Common Sense Media Review
By Christie Cronan
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Unrealistic disability drama has mature themes, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Flowers for Algernon
What's the Story?
FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON is the story of Charlie Gordon (Matthew Modine), a man with an intellectual disability who longs to be a genius. When Charlie undergoes a laboratory experiment to raise his IQ to profound levels, he realizes that his life isn't what it seemed. He must learn to adjust emotionally as his world awareness, personality, and relationships with other people change drastically. In the process, he befriends lab mouse Algernon. And then, as his intelligence begins to regress, Charlie races against time to find a solution.
Is It Any Good?
While Modine's portrayal of Charlie is believable, this adaptation hasn't aged well, especially when compared to the source material. The plot of Flowers for Algernon feels very unrealistic in today's world. And while it does a good job of serving as a call to action for fair treatment of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities -- along with questioning the moral and ethical values surrounding human medical experimentation -- the movie's background as a low-budget TV movie shows in the choppy scenes and bland acting. Ultimately, this is a forgettable B-film compared to the original book-to-film adaptation, 1968's Charly.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Flowers for Algernon portrays people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Do you think that it's an accurate depiction?
How has treatment of those with disabilities like Charlie's since the movie's release? (Or the initial novel's release, for that matter.) Do you think that this film holds up today?
What are some of the movie's ethical and moral themes? Do you think that Charlie should have undergone the lab experimentation and surgery?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 20, 2000
- Cast : Matthew Modine , Kelli Williams , Ron Rifkin
- Director : Jeff Bleckner
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Alliance Atlantis Communications
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Book Characters
- Run time : 97 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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