen time is filled with odd, formulatic sequences. The movie is so formulatic in its delivery and so un-bold in its unfolding of events that it feels as if you have seen this movie a million times already, possibly because it borrows here and there from other movies similar to it. If this movie is described as boring, it's not because of long scenes, or lack of music, or lenghty dialogue bits, it's only because it only has mundane, tripe, and overused scenes to offer to the viewer. It also has the uncanny heavy 80's atmosphere that most people will be displeased to find in films weak with substance, and resorting to a all-knowing mocking tone towards how the 80's were in general. Take the kid in William Hurt's class for instance, who wears 80's punk garb and plays air guitar, constantly. Forget development of this guy, or possibly a less humiliating approach to his exploration into the ocean of speech, all you really get is him acting as a moving joke for the audience to chuckle at. For that reason, a movie with the title 'Children of a Lesser God' really doesn't even start to breach the waters of what this could possibly mean. No, it shows them in little humorous sequences trying to speak in plain English as a departure from their former medium of silence, and has them dancing around like idiots under control of the director. The beautiful sequences, which seem to be hampered down in thick, rich Vangelis style music, are very few, and definitely do not include any of the 'children'. And William Hurt, while possibly pleasing as the ordinary man's role, a bit tired, a bit patronized, like in his other movies, gets old in this role. Line after line delivered with that monotone voice and absolute paucity of facial expression, really gets overshadowed by even the smaller roles.
Rating:
Summary: Bridging the Gap of Hearing and Deaf!
Review: I found this movie to be wonderful and very inspiring. I recommend it especially to those, like me, who are Hearing but are starting a new relationship with a Deaf person. I can identify very well w/ Hurt's character: believing that all deaf should speak, that one can never understand the Deaf person's silence, etc. Besides being a romantic flick for any couple, I recommend it for any of those who think that love cannot flourish under adverse circumstances.
Rating: 
Summary: It was ok
Review: I think Marlee Matlin is a very talented actress. She was great in this film. However, I thought that the film was kind of boring. There could have been a lot more of a story than their was. The whole thing about Marlee Matlin's character not talking got old after a while. If she didn't want to talk, I don't see why her boyfriend always tried to force her to. It annoyed me. So, I kind of liked this film. I would reccomend it to people who like romance, but not to people who get antsy during a boring movie.
Rating:
Summary: It was ok
Review: I think Marlee Matlin is a very talented actress. She was great in this film. However, I thought that the film was kind of boring. There could have been a lot more of a story than their was. The whole thing about Marlee Matlin's character not talking got old after a while. If she didn't want to talk, I don't see why her boyfriend always tried to force her to. It annoyed me. So, I kind of liked this film. I would reccomend it to people who like romance, but not to people who get antsy during a boring movie.
Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: I would have to wonder about anyone who gave this movie a bad review, is it lack of empathy, or just understanding? The acting was superior, and the tale was gripping. Even before I understood the issues personally, the movie was enlightening. If it had a failure it was in assuming those of us with hearing understood the depth of the issues, and perhaps the play conveyed this more clearly. One example: I learned to sign both ASL (American Sign Language) & SEE (Signed Exact English) I learned the latter first. SEE was designed by Hearing educators who felt it would help Deaf people learn to read better. It has a sign for each word corresponding to english, including signs for past participles, etc. "Going" is two signs "go" & "ing" In SEE "Are you going to the store?" requires seven signs. In ASL only three are required "You go store" The eyebrows are raised to indicate an interogative, (question) where telling someone (command) the eyes are squinted and covey a sort of forcefulness, (which is why some hearing people assume they are angry) but the same three signs are used. The "ing" is a hearing-designed sign flipping the little finger from the body towards the other person. If you sign for just one hour your eyes are getting tired, especially if you are using three times as many signs, and at that point when someone throws that "ing" at you it feels like they shot you between the eyes with a pellet gun. ASL is simply a better language than the one designed by hearing educators who feel the deaf are "Children of a Lesser God." Whether it's thinking it's better for the deaf to learn how to speak, or thinking their language should be changed for their benefit, the message is the same, and the moviee did a good job of presenting this.
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