User reviews

Natalie Wood in an unsung tour-de-force, playing relatively ordinary housewife and mother who has a mental collapse. Adaptation of Joyce Burditt's popular book, this TV-movie attempts to deal with touchy subject matter in a straightforward, mature, non-exploitive manner, and for the most part is quite successful. While in recovery mode, Wood is unblinking and unblushing, whether relaying her character's personal feelings or describing childhood haunts. The narrative is a bit clogged with medical minutiae (I would've preferred to see more of Wood at home with her family), however the results are relatively well-wrought and quite memorable, and Natalie's work is blessedly unaffected and heartfelt.

There are three kinds of TV movies. First, fiction stories which look like the big screen films, but cheaper: thrillers, comedies, westerns; nothing really exciting most of the time. Second, you have TV movies related to real life of people, gloomy, depressing, not the kind of stuff that most audiences will pay for in a theater, when they go to forget their daily problems, especially when they are with their kids whilst eating popcorn, eccept maybe some films from directors such as Paul Mazursky, Daniel Mann or Peter Bodganovitch. And third, you have, in TV industry, biopics, biographies of famous folks: politics, show bizeness, sport. So this one belongs to the second category, destined to home audiences, people sitting in their sofa and seeking in this kind of movies, some things in common with their own problems; with sometimes a bit of peeping tom line too. Guilty pleasure to observe distress, hopeles, despair. Nathalie Wood is of course excellent here and I think she did not play better for the big screen, where most of time, she played in major, famous movies, with only her presence, her beauty and charisma instead a real actress' play. In TV industry, at least, she could be a real actress and show her skills. That's my own opinion, i can be wrong. This movie is good enough for me but certainly not DAY OF WINE AND ROSES or LOST WEEK END. It is too light hearted for such a subject, not a comedy, but only not depressing, as I expected.

Of course, the book is usually better. The author has time to develope the characters, while the film makers do not. That having been said, "The Cracker Factory" is a very good movie. I was pleasantly surprised. Natalie Wood did a remarkably good job of bringing Joyce Burditt's "Cassie" to life. The supporting cast was also good, especially Juliet Mills as Tinkerbell, the night nurse. A good book to read, a good movie to watch, either way, you won't feel let down.

I have always been a big fan of Natalie Wood and own several of her movies, those of which can be purchased on DVD/Video. I have been buying her movies on DVD, or video (when DVD's can't be found). And, while seeing a little sketch of "The Cracker Factory" upon watching a TV biography of Natalie's, I became interested, realizing here was a Natalie Wood movie I have never seen but haven't been able to find. Just now I realized it was a 'made for TV movie'. I'm wondering is there any way to get a copy of this movie? I have read some good reviews from fans here, and it is highly recommended, so it makes me want to watch it even more (sorry for rambling, I was trying to get the minimum lines required).

I had read the book by Joyce Burditt -- even wrote her a fan letter, so was prepared NOT to like this television movie. Boy, was I wrong. Natalie Wood plays a wise-cracking suburban mom with a severe alcohol addiction. She loses control in a supermarket and ends up on the seventh floor of a hospital where they put the addicts and mentally ill. She has a crush on her psychiatrist and a wonderfully warm relationship with the night supervisor played by Juliet Mills. She confronts the pain she puts her family through, especially the children. Despite the serious subject matter, she is so charming and witty you can laugh and then cry with her. Highly recommend.

Natalie Wood's performance in 'The Cracker Factory' is quite simply, brilliant. The fact she wasn't nominated for an Emmy for this performance is unforgivable. Her character is a nuanced mix of and belligerence and insecurity - with real depth and humour. When she found a part she could really relate to, there was such honesty in her work.

The film itself rises above the 70's telemovie 'disease of the week' cliche, although it would have made an interesting feature film under the right director.

It's a shame that Natalie died two years after this film, it would have been fascinating to watch her grow and mature as an actress. We have such a great gallery of portraits from her - from child parts (Tomorrow is Forever, Miracle on 34th St) to ingenue roles (Rebel Without a Cause) to the leading lady material of Splendor in the Grass and Love with the Proper Stranger. She didn't do too many films in the 70's or 80's - but The Cracker Factory shows how well she had developed.

Great support by Shelley Long, Juliet Mills etc... (the music score is a little distracting though - esp. during her speech to Perry King)

I have seen the movie several times and am floored by Wood's performance each time. Highly recommended.

Having just finished Suzanne Finstad's biography of Natalie Wood, I was eager to see The Cracker Factory because it was one of Natalie's favorite roles and a performance that she was very proud of. I have seen almost all of Natalie's films, and after watching this one, I can definitely say that it is perhaps her best work as an actress. Don't get me wrong, she was excellent in all of her films, but in The Cracker Factory, her acting was sheer brilliance. She was extremely convincing as Cassie, a depressed alcoholic housewife who drifts in and out of mental treatment. The role not only called for tough dramatic acting, which Wood of course tackles excellently, but also calls for an actress that has great comic timing due to Cassie's acerbic wit, which Natalie displays effortlessly and hilariously.

The supporting cast is also in top form. Peter Haskell is great as the distant husband, Perry King is good as Cassie's psychiatrist, Juliet Mills is excellent as a supportive nurse, and a young Shelley Long is superb as the manic depressive Cara. The film itself is very good overall, although the music and certain parts of the script make it obvious that it is a made for TV movie.

In a great production, however, the highest honors must go to Natalie Wood. In her biography, Finstad writes about how Natalie often felt that her acting was inferior to her peers that had studied Method Acting in New York at the Actor's Studio (like James Dean). Watching The Cracker Factory, it is obvious that she had no reason to feel that way, her acting was brilliant, as good and even better than many of the great Method actors. I only wish that Wood would have received the critical recognition for this performance that she so richly deserved.

Burt Brinckerhoff's exceptional made-for-television movie "The Cracker Factory" based upon the Joyce Rebeta-Burditt book of the same name offers a phenomenal performance by the late, great Natalie Wood. Natalie Wood shines as Cassie Barrett, a suburban alcoholic housewife who's in and out of the local hospital mental ward. She gives a rare look into the turbulent life of a wife and mother who suffers from depression, alcoholism and slight mental difficulty. Wood's Cassie Barrett is a spunky, bright individual looking for answers as to why she can't seem to handle her own life, while others do. Wood is warm, witty, intelligent and adds a special glow to this perceptive film.

An underrated TV movie.

Though it's a little dated and the variety of psychiatric stereotypes is a little annoying, but really it's a very good TV movie that I wish were available on video. It's one of Natalie Wood's best performances and she captures the Cassie Barrett character right on. The Cleveland setting gives it a great middle America setting and Marian Mercer, Shelley Long (before "Cheers") and the supporting cast are as up for this as is Natalie.

It's about alcoholism and promotes AA but doesn't go overboard in preaching to us. To the contrary, The "Cassie" character, thanks to the writing and to Natalie Wood, kick the wind out of the "typical" therapy people and methods.

I really like movies with people with mental problems, it's one of my favorite subjects, one of my favorite movies has always been "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (actor Sydney Lassick has a similar role in both movies). I didn't thought this "The Cracker Factory" would be so good. There are many powerful, extraordinary scenes, Natalie Wood and Shelley Long they outdid themselves. Delia Salvi is great in a supporting role, the scene in the cemetery when she starts hitting the tombstone of her dead husband is very impressive. Absolutely worth seeing and not only once, it's an original drama intertwined with comic moments. From what I read about Natalie Wood, her character in this movie, Cassie Barrett, is very close to her in real life.

Yup it's made for TV not a major Hollywood studio production supported by all it's "Star Making Machinery", (which was in place in Wood's early days). NONETHELESS There is much to be admired and appreciated in this tour de force perfornance. Made NO LESS Relevant with the passing years NOR with the passing of Ms Wood herself where Booze was by all believable accounts a huge factor. It was by all reputable accounts a night of drunken brawling. JR has some 'splaining to do' Still! Overall though the message here is "Don't hide behind the "disease model" of addiction. Take accountability.