Phyllis Frelich Movies

A married couple locked in separate realities is faced with the most difficult decision of their lives after learning that their son, who loses his ability to hear at age four, could potentially regain his hearing with the help of cochlear implants. Dan Miller (Jeff Daniels) and his wife Laura (Marlee Matlin) may be husband and wife, but they're also best friends. Laura is deaf, while Dan has always been able to hear. When their four year old son Adam (Noah Valencia) suddenly loses his hearing, Dan and Laura find themselves hopelessly at odds over how to handle the situation. Laura has dealt with deafness her entire life, and believes that her son's handicap is only a minor obstacle. Dan, on the other hand, is determined to give his son a shot at living a more normal life, and becomes staunchly convinced that modern technology can make that possible. But the more research Dan conducts into cochlear implants, the clearer Laura makes it that she is completely opposed to the idea of surgery for their son. As the conflict between the couple comes to an impassioned head, Laura and Dan struggle to put aside their differences decide which option would be best for Adam's future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Carter (Noah Wyle) is forced to shave off his precious beard when he gets carpenter's glue stuck in it. He also seeks out a new residence, ending up with a surprising landlord. Elsewhere, Ross (George Clooney) risks life and limb to rescue gay teenager Kevin Dulaney (Chad E. Donella), who has been beaten and left for dead in a very dangerous neighborhood. And Corday (Alex Kingston) asks to intern for Benton (Eriq La Salle), who is himself preoccupied with finding help for his hearing-impaired son, Reese. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hunter (Fred Dryer) is approached by a deaf woman named Barbara Collins, who asks the detective to locate her runaway daughter Danni (Pierette Grace). Hunter agrees to do so, little imagining that this is no ordinary missing-persons case. In turns out that Danni is the sole witness to a murder that Hunter has been investigating for weeks--meaning that he'd better rush her to safety before the killer can strike again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In its own mild, unobtrusive manner, the made-for-TV Love is Never Silent managed to knock an all-star adaptation of Alice in Wonderland out of the ratings box when it was first telecast on December 9, 1985. Based on the Joanne Greenberg novel In This Sign, the film stars Mare Winningham as a normally functioning woman with deaf parents. Using sign language, Winningham has spent most of her Depression-era childhood as her parents' only conduit to the outside world. When a close family friend (Sid Caesar in a towering non-comic performance) asks Winningham if she isn't sacrificing the opportunity for happiness on her own, she carefully considers his words. She marries Frederick Lehne, at which point her embittered parents close off their relationship with their daughter. How Ms. Winningham manages to bridge this gap is the focus of the film's final scenes. The parents are played by Ed Waterstreet and Phyllis Frelich, longtime members of the National Theatre for the Deaf. The Emmy-winning Love is Never Silent was originally presented as a Hallmark Hall of Fame special. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide