''Two Against Time'' is a 2002 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

starring

Marlo Thomas Margaret Julia "Marlo" Thomas (born November 21, 1937) is an American actress, producer, author, and social activist. She is best known for starring on the sitcom ''That Girl'' (1966–1971) and her children's franchise '' Free to Be... You and ...

and

Ellen Muth Ellen Muth (; born March 6, 1981) is an American former actress best known for her role as Georgia "George" Lass in Showtime's series ''Dead Like Me'' (2003–2004 series, 2009 film). Early life Muth was born in Milford, Connecticut, to Eric ...

. It was written by Casey Kurtti and Peter Nelson and directed by

David Anspaugh David Anspaugh (born September 24, 1946) is an American television and film director. Professional career After earning a bachelor's degree from Indiana University Bloomington, Anspaugh moved to Aspen, Colorado, where he worked as a substitute ...

. The film was originally aired on CBS on April 4, 2002.

Plot

A mother and her daughter are, almost at same time, diagnosed with cancer. Now, the struggle against the illness will set them close and help them to overcome old antagonisms.

Cast

as Julie Portman *

as Emma Portman *

Peter Friedman Peter Friedman (born April 24, 1949) is an American stage, film, and television actor. Life and career Born in New York City, Friedman graduated from Hofstra University Karen Robinson Karen Robinson (born February 29, 1968) is a British-Canadian film, television, and stage actress. She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Guest Role in a Drama Series at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019 for her appearan ...

as Connie Matthews *

Joe Penny Joseph Edward Penny Jr. (born 24 June 1956) is an English-born American actor best known for his roles as Nick Ryder on the detective series ''Riptide'' from 1984 to 1986, and as Jake Styles in the CBS television series ''Jake and the Fatman'' ...

as George Tomich * Troy Hall as Michael Portman

Reception

Andy Webb from ''The Movie Scene'' gave the film three out of five stars, stating: "What this all boils down to is that I am still conflicted by "Two Against Time" because of the mix of heart-breaking and heart-warming which ends up causing the gritty drama to be softened. But it is a powerful story, powerfully acted and a movie which whilst may leave you as conflicted as I am, is well worth a watch." David Parkinson from

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

gave the movie only one out of five stars and wrote: "It's a cheap jibe to dismiss TV movies as "disease of the week" fodder. Unfortunately, this drama from director David Anspaugh ticks all the boxes. It's based on a true story and not only has two people battling against cancer, but, to make matters all the more lachrymose, they're a single mother and her rebellious teenage daughter." Steven Oxman from

Variety magazine ''Variety'' is an American media company owned by Penske Media Corporation. The company was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933 it added ''Daily Variety'', based ...

said about ''Two Against Time'': "TV movies are dead, you know. They don't make them anymore. At least not the traditional ones. Admirably capable of exhausting a year's supply of tissues in a single sitting, "Two Against Time" will be a miracle cure for fans of this shamelessly sappy genre in its death throes."

Tom Shales Thomas William Shales (born November 3, 1944) is an American writer and retired critic of television programming and operations. He was a television critic for ''The Washington Post'' from 1977 to 2010, for which Shales received the Pulitzer ...

from

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

criticized almost every aspect of the film, stating: "There have been many TV movies about the emotional and physical ravages of serious illness, most of them more sensitive than this one. Those who made "Two Against Time" imagine we've never seen any of those films and that hair loss from chemotherapy is going to come as a shock. There are worlds and worlds of difference between a lackluster movie like this and

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

's "

Wit Wit is a form of intelligent humour, the ability to say or write things that are clever and usually funny. Someone witty is a person who is skilled at making clever and funny remarks. Forms of wit include the quip, repartee, and wisecrack. Form ...

," in which

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

so memorably and unflinchingly played a terminal cancer patient."

References

External links

* {{David Anspaugh 2002 television films 2002 films 2002 drama films American drama television films CBS network films Films directed by David Anspaugh Films scored by David Shire Films about cancer 2000s American films 2000s English-language films