Tea and Sympathy

Released Sep 27, 1956

2 hr. 2 min.

Drama

List

83%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Tom Lee (John Kerr) is more interested in the arts than in sports, something that sits uneasily with both his father and his classmates. Tom's school house master Bill Reynolds (Leif Erickson) even gives him a hard time for his "effeminate" interests. When Tom visits the town tramp, to sleep with her and thereby prove he is a '"real man,"' she winds up falsely accusing him of rape. The wife of the headmaster (Deborah Kerr) sympathizes with Tom and tries to help him with her own overtures.

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Audience Member

A movie with incredibly melodramatic acting. Seriously unbearable at time. The story is somewhat interesting. It could be more interesting if its main point is more direct. If the whole point is the man can be heterosexual even if he's not manly, that's a bit underwhelming… the insinuation that he could be in fact be homosexual is far more interesting, sadly not explored overtly

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

s r

Saw this on TCM. Initially I didn't enjoy the painful drama that alluded to gay discrimination. However, it transcends to also address marital relationships and how we treat one another. It could have dwelled in sadness, but fortunately took the positive high road. It made me think of how I treat others and to be more mindful of that.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

So, by 1957, our society had finally gotten to the place where we were taking bullying seriously. But only if the person being bullied was an extremely good looking, straight-acting, normal in all other respects, good at sports (watch him at tennis), who speaks well. And, oh yes, he had to be straight! His heterosexual friends were calling him "sister boy" a term I have never heard. This is a way to tie together all the inconsistencies of this movie and point out all the ridiculous fallacies. Which straight males were being called "sister boy" in 1957? They talk of how different he is. But we never see it. He sounds normal. He looks normal. He acts normal. What's going on? Is Kerr a bad actor? Is the script bad? I don't remember boys running around calling others "sister boys". The whole film seems artificial and a slap in the face to those who were really being bullied and hurt. It's like the whole Hollywood gang got together to beat up on real sissies (the correct word) and gays (the correct word) and there is no positive resolution in the movie. It is simply condemnation, doom, and gloom. Is that 1957 or is that this movie? I wasn't there. I don't know. This movie leaves a very bad taste in my mouth since it promotes hatred against the people who are truly being bullied by society.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

ashley h

Tea and Sympathy is a fantastic film. It is about Tom Lee who is a sensitive boy of 17 whose lack of interest in the "manly" pursuits of sports or mountain climbing. John Kerr and Deborah Kerr give terrific performances. The screenplay is good but a little slow in places. Vincente Minnelli did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the drama. Tea and Sympathy is a must see.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

7.7/10, my review: http://wp.me/p1eXom-2wR

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A true masterpiece from start to finish.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

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Vincente Minnelli

Director

Deborah Kerr

Laura Reynolds

John Kerr

Tom Robinson Lee

Leif Erickson

Bill Reynolds

Edward Andrews

Herb Lee

Darryl Hickman

Al

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Variety Staff

Variety

Robert Anderson's adaptation of his own legiter keeps the essentials in proper focus.

Oct 29, 2008

Full Review

Geoff Brown

Time Out

The film's details -- indeed, its very timidity -- still ensure fascinating viewing.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Surprising as it may seem, in the light of the screen's Production Code, which generally compels evasion of the more delicate sexual subjects in American films... Tea and Sympathy has been given a strong and sensitive screen rendering.

Mar 25, 2006

Full Review

Eve O'Dea

InSession Film

The film is not ignorant of the issue it is portraying. Audiences both modern and contemporary would understand that the story overtly condemns Tom’s classmates while sympathizing with his unique disposition.

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

Arlene Croce

Film Culture

For the most part, [Minnelli's] touch is delicate and contemplative; it is to his credit that the full integrity of the acting endures, and that not all of the themes that might have made the filming of Tea and Sympathy prohibitive have been sacrificed.

Mar 28, 2022

Full Review

Isabel Quigly

The Spectator

The only two dramatic moments in the play have been so expanded, made so explicit, that they lose their impact.

Feb 16, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Tom Lee (John Kerr) is more interested in the arts than in sports, something that sits uneasily with both his father and his classmates. Tom's school house master Bill Reynolds (Leif Erickson) even gives him a hard time for his "effeminate" interests. When Tom visits the town tramp, to sleep with her and thereby prove he is a '"real man,"' she winds up falsely accusing him of rape. The wife of the headmaster (Deborah Kerr) sympathizes with Tom and tries to help him with her own overtures.

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Screenwriter: Robert Anderson
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 27, 1956, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009

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