Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men
PG-13 | 29 November 1981 (USA)
Of Mice and Men Trailers

George and Lenny travel through the Depression-era west working at odd jobs, hoping to make enough money to buy their own farm. George must always watch over his intellectually disabled friend, and keep him out of danger, both to himself and to others. After they take a new job at a ranch, Lenny gets into far more trouble than George can talk his way out of, leaving George to decide whether to help him, or leave him to his fate.

Reviews
Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.
hahnstead I first saw this film when it was broadcast in 1981. I went to friend's house so he could record it on his VCR recorder for me to use in my HS Lit. class. Having seen the more recent version with Gary Sinise, I still prefer this adaptation. The character of Lennie is portrayed as too dark in the newer version. I'm now doing a long-term sub job for a local school and have just purchased a DVD copy of this film so that my HS juniors can watch it after they take their test. I will enjoy watching it as much as any of my students! Great performances from everyone and a very moving film. Kudos especially for Mr. Blake and Mr. Keach!
oldrk A few points about the movie. First, it was a cheap TV movie.No doubt not a huge budget so keep that in mind. Second, I have never read the book so I cant tear the movie apart by nit picking each and every part.I would say that calling this a "loosely based version" would be a good way to look at it.And lastly, I feel this brought a lot of people to the works of a master in Stenbeck. I would love to have it on DVD if available. I do have it on VHS.If anyone knows where there is a DVD version let me know.
healsrus As someone who's taught Of Mice and Men for years, I have a real affection for this version. Robert Blake is an engaging George and Randy Quaid's Lennie utterly convincing. The conversation between George and Aunt Clara, although only alluded to in the text, is intriguing - and helpful to students. This version also retains the part (first used in the Burgess Meredith version) where George has Lennie lift the cart and then swings on the wheel: simple but effective -rather like Lennie, I suppose!I'm not sure when I became aware of the one element that came to irritate me - but it certainly wasn't on first viewing: the soundtrack music is, I feel, overly sentimental.The final scenes are inventively shot - as is Lennie! - and the audience is given a hint of George's lonely, empty future.I'm searching for a copy (UK) to encourage some debate with students who are familiar with text and with the 1992 Sinise/Malkovitch version. Help welcomed!
snoweer This is the best version of this movie/book. Blake and Quaid both play their parts very well! I'd like to see this again on TV or available for rental. Both characters are tragic and made the more so by the excellent portrayals by these very well-known actors.