Good intentions do not necessarily make for good movies, and "Prayers for Bobby," which brims with good intentions, falls short of its creators' goals. The film's story cannot be spoiled for those yet to see a telecast, because televised previews and interviews with star Sigourney Weaver have already done so. A young man comes to the realization that he is attracted to men and cannot change his nature. His otherwise doting mother, who adheres to a strict interpretation of the Bible, cannot accept a gay son. The son commits suicide, and, at fadeout, the mother is leading a gay pride parade. Unfortunately, a wrenching tragic story has been rushed, and the bland results are more "after school special," than truly special, like the groundbreaking "A Touch of Frost." Bobby is well played by Ryan Kelley, although the character's anguish and inner conflicts remain unexplored. The freedom he experiences during a visit to an out-of-town cousin, his budding relationship with a handsome young man, and his father's seeming indifference to his sexual orientation make the boy's ultimate decision puzzling. Evidently, Bobby has even visited an inclusive church, run by gay pastor Dan Butler. Nevertheless, the young man with these avenues of solace before him chooses the darkest solution. Because the story is true and Bobby left a diary, much material must have been cut. Directory Russell Mulcahy, best known for music videos, inserts rapid flashes of a bound Bobby struggling to release himself. However inspired these bits might have seemed, the results are more annoying than illuminating.
The mother's character shift occurs with similar whiplash rapidity. The role of Mary Griffith was likely written to attract a major player with award-winning aspirations, and Sigourney Weaver rises to the occasion with appropriate histrionics and serious soul searching. However, a woman who, according to the script, has been bound to her Bible throughout life asks simplistic questions that could have surfaced in Bible school. The torment and inner turmoil that she must have experienced in challenging long-held beliefs are tossed away in a few scenes. Perhaps "Prayers for Bobby" is appropriate for families with a gay child that have no knowledge of homosexuality, which seems remote in the 21st century. With only a couple chaste male-male kisses, the film is certainly discrete and suggests little of gay life, other than darkly lit bars, furtive encounters, and the rare tolerant parents. However, the Bush years are history, Proposition 8 has been passed, and gays need films with more bite than this de-fanged piece. With a potentially important and gripping story and a talented cast, "Prayers for Bobby" is a lost opportunity to make a statement about the role that organized religion plays in demonizing gay Americans and denying them their inalienable rights.