The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

None of this would be possible, after all, without a massive core of empathy, both on the part of Lacks's screenwriters in finding a way to convey the feelings and thoughts of a woman who resists exposition and on the part of Winfrey, who brings makes the story's emotionality ring true.

There is traumatic yet necessary catharsis along the way as Henrietta (a luminous Renee Elise Goldsberry) comes into focus, finally getting the respect and thanks she deserves. [17-30 Apr 2017, p.19]

The script and the pacing do not always serve her well, but [Oprah Winfrey] delivers her very best, as fans--and Winfrey herself--have come to expect.

It's an emotionally powerful film that does justice to Henrietta, her legacy and her family.

Winfrey’s performance, as Henrietta’s tormented youngest daughter, Deborah, is jump-off-the-screen terrific. ... Director George C. Wolfe (Nights In Rodanthe) has a tough story to tie together--and at times ties himself in knots.

Though the film’s writing tends to make too much of Rebecca’s bafflement and culture shock as she peers into the lives of the Lacks family, Wolfe never frames the Lacks as sheer spectacle.

A fine if somewhat formulaic lesson in how to pare a very complicated and often technical story down to its emotional essence.

Deborah’s decision to allow Skloot to see her mother’s closely guarded medical records is a major turning point in the book, but it doesn’t register as momentous in the film. That said, Rose Byrne provides an impressive array of reactions as Skloot, even if her character never quite comes alive the way Deborah does. And yet some sequences of the film are quite affecting, in large part thanks to Winfrey’s galvanizing presence.

Fine performances and a fascinating true story buoy this disappointing adaptation of Rebecca Skloot's bestseller. [21 Apr 2017, p.58]

In the end, there's poignancy to how The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks acknowledges how Rebecca's correcting of the record helped to ease this family's pain, but you may wish that the film more polemically recognized Henrietta's place in a long-standing tendency in America to erase black men and women from the reality of their own lives.

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks is too sentimental for its own good. It’s not really fair to compare a film to its original source material--books and movies are different mediums with different strengths--but it’s hard not to rue what’s lost in this version, which skimps over both the science and the relationships that form the heart of Skloot’s book. At least Winfrey’s performance brings Deb to boisterous, believable life.

The film is torn between assigning drama to Deborah’s unquantifiable emotional needs and the easily tracked progress of Skloot’s book. While Deborah seeks closure, Skloot seeks publishing, and though the link between the two is clear and necessary, we simply don’t care that much about a book being written when Deborah’s anguish is realized by Winfrey with such passion.

Winfrey’s performance as Deborah gives The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks its one bit of genuine brilliance. ... Beyond Winfrey, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has the markings of a standard TV movie, though there’s a clear mismatch between form and content.

Despite noble intentions, though, HBO has set a high bar for its movies, and the task of transforming this adaptation into something with a life beyond the printed page is where Henrietta Lacks proves lacking.

It’s a role that could fall into caricature, but Ms. Winfrey brings vulnerability and believability to the part. Henrietta Lacks also benefits from a strong supporting cast. ... The film, directed by George C. Wolfe (“Lackawanna Blues”), stumbles most profoundly in the way it wraps up. The conclusion to the 90-minute film comes too quickly with an abrupt shift in tone.

Nothing feels invested in long enough to register because the narrative is constantly jumping around, almost as if it’s scared there’s not enough story here to carry a film. Thank God for great casting. Winfrey is typically fantastic.

Watch the film for a well acted Cliffs Notes version of the book--intriguing and thought provoking, but also frustrating.

It’s often hokey and overstated, with Winfrey giving a broad, showy performance. By the end, you get the idea that Henrietta Lacks was very important, but as a person, she remains distant.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on the whole is a missed opportunity, despite some strong individual moments and a fine cast that also includes Reg E. Cathey, Rocky Carroll, and Peter Gerety. Oprah’s so good in it, though.

The story of Henrietta Lacks is too big to be compressed into 90 minutes. And though it's made with all the good intentions in the world, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks feels rushed and cramped.