Jewel

I thought this movie was very good. It showed so much emotion within the family. Farah Faucett was excellent portraying the Mother of a mentally challenged child. It also showed the emotional turmoil which impacted the family as a whole. But I felt it brought out some very true feelings that can occur with parents who have mentally challenged children.

Our 17 mo. old daughter has Down syndrome and this movie really put into perspective how people with Down syndrome were treated years gone by. Fortunately, Jewel was strong enough to know that her daughter would have a productive life...and by God, she did! God bless all those who went against the system and succeeded. Steps to a brighter future is our goal!!!

Once again, Farrah Fawcett rises above typical television sentimentality and gives a strong performance as a mother facing the hardship of raising a child with Downs Syndrome. Fawcett deserves an Emmy nomination for her potrayal of a woman who gains strength through adversity, and who is the anchor of a family beset by emotional duress and dysfunction. Farrah, both strong and soft, hard and sensitive, continues to grow as an actress. Hopefully, she will be provided even better scripts and direction in the future. Fawcett's turns in The Burning Bed, Small Sacrifices, Dr. T and the Women, and Extremities have shown us that she outgrew her Charlie's Angels image years ago, and that she's long overdue for the really juicy roles.

'Jewel' the title character,played by Farrah Fawcett,is a mother of four children who now middle-aged awaits her fifth child.Her newborn baby girl is named Brenda Kay and soon after doctors discover that Brenda Kay has Down Syndrome.They give her 2 years to live but Jewel is undaunted.She believes that if she loves Brenda Kay enough everything will be alright.

That is the basic story and Fawcett handles the character of Jewel well.She plays a woman who has resolved to give up anything and everything to ensure the happiness and well-being of her daughter,even if it means that she does so at the expense of her other children and her husband.The story and the characters were handled well enough but personally,it did not make as much of an emotional impact as it could have and the ending was rather disappointing.

This was a beautifully told story that anyone can appreciate, but those parents of children with special needs will find particularly emotional viewing. It conveys the challenges well, and treats a sensitive subject with great tenderness. It's also a reminder that the world has come a very long way in a relatively short period of time when it comes to acceptance, but - and this is not related to the movie - it's worth noting that over 80% of those with Down Syndrome are terminated prior to birth. So perhaps we're not that 'inclusive' after all.

I pre-screened this before suggesting it to my wife, but decided against suggesting it after all. It would feel too raw. So be warned, if you have a child with DS or similar, this is a beautiful movie but may tug at your heart strings too deeply for comfort.