Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story

Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story
DVD cover
Written byRonni Kern[1]
Directed byPeter Levin
StarringThora Birch
Michael Riley
Robert Bockstael
Makyla Smith
Kelly Lynch
ComposerLouis Febre
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerMichael Mahoney
CinematographyUta Briesewitz
EditorAnita Brandt-Burgoyne
Running time91 minutes
Original release
NetworkLifetime[2]
ReleaseApril 7, 2003 (2003-04-07)

Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story is an American biographical drama television film based on the true story of Liz Murray, a homeless New York City teenager who was accepted into Harvard College. The film stars Thora Birch and was directed by Peter Levin. It premiered on Lifetime on April 7, 2003,[3] and received three nominations at the 55th Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Thora Birch.[4]

Plot

Liz Murray grows up in a dysfunctional home in The Bronx with her sister, Lisa, and drug-addicted parents who contracted HIV from shared needles. Their mother Jean is schizophrenic and nearly blind, and their father Peter Finnerty is intelligent but lacks social skills and conscientiousness. He watches Jeopardy! and knows all the questions. Their bathtub does not drain, and Liz stands on an overturned bucket when showering to stay out of the fetid water. She is eventually removed from this home and placed into the care system.

At 15, Liz moves in with her grandfather Pops, along with her sister and mother. Pops had previously sexually abused Liz's aunt. When he hits Liz during a fight, she runs away from home with a female classmate named Chris who was abused at home.

Liz's mother dies of AIDS, which gives her a "slap in the face" and a sense of motivation. She becomes a star student, completing high school in just two years rather than the usual four, and earns a scholarship to Harvard College through an essay contest sponsored by The New York Times.

Cast

Reception

Awards and nominations

2003 Emmy Awards
2003 Casting Society of America (Artios)
  • Nominated - Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week — Susan Edelman
2004 American Cinema Editors (Eddies)

Notes

  1. ↑ Credited as Ellen Page; he came out as transgender in 2020.

References

  1. ↑ LeSure, Elizabeth (April 5, 2013). "Movie Shows 'Homeless to Harvard' Journey". Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  2. ↑ Alberts, Hana R. (October 4, 2002). "From Homeless to Harvard, and Now Hollywood". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ Osborn, Jacob (February 11, 2021). "The 50 best Lifetime movies, according to IMDb". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Gans, Andrew (July 17, 2003). "2003 Emmy Nominations Announced; Newman Nominated for Our Town". Playbill. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
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