Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- oppressive
- melancholic
- dark rainy evening
- literary horror night
What critics said
Critics generally agreed that the film is handsomely produced and occasionally effective but too muted, inert, and lacking in suspense or chemistry.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mary Reilly's viewpoint transforms the familiar Jekyll and Hyde narrative into the experience of a Victorian housemaid observing her employer's divided identity.
Mary's attraction to both Jekyll and Hyde is embedded in a Victorian atmosphere of secrecy, class hierarchy, and suppressed sexuality.
The doctor's house, laboratory, and enclosed domestic spaces frame Mary's growing unease and the threat concealed within the household.
Jekyll and Hyde externalize the conflict between civilized self-control and primal violence, with Mary caught between sympathy and horror.
Films like Mary Reilly, and why
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Victorian gothic horror, dual identity, repressed sexuality, and a morally conflicted outsider perspective
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Atmospheric period horror, psychologically tormented characters, and an elegant but oppressive visual style
The Innocents
Literary gothic drama centered on class, sexuality, repression, and a dangerous male alter ego
The Wolfman
Dark psychological horror exploring divided identity and primal violence through a heightened period setting
Movie Details
- Director
- Stephen Frears
- Release Date
- 1996-02-23
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (349)
Cast
- Julia Roberts
- John Malkovich
- George Cole
- Michael Gambon
- Glenn Close
- Kathy Staff
- Michael Sheen
- Bronagh Gallagher
- Linda Bassett
- Ciarán Hinds
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mary Reilly about?
- A Victorian housemaid becomes emotionally entangled with the respectable doctor and monstrous alter ego concealed within the same troubled man.
- What is Mary Reilly like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mary Reilly as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Mary Reilly violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Mary Reilly as moderate.
- What did critics think of Mary Reilly?
- Critics generally agreed that the film is handsomely produced and occasionally effective but too muted, inert, and lacking in suspense or chemistry.
- Which films are like Mary Reilly?
- Films with a similar feel include The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Innocents, and The Wolfman.
- How long is Mary Reilly?
- Mary Reilly runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mary Reilly?
- In United States, Mary Reilly streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
