The Lady Forgets (1989 TV Movie) User Reviews

The Two Faces of Mrs. Simms

[lavatch · 5/10 · 26 January 2021]

"The Lady Forgets" was a frustrating thriller in that the sultry ambience often overwhelmed the film. With the interesting central character, there could have been a greater focus on how Mrs. Rebecca Simms discovers the identity of Miss Julie Black.

All too often, Rebecca seems to be running away from someone. There were too many characters, and the plot about an art forgery was overly complicated. Rebecca happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, which becomes a familiar trope in the film.

There were two men in the protagonist's life. One was Andrew Simms, a good father, who was reluctant to take Rebecca back after her two-year absence. The other was the dashing Tony Clay, an art enthusiast and playboy. But it never seemed credible that Rebecca/Julie genuinely loved either of those men.

There was a nice touch in the relationship of Rebecca and her young daughter Priscilla. The search to reconnect with the daughter would have sustained the film better than Rebecca's travails with Andrew and Tony. The selective amnesia of Rebecca seemed more like a plot device that a genuine blockage of memory.

In the end, "The Lady Forgets" was a slow burner mitigated only by the strong performance by Donna Mills and the evocative jazz score. Those production values were not enough to salvage the film.

Crappy

[rms125a · 5/10 · 26 August 2002]

The cast and the environs are so obviously Canadian posing as U.S. that it loses authenticity. Mills has been such a perverse actress since Knot's Landing that she has rarely been sympathetic in any role, even without the eye paint, and her role here is no exception. Good stolid Canadian actress Florence Patterson is as convincing as Mills' character's mother as Zelda Rubinstein would be as Brooke Shields' mom. Lon Katzman's performance is so awful that it is risible. The only interesting part is the downbeat ending when true love does indeed depart on the 6:12 train, with no last minute tacked-on saccharine ending.

Great ideas but poorly executed

[Kingslaay · 6/10 · 9 January 2023]

The Lady Forgets had a promising premise. It starts off in a very interesting manner. What a way to captivate the audience when a woman has no memory for the last 2 years and supposedly walked out on her husband and daughter. You are left with so many questions.

But sadly these are poorly answered. The direction of this film is quiet poor. How did Rebecca (a.k.a Julie Black) lose her memory in the first place???How did Julie Black meet and get close to Tony Clay? What happened over these 2 years? A scene or two explaining this would have helped. We have to assume he Tony Clay met her the night we witnessed the murder. We also have to assume she then lost her memory after falling through the glass and regained it when she fell at the start of the film except the last two years. A lot of loose ends are not tied and this film leaves you confused and having to piece together the story from fragments. I feel a great story exists here and perhaps if someone like Alfred Hitchcock was the director, he would made it a treat to watch.

Had to make an IMDB account just to review this awful movie!!

[cathyparkerson · 1/10 · 26 October 2020]

I want my hour and half back, or whatever time this ridiculousness took from my life! Every time this main character could easily explain the situation she just stands there looking longingly at the other main character. Then the ending!! Not even a thank you for her ex husband raising her daughter the last two years while she is wandering around in some kind of amnesia state. She just gives him a dirty look and rides off into the night with her daughter in a ambulance. This movie solidified the fact that I must read reviews before watching any Lifetime movies again.

Boring movie with poor acting from Donna Mills!

[Knotslanding1993 · 2/10 · 19 December 2013]

This movie is very cheaply made and boring! Donna Mills acting is quite terrible and the production quality is extremely poor. I've tried to watch this movie all the way through 3 times and ended up turning it off twice, I finally watched all the way through and I have to say, I didn't miss anything not watching all the way through. I am a big Donna Mills fan, but the movie is a very boring, cheap and poorly acted film. Donna Mills really needs to work on creating a character as an actress because her character in every movie she plays in might as well be the same character, she acts the same in every movie. Donna does not make any quirks for her characters and any quirks her characters have are quirks of Donna's personality, not quirks she created for the character. Sad to say she needs some acting lessons! She was great as Abby in Knots Landing maybe because Donna is more like Abby than she wants to admit. Anyway, back to the movie, I give it 2 stars, bore-ville!

NO

[nananow · 1/10 · 9 April 2020]

I get irritable when I am lulled into thinking a movie can't be all had. This one is. Between the running or walking chases, the cuts to dew jazz, the interminable long and attempted sultry gazes, the conversation pauses that lead to nothing or Evigan's thinning long pony tail, this was one BAD movie. Even Mill's constantly slicked lips couldn't save the performance or movie.

Forget the amnesia, this one is memorable

[dennis-35 · 8/10 · 25 February 2002]

A housewife suffers a blow to her head. Two years later she hits her head again. She does not know what happened during those years.

In flashbacks, she (and we) discover the new life she lived. She had a new career ... and a new man ... and new enemies.

This is an intelligent movie. Donna Mills carries the show with a strong, sincere performance. I have this one recorded, and have watched it several times over the last 12 years.