Release Date: November 7, 2011
Rating: NR
Running Time: 90 mins. +
Just in time for the final installment of the Harry Potter film franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, uncover the incredible real life of Harry’s creator with Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story, the top-rated Lifetime Original Movie which chronicles the British author’s (Montgomery) struggle to bring the beloved wizard fantasy to life as a single mother on welfare and become one of the world’s wealthiest women. Following its Lifetime Network airing this past July, the rags-to-riches tale arrives on DVD…only from A+E Networks Home Entertainment.
An inspiring look at J.K. Rowling’s rise to become one of the most influential writers ever (with more than 400 million copies of her visionary books sold across the globe resulting in a billion-dollar film franchise), MAGIC BEYOND WORDS follows her humble beginnings as an imaginative young girl and awkward teenager through the devastating loss of her mother and the genesis of the Harry Potter phenomenon in her early twenties. The drama also follows Rowling’s tumultuous first marriage, becoming a mother, her divorce, and the dark days of living on government assistance while publisher after publisher passed on her first novel…before it became an international best-seller and solidified Rowling’s rightful place in literary and cultural history.
Before knowing anything about this film, I assumed that it was a documentary with Poppy Montgomery narrating. So I was in for a surprise when the film, based on Sean Smith’s book, JK Rowling: A Biography, started and Montgomery was playing J.K. Rowling. As a huge fan of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling, there wasn’t much that I did not previously know about Rowling’s journey to success that was shown on screen. Though what was shared was informative and a good introduction to a yet to come more in depth telling of Rowling’s journey. The acting was great, Montgomery held down the court. You could tell that she did her research on Rowling and you can see her effort in embodying all that is J.K. Rowling. But there’s so much more to this story than the script conveyed and gave space for, so don’t expect a comprehensive biopic here.
The pacing of the story was good, much better than most Lifetime films. And the integration of Rowling’s real life with the world of Harry Potter…the foreshadowing was clever. In the end though, Rowling’s persistence and drive to not only succeed for herself but for her daughter is an inspiration beyond what any unauthorized biopic can convey. Until an authorized biopic makes it into production, I’d recommend watching the J.K. Rowling episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show before or after viewing this film so that you see just how much more there is to Rowling’s road to Potter success. While Magic Beyond Words only touches the surface of the depth there is here, it is still a great tool for those just getting into the Potter world, wanting to know about the author.
Unfortunately, there are no Bonus Features for this DVD.
Own Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story on DVD today.