'Tim' on TMNet

I remember the first time I saw the movie 'Tim' was more than 20 years ago. At that time I was studying in Australia. (Oops...now you know how old I am!). Recently I had the pleasure of watching this movie again on TMNet's eLane broadband channel.

For those who don't know, eLane is part of TMNet's BlueHyppo portal. Subscribers can stream and watch movies, documentaries, fashion etc. over the internet. (TMNet should be paying me for promoting them...hehehe!) When I saw that 'Tim' was one of the featured movies for the month, I subscribed immediately. RM20 for one month's access is slightly on the high side, but what the heck!...I get to see some other rare movies there as well which I could not find at my local DVD store.

Anyway, back to the movie.... 'Tim' is an Australian film starring Mel Gibson. This is one of Mel Gibson's earlier movies before he became internationally famous. I don't think this movie was ever shown in our local cinemas. You won't believe how young Mel Gibson looks in this movie. I believe he's only 22 years old.

'Tim' is a movie about a mentally challenged 24-year-old man who falls in love with an older woman, Mary Horton, played by Piper Laurie.

Tim helps Mary appreciate the small things in life, as only a mentally challenged person can, and Mary helps Tim understand some of life's changes such as the marriage of his sister and the death of his mother. Through time, Mary learns that Tim has much more potential than anyone has ever given him credit. They soon fall in love.

This film was based on a novel written by Colleen McCullough, who also wrote The Thorn Birds.

Although the movie looks a bit dated, I still enjoyed it's heartwarming and touching story. The ending is a bit of a letdown though. Gibson is terrific playing a handicapped young man, showing a softer side of him that we seldom see in his later roles. Very much a chick flick, this is one of those movies you want to watch with your better half and to cuddle each other with.

By the way, the ladies are going to have a good time watching Mel Gibson in tight shorts!