World Famous Comics: Homeless to Harvard - The Liz Murray Story
Homeless to Harvard - The Liz Murray Story
Starring: Thora Birch, Michael Riley, Robert Bockstael, Makyla Smith, Kelly Lynch Directed By: Peter Levin Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC Label: Lifetime Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: September 07, 2004 Running Time: 91 minutes Theatrical Release Date: April 07, 2003
Description: Liz Murray was raised in poverty by drug-addicted parents. Though they loved her, they were unable to care for her and Liz ended up living on the streets by the age of 15. Profoundly affected by her mother's AIDS-related death, Liz forced herself to look at her future and make some significant changes. Her prospects were dismal, yet she turned her life around by going back to high school. After earning her diploma in just two years, while still homeless, Liz won a New York Times scholarship for needy students, which enabled her to attend Harvard University.
DVD Features: Interviews:Interview with the real Liz Murray Other:Inspirational message from Liz Murray
Amazon.com: Thora Birch (American Beauty) is Liz Murray: homeless at 15, Harvard undergrad at 19. Based on a true story, the Lifetime movie begins when her mother, Jean (Kelly Lynch), a schizophrenic with a substance abuse problem, is placed in a mental institution. Liz and her sister are left with their father, Peter, who is also a drug addict. When Jean returns two years later, she's clean, but has AIDS (and will soon start drinking again). When Peter falls behind on the rent, they lose their apartment. He moves into a shelter, the rest move in with Jean's abusive father. Liz hits the streets soon afterwards. Once on her own, she gets serious about her studies and her hard work eventually pays off. Homeless to Harvard earned three Emmy nominations, including one for Birch, while Lynch (Drugstore Cowboy) is just as believable as her kindhearted mess of a mother. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Inspiration Never despair. No matter how bad things get, hang on in. To survive you must believe in yourself, and learn to trust.
Phenomenal! This is one of the most inspirational and truly miraculous stories I have ever heard. The story is very well portrayed by the actors in this film. It was also very well produced and I felt as though each scene gave a vivid interpretation of the factual events. This is one of the most outstanding films I have ever seen and I highly recommend it.
Strength and perseverance This is a good movie. Thora Birch is convincing. The story is incredible. Sometimes it is a little slow but it's worth the time one takes to see it. It's inspirational.
Strength I switched on the television to catch the initial third of the film, 'Homeless to Harvard'. I could not move after that, because I felt that what the protagonist of the story was so fascinating in, was her moving in a simple kind of way in a complicated pattern of life, in a simple world of her own, yet knowing only the kind of homes she did, of extreme poverty. Underneath the simple story told, there were these other layers of life, and of 'connections'. After the end of the film, I went into the web to try and locate more information on Liz Murray. I found mountainloads of material: a whole range, in fact. I wrote to Amazon.com, and within minutes, I received a reply (presumably, from some machine-operated response, but it still didn't stop me from being impressed, since I live on the other side of the world, to get that rapidity of reply - the marvels of science)to say that my order for the Liz Murray story on DVD had been noted, and would arrive within the next fortnight. It did - just a few days later. Most impressive, this efficiency. Since then, I have watched the film twice, and taken my own time to finish it at my own speed. I am someone who has stopped teaching, on early retirement, as a result of poor health. Had I still been at school, I would have taken my personal DVD with me to class, for anaylysis and discussion. However, when one looks at 'Homeless to Harvard', one could also be looking at not only the disadvantaged in Asian cities, but those with greater problems not only here, but elsewhere as well. That wherever there are these ravages of war for example, other or similar kinds of difficulties run parallel. In that sense, the children at these places are always far worse. Comparisons are invariably impossible. Unfair as well. I have mentioned this DVD to some friends, and what Amazon.com. had done for me! Actually, some friends had mentioned its world-wide services before, but I had not acted on the knowledge. This has been an eye opener, mainly for the obvious positive points of the message of the film, especially for people who do not have much, or might be disadvantaged. The comparisons or comments might also be made by other people, and it is through the acting of the actress and related people in the cast. The only part I was not so sure of, was in the conclusion, I didn't feel that it fit well into the rest of the film. That was my personal reaction to it. One presumes that some of the quotations from the film were taken from Liz Murray? I wonder if the film could have ended with one of her quotations.
Zheng Shuying Singapore
An immeasurably uplifting story ! I've always been inclined to see motivational movies -- Patch Adams, The Big fish, Good Will Hunting, etc, but this just went over my expectations. A jewel, now one of my favorites. I'm happy to its addition to my collection of films. Thanks to Liz Murray for sharing her life with us.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
