| Tuesdays with Morrie | |
|---|---|
 British DVD cover | |
| Genre | Biographical drama |
| Based on | Tuesdays with Morrie byMitch Albom |
| Written by | Thomas Rickman |
| Directed by | Mick Jackson |
| Presented by | Oprah Winfrey |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Marco Beltrami |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography | Theo van de Sande |
| Editor | Carol Littleton |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Production company | Harpo Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | December 5, 1999 (1999-12-05) |
Tuesdays with Morrie is a 1999 Americanbiographical dramatelevision film directed byMick Jackson and written byThomas Rickman, based on journalistMitch Albom's1997 memoir. In the film, Albom (Hank Azaria) bonds with his former professor,Morrie Schwartz (Jack Lemmon), who is dying ofALS, over a series of visits.
Tuesdays with Morrie was produced byOprah Winfrey'sHarpo Films, and was filmed inLos Angeles andSanta Clarita, California. It aired onABC on December 5, 1999, as part of the "Oprah Winfrey Presents" series. It received positive reviews and numerous accolades, includingPrimetime Emmy Awards forOutstanding Television Movie,Outstanding Lead Actor for Lemmon, andOutstanding Supporting Actor for Azaria; aDirectors Guild of America Award for Jackson; and aWriters Guild of America Award and aHumanitas Prize for Rickman.
In 1995Detroit,Mitch Albom becomes caught up in his career as asports commentator and journalist. His girlfriend Janine, a backup singer, feels he never places her as a priority. One evening, while on the phone with Janine, Mitch flips through TV channels and lands on an edition ofNightline where his former professorMorrie Schwartz is being interviewed byTed Koppel. Morrie discusses his current health and reveals he is dying ofamyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease" or ALS. Morrie, a retiredsociology professor fromBrandeis University living inBoston, comes on the show to describe his final journey.
Over the following days, Mitch feels bothered he never got a chance to visit his old professor. Feeling so moved by the interview, Mitch reaches out for a visit with Morrie after sixteen years of no contact. Morrie loves food, which becomes a regular endeavor with his visits with Mitch. Office hours during university were on Tuesdays, where Morrie would grade papers and critique students' assignments, and Mitch now makes it a habit to visit him every Tuesday. Connie, Morrie's home nurse, is his primary caretaker. After leaving Morrie, Mitch continues working and cannot find a groove with Janine.
Mitch returns and witnesses aliving funeral where friends and family come to honor a still alive Morrie, per the latter's request. As the two get reacquainted, they participate in conversations about substantial topics. Morrie divulges on his time as a young boy and how his relationships unfolded between his mother, stepmother, and father. Back home, Mitch continues with his busy career, and while out on a story, he receives a call from Janine breaking up with him.
Another visit prompts Mitch to bring a recording device to capture all of Morrie's pieces of advice and anecdotes about death, love, marriage, family, and relationships. The time spent with Morrie starts to affect Mitch's position at work, he argues with his boss and decides to prioritize his visits with Morrie. Mitch, being so immersed in this new world asks Connie to teach him skills to aid Morrie when no one else is around. New tasks Mitch learns include: helping Morrie in and out of his wheelchair, using his oxygen tank, feeding Morrie, and even specialmassages.
Finding meaning in Morrie's advice, Mitch proposes to Janine via letter. She rejects him but comes along on a visit to Morrie's home. Janine notices a change in Mitch's personality in the way he knows what to do around Morrie from the oxygen tank assistance to cleaning Morrie's crying eyes. Janine and Morrie speak without Mitch in the room. Later, on their way home, Mitch and Janine make up and decide a proper proposal should take place.
On a rainy visit, Mitch brings Morrie food, but learns he has not been able to eat solid foods for some time. Charlotte, Morrie's wife tells Mitch his visits have a great impact on Morrie. Mitch notices how the illness is worsening. They continue to speak about topics like regret, spiritual life, forgiveness, and love. Morrie reiterates that we all, as humans, must love one another or die. He recounts the story of his father's death. Mitch receives a call from Walter, his boss, and they find middle ground to allow Mitch to write again. Mitch takes Janine to the islands and proposes to her there. Back home, Mitch requests to have all of his Tuesdays off to continue his visits with Morrie.
On a snowy visit, Mitch asks Morrie what a perfect day would be like. According to Morrie, it would be one spent with friends, family, food, dancing, and choosing his burial site. Morrie asks Mitch to visit once he has passed. Moved, Mitch cries and hugs Morrie. Mitch then promises to come back next Tuesday. Morrie dies Saturday morning. Charlotte keeps his funeral small, and all the people in his perfect day are included. The funeral is held on a Tuesday.
The film was produced byOprah Winfrey'sHarpo Films. After reading the memoir, Winfrey promoted it onher television show and lobbied for the film rights. Albom doubted the film would be made: "There are no car crashes, no explosions, no intricate terrorist plots. It's just two people talking. What producer in their right mind would want to take that on?"[1]
The producers believed that a straight adaptation of the memoir would be "limp and static", so the story was changed to place more emphasis on Albom, including scenes with his girlfriend and at his workplace. According to executive producerKate Forte, directorMick Jackson was inspired by the German filmRun Lola Run to quicken the film's pace.[1] Filming took place inLos Angeles andSanta Clarita, California.[2]
Tuesdays with Morrie aired onABC on December 5, 1999, as part of the "Oprah Winfrey Presents" series.[2]
The review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes give it a 71% rating based on 7 reviews.[3] Fred Topel from About.com says, "Movie of the week with film caliber performances".[4] Common Sense Media Editors states, "Oprah Winfrey presents a three-hanky weepfest".[5]
The film brought in a 15.2/22 rating/share, and was watched by 22.5 million viewers, ranking as the most watched program that week.[6][7]