Prayers for Bobby
2009 · 89 min · Director: Russell Mulcahy
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
In "Prayers for Bobby," Mary Griffith (Sigourney Weaver) is a devout Christian who raises her children with the conservative teachings of the Presbyterian Church. However, when her son Bobby (Ryan Kelley) confides to his older brother he may be gay, life changes for the entire family after Mary learns about his secret. While Bobby's father (Henry Czerny) and siblings slowly come to terms with his homosexuality, Mary believes God can cure him of what she considers his 'sin' and persuades Bobby to pray harder and seek solace in church activities in hopes of changing him. Desperate for his mother's approval, Bobby does what is asked of him, but through it all, the church's apparent disapproval of homosexuality causes him to grow increasingly withdrawn and depressed. Guilty over the pain he is causing Mary, Bobby moves away, yet hopes that some day his mother will accept him. His subsequent depression and self-loathing intensifies as he blames himself for not being the 'perfect' son and is driven to suicide. Faced with their tragedy, Mary begins to question her faith when she receives no answers from her pastor concerning her devastating loss. Through her long and emotional journey, Mary slowly reaches out to the gay community and discovers unexpected support from a very unlikely source. The film is based on the 1995 Leroy Aarons book of the same name.
Emotional fingerprint
Prayers for Bobby (2009) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Sadness 35%, Empathy 30%, Guilt 15%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Sadness35%
- Empathy30%
- Guilt15%
- Inspiration10%
- Hope10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Sadness, Empathy, Guilt. Genres: Drama, Romance, Biography. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Sadness, Empathy and Guilt. Its IMDb rating of 8.0/10 suggests a strong audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 75/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Sadness
- Empathy
- Tension
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Joy
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Hope
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Sadness | Empathy | Tension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Joy | 37 % | 13 % | 20 % | 12 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Joy | 43 % | 24 % | 31 % | 26 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 11′ | Sadness | 63 % | 48 % | 55 % | 54 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 16′ | Empathy | 76 % | 61 % | 69 % | 65 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 20′ | Sadness | 73 % | 59 % | 66 % | 57 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 24′ | Empathy | 66 % | 53 % | 61 % | 54 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 29′ | Empathy | 66 % | 49 % | 60 % | 57 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 33′ | Tension | 65 % | 38 % | 55 % | 50 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 38′ | Hope | 63 % | 30 % | 53 % | 35 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 42′ | Empathy | 69 % | 49 % | 64 % | 43 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 47′ | Sadness | 83 % | 76 % | 78 % | 63 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 51′ | Sadness | 90 % | 89 % | 83 % | 62 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 56′ | Sadness | 89 % | 89 % | 83 % | 50 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 60′ | Sadness | 85 % | 83 % | 80 % | 44 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 65′ | Sadness | 76 % | 70 % | 73 % | 38 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 69′ | Sadness | 71 % | 64 % | 69 % | 34 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Sadness | 78 % | 66 % | 74 % | 39 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Empathy | 85 % | 70 % | 80 % | 45 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 82′ | Sadness | 88 % | 73 % | 84 % | 38 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 87′ | Empathy | 87 % | 70 % | 85 % | 20 % |
Man in a hole
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
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Cast
David
Jeanette
Nancy Griffith
Ophelia
Reverend Owens
Michelle
Councilman
Celeste
Greg
Citizen
Details
- Directed by
- Russell Mulcahy
- Written by
- Katie Ford, Leroy Aarons
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2009
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Sadness
- Data updated
Where to watch
Subscription
Also on
Availability varies by country
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