Little girls in pretty boxes part 9

[@yumyumoryuck8675]

This movie does an excellent job showing the psychological manipulation by the coach on his athletes. It's subtle - but he has so much power over them - and even the parents.

[@RikiSmiley]

Oh! What a beautiful movie!!! Very realistic. Bravo for the mum being brave enough to take the decision. It was so tender when they held hands. Thanks to the authour of the book, the directors of the movie, the producers, the actors, everyone!!!

[@JulieR73]

Elite gymnastics is brutal. I had to quit to have scoliosis surgery. The years of hell I went through as a gymnast made me stronger, but wiser as to the inherent dangers of the sport I so loved.

[@SoSassy234]

....maybe because she didn't want her daughter to die just for the love of a sport? Not eating and living off of aspirin? Yeah, when your stomach lining is eaten away and your kidneys are shot, gymnastics won't matter much, will it? I think she made the perfect decision. Her child just didn't know when to stop, so she had to stop it for her. That's what a responsible parent is. Making decisions to save your child's life when necessary.

[@popdiva3001]

It's not that her dream was unhealthy, the methods were. A coach that forces girls to perform with injuries that could get worse and become permanent injuries is not a coach that cares. There is a limit in any sport but some coaches and parents forget that. Work hard, yes but you need to be supported by a good nutritionist, Athletic Trainers/Therapists and loving parents. Where does working hard end and going over your body's limits begin?

[@Manniebug]

I've watched this movie over a hundred times, I love it! It shows the child's emotional journey as well as the parents and the relationships between other parents and coaches as well as the teammates! Swoosie Kurtz is total opposite tho in Mike and Molly she is a great actress!!

[@bresea702]

The ending makes me think this movie was all a PSA (Public Service Anouncement).

[@makeupboss3568]

Dancers go through this too , it’s a shame that instructors and coaches are like this. It’s torture to see this , my sister was a gymnast , she loved it until the coach wanted to “ push “ her into a “ Team “ of uptight , stuffy snobs. My mother is a private dance instructor ( the classic art of ballet ) and she’s usually very compassionate with her students. She’s been dancing since I was little, and I even tried it , I even tried gymnastics, I hated it. I didn’t want to end up like this . Your health is not worth pushing yourself this far , ever !

[@quiltbee]

awe..i think the mother did the right thing for her daughter.....and oh what a very happy and touching ending this has....thank you dearly for the movie...i really enjoyed it.......

[@vjj1764]

The best thing to think about when choosing a gymnastics coach is the coach/athlete/parent fit. All 3 parts of the triangle must communicate equally, regularly and consistently. It was like that for me when I did gymnastics at a competitive level and it should be for anyone else.

[@RebekahL16]

Hahaha love how unemotional the comments were about the ending. "The ending was absolutely shit" hahahaha brilliant

[@BalletBabeyxx]

If my couch found out I had a beam over hard pavement, I would get screamed at!

[@xThexRoadxIsxLong]

he does make a point it is the PARENTS resposiblity to look out for THEIR children and its good the mom stepped up and saved her daughter from herself

[@foulkeafied]

Thanks for adding this. I'm currently reading the book, Googled it and found this.

[@michellemurdaugh935]

The coach is killing those girls dream . I would of pulled my daughter out immediately .

[@ItWILLbeWONDERFUL_THERE]

+Michelle Murdaugh He would have killed a lot more than that if she had stayed.

[@scanlon1201]

I would too but Katie may hate her mom now but she's saving her life from dieting and from coach that's going to turn into something she's not.

[@michellemurdaugh935]

exactly she was lucky that she didn't end up in the hospital as well as the other girl.

[@TheEyesOfAnAngel]

If I understand this right, in the last scene with the coach, he closes the door, turns out the lites, and forces Katie & her mom to leave thru the gym door, not the main door with him. Doesn't even say 'bye. In my eyes, he's a true creep! Yet from what I know about ELITE gymnastics, he'd be 1 of the nicer coaches. *_Rolling my naked eyes_* @@michellemurdaugh935

[@makeupboss3568]

I was almost considering letting my daughter do this, but she saw a gymnastics company , and she “ looked “ scared when she saw all the girls with ace bandages , and she told me “ let’s go, if this is all about injuries, I don’t want it , that’s just scary “ . She won’t even try cheerleading.

[@EuropeanQoheleth]

Philip Casnoff is great at playing scumbag characters.

[@TheEyesOfAnAngel]

*_IN MY NAKED EYES, HE'S THE BEST ACTOR IN THE WHOLE MOVIE_*

[@Showaholic]

Did you read the last lines? "Over 50.000 girls benefit from participating in US. Gymnastics. Only 7 will make the Olympic Team." I think the ending of this movie is perfectly realistic. and plus, this girl doesnt seem that oposed to her mother's decision, she probably knows she's not ready or willing to go through it all. I'd say she's relieved and sad at the same time. She will go on to enjoy a normal adolescence and will keep practicing the sport she loves. What's so bad about that?

[@ADEAL918]

I read the book that this movie's title is taken from, and to be perfectly honest, compared to some of the stories in there, this coach is pretty mild. He'd be considered one of the gentler ones, actually. His talk with the mom was a bit callous, but he still made clear that he wasn't personally forcing the girls to do anything. He said "it wasn't up to me--I'm not the doctor or the parent." Many coaches actually WOULD have forced them, tried to take the decisions out of the hands of the doctors and parents, from the picture painted in the book that shares the movie's name. The movie was meant to be a personalizing of the norms depicted in the book, but the book actually paints a MORE drastic picture than this!

[@honeebun]

it had to be a typical lifetime movie ending of course!! haha

[@bardlove]

The daughter is like the Hulk. First she is like,"Me want cookie," then she becomes all,"No, Mom don't leave me." My mom tells me that I'm like that some times.

[@Mom2William]

First he says it's not mom's decision but then when she brings up Dana competing with an injured back he says that letting her compete wasn't up to him cuz he's not the doctor or the parent. Okay.. contradictory much?

[@mykidgymnast]

thanks so much for putting this on here! I for some reason can't watch part 7 (says that it's restricted and not available in the US due to copyright. Not sure what that's about?

[@sweetpea0746]

I wonder what would happen if I called that number now........

[@QueenieQue]

No, Vanessa Atler was a stunt double for the main character.

[@ShearSunflowerNTWK]

@Lamondra i know right? this includes the father even backing up his daughter to NOT EAT. and then, getting freaked out later when she didn't eat dinner and took a multivitamin or w/e. lmfao.

[@ADEAL918]

Point is the first time he wasn't actively seeing what was going on--he just saw it from afar as turning down a meal when she wasn't hungry. But once he came to see them and actually observed the truth of the matter, he was the one to bring the mother to her sense. It actually makes perfect sense.

[@IlkaZapata]

"Who is in-charge, then?" "Me, and Greg". Really? Do you think Greg will coach you for free? Go ask him... that's gonna be funny...

[@kristinroelofson4152]

Ilka Zapata Also, I think that the person shelling out countless dollars to support your dreams and training is "the one in charge".

[@majesticallymade6177]

I agree but she's only sparking off on what was given to her frm th very beginning . .Her dad started th ball rolling frm th start

[@BubbleGummBrainiac]

The message isn't about the Olympics or gymnastics. It's about pushing yourself too hard. If you push yourself beyond your limits, you lose sight of reality. You lose who you are.

[@hananathebanana]

People kept saying how this film and Perfect Body are the same storyline. Yes it's similar but this film focuses more on the strict training and safety risk whereas Perfect Body is mainly about eating disorders in gymnastics so I don't think they're that similar at all! =]

[@DeftPity]

i hate how he says that only a dozen people in the world train the yurchenko double twist when it is actually a quite common vault. the full twist is not hard enough to complete internationally. she needs to do at least a one and a half.

[@AmEmLiv]

@fourluckyhorseshoes 2 years on, you probably know the answer by now, but just in case not and you were still wondering - Its the name of the book that this film was adapted from by Joan Ryan. In the introduction she says that when the girls parade on the floor at the start of a competition, they look small and pretty in their shimmery leotards, like trinkets from a Tiffanys box

[@binxis2cute]

If that were my kid telling me that she was in charge, she'd be back-handed!

[@majesticallymade6177]

Yes well she learnt from the mum who over ruled th dad in front of th daughters face , that time in the hospital, so it came bk to bite her on th butt, simple.

[@Metalann82]

I want that house!

[@MrKaiten]

Probably a reason why there many good Chinese gymnasts. Poverty striken parents in the country villages give away their children to sports camps, to have a shot at a better life for them and their kids (and the kids get food to eat at the camps). Pay offs are astronomical, but the risks could be disability, coma or death for their children. I heard that a chinese diving gold medalist didn't even have roads to her village. The government then built roads so they can go congratulate her family.

[@ld8162]

I know that this comment is old. But thats true. My russian trainer also told me this. And this is reason why Chinese are so overflexibile. Parents just see that their child is so flexible beyond average, and they sent her to gymnastics/ballet school, just to make out money from this kid… And later we see these films on youtube like „wow, she is 6 years old, and she is dancing Esmeralda and her leg just is swinging in the air above her head with her high arch”, something what normal professional dancers as Zakharova had must work for her whole 9 years ballet school

[@apluskel]

just goes to show that the top gyms don't always win....

[@emmyjo720]

2008 and 2012 Olympic Champions were not bullied and threatened...Nastia was coached by her father and mother who grew up under harsh Soviet coaches and Gabby Douglas was coached by the Chows, who has produced two top gymnasts, without behaving like the Karoyli's...This coach makes Bela look good.

[@ADEAL918]

Emmy Johnson everybody says Chow is wonderful and none of his pupils have ever claimed him to have been abusive in any way. A couple have claimed extreme harshness from Valeri Liukin (though not his daughter), but the 2012 team were all abused sexually by Nassar. Not directly their coaches' fault, but they all did say there was still something about the atmosphere fostered by the coaches that made it harder for them to come forward with allegations against Nassar.

[@SweetRidzy1021]

@JrJileyLoveStory That's true. If you want to make it, you have to work hard for it and push yourself to the limit. But not OVER the limit. A coach is supposed to train you and make you work hard, but a coach also has to care for your physical and mental health and well-being. Yeah you have to work, you have to work through pain and exhaustion, but once you start developing eating disorders and training/competing with serious injuries, you're making yourself worse, not better.

[@strawberrishake]

if you want to get far you have to do what it takes...theres no point pulling out due to pain unless its unbarable...nothing comes easy

[@the.kyung.]

oh lifetime movies.

[@LemonFairyLili]

A coach like this cares out their athletes' well-being the way we care about our cars. The athlete is a piece of property to be used. If it's having problems you want to get it fixed. But if it still works then there's no real concern and you can push it off until later. Unfortunately.

[@Lamondra]

So the father talks the mother into something she really doesn't want for her daughter. Then she gets into it for her daughters sake, then the father gets pissed off with the mother and in the end to make everything right the daughter gets pissed of with the mother as well... All because the dad thought it was a great idea to begin with.

[@majesticallymade6177]

Thnks for seeing wat i saw . .my point exactly 💯

[@jusheather08]

hah if she was my daughter i would show her who is in charge! Hah I'm the mother not you, lets just get that straight little girl.

[@sonia989]

The book by the same name is much better, and totally different from the film

[@wishingstar84]

So in the end it's basically, "Sorry honey, you can't train for the Olympic trials. We don't want you to. Your dream is dead."

[@pacmanindy]

This movie reminds me of reality shows such as “Dance Moms.”

[@DeftPity]

@Lamondra the movie came out in 1998 and that was still the standard. in 1998 the double twist was valued at 9.8, the one and half twist was 9.7 and the full twist was valued at 9.6. To be competitive in international gymnastics in 1998 a 9.6 start value would not suffice. you would need to do at least a one and half and most girls did a double.

[@FigureSkatingVideosAnalysis]

Actually, it was a 9.9 for a double twist, 9.8 for a 1.5 twist and a 9.5 for a full twist.

[@Lamondra]

I stand corrected. :) And then I have to agree with you that it is indeed a bit of a dissapointment. I also thought the movie was older, never thought to check the actual year.

[@atenchifan]

anyone know where I can get this movie on DVD?

[@signer25]

The way i see it the coach groomed abused and brainwashed the girls. Caring only about the gold. Prize is everything. The mom finally did what was best for her daughter and not what the daughter wanted.

[@Fliptwisttt245]

that was a sappy ending

[@beautywithin85]

I don't mean to trivialize gymnastics- I know how hard it is esp if ur me and not exactly talented at it. But there are lots of other elite sports that require just as much dedication and hard work. I'm tired of just seeing gymnastics. Take swimming the "easiest" part is in the pool but at 18- 20 hrs/wk thats about half the training. u think I got private tutors? massive amts of pain killers (most of which are banned btw) U know what happens when I cry? My coach ignored me usually. thats worse.

[@Lamondra]

@conradbinky It's a very old movie (in terms of gymnastics) and especially gymnastics has newer and higher difficulty moves entering the scene every year. I don't know the scene back then but I wouldn't at all be surprised if he is actually telling the truth (for back then).

[@RicePudden]

yes they are. my couzin is a gymnastic and her mom my aunt is so into ot taht she doenst even pay attention to whats reeally going on.

[@hepcatintheworld]

my daughter is a competitive figure skater and so much of this rang true - sadly! especially the PARENTS.

[@yooneeque1]

The book Little Girls in Pretty Boxes actually focused on both gymnastics and figure skating.

[@cloudyohten]

try Secret life of mary margaret (bulimia) great film! :)

[@straightfromthecommentsect5346]

2021 iam here

[@TheRhythmicFan]

where did you download this?

[@swirlytwirls]

@vickymarie000 That's because there was never really any plot in this movie. So the ending doesn't resolve anything.

[@lauragaffier3992]

I know there is alot of sports out there where the athletes are treated badly. I understand to learn a new skill u have to repeat it over and over but why call the athletes names and tell them they are fat? There has to be another way to make their dreams come true. How about making sure they eat healthy and heal correctly after an injury so they can perform great and still enjoy the sport ,

[@Gymfan4ever95]

it is about the hard life of a gymnast.

[@amazonqueen5694]

i have to agree the comment about china. I mean when you look at it for the first time since 1996 we have won gold against china,russia,china and romania and we have team gold and an individual gold. They are very good at there craft of gymnastics and well trained. i have a feeling china will surpass us by the year 2022 mabye sooner I love my home i will always love america no matter what. but it is a good point

[@kellyrocks15]

Now only 5 girls make the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

[@ebonyrushharrington1901]

Just like in the movie 🍿🎥/ Perfect Body, this one these coaches do not take responsibility at all, is really pissing me off!!!!

[@greymoore86]

that katy didnt even lose weight throughout the movie!

[@Jshaw71]

for the moment she's 'normal' are you an athlete, if you are, then you would know how quickly that word can loose it's meaning, getting up at 4am to practice, and going to meets, hoping you can make it, and don;t mess up, i mysekf have not been a teen atlete, but i observe, a lot from the outside, athletes worlds, how their world can change based on a single competion

[@twilightawakening]

That number at the end doesn't work anymore, lol!

[@fourluckyhorseshoes]

Can someone please explain the title of the movie to me ?

[@marysutton434]

Yeah, the title doesn't go with the movie.

[@Hereismytwocents2011]

@@marysutton434 Yes, it does. It means the girls are made to look pretty and perfect, but it's really just for show. Inside they are broken. People can look happy on the outside, but may be far from it on the inside.

[@desphousewives11]

just thinking the same thing haha

[@Lollan59]

wow!

[@Jshaw71]

christina henrichs mother, sandy wrote a book with the same title, is this is conesedence?? or what? thanks for uploading this... sadly sports demand a lot from people esp womens sports they are expected to remain perfect, and not make any mistakes, if they do, they're overlooked... this is a sad double stanbdard that needs to change... esp in gymnastics there's been too many losses things need to change, simple as that...

[@QueenieQue]

@Mom2William It's not contradictory. He's making the point that it's the girl's choice: not him, not the doctor, not the parent. I don't agree with him, but that's his argument.

[@kaylajones4356]

Scary! Coachie gets mad!

[@fontario4]

i like her she's from pushing daisies

[@alipopanna3704]

I'm dieting and I'm 11 only level 3 started 3 months ago

[@alipopanna3704]

Should I stop I need help any advice

[@Jshaw71]

oh, i am sorry anothe rmistake on my part, muh bad...

[@dravenmorrow816]

I'm scared now I'm a gymnast and I'm scared that I'm going to have a mean coach when I get ready for nationals

[@KaikiTsuki49]

The ending fails... they hadn't even gotten to the actual plot yet -.-"

[@Shivelpuff23]

you can never be truely in charge of your children.

[@RikiSmiley]

The coach had said, when he was selling them his program, that they also cared for the emotional care of the girls !!! LIAR !!!

[@MrKaiten]

Well you'll be at a competitive disadvantage against someone who pushed their body to the limit and have a more optimal weight than you. So if all else is equal, you're not gonna be best.

[@KafkameetsPlath]

lol yup!

[@futurecullen123]

agreed! who cares about olympics? hahaha well not really but even if i started earlier...it's not for me...

[@Michael-uu9nv]

Child gets hurt coach does not care. In his eyes get over it

[@muna4eva]

Chloed6353 :i agree when i reached elite level at the age 0f 8 i contniued until now and still am but my asss famo wont let me compete in the olympics in 2016

[@cheer0mai7jah]

coaches can be such assholes! worse than in this movie (this coach wasnt even THAT mean)... i quit when the coach at my gym made my little sister do a double layout, when she wasnt ready yet, and then yelled at her ,when she faceplanted and broke her nose, for BLEEDING ON THE MAT!!! What The Fuck?! so uncool. now i do cheerleading =)

[@jjjjaaaannnneeee]

yahhh.

[@SLPtoMD]

no she's not.

[@deannab1087]

When is when parents try to be best friends with there kids..blah!

[@Moreno1Melissa]

Yes it is way better.

[@RicePudden]

i know it is sad. and my cousin is push'd to hard.

[@Elemarth]

Do you not understand what this movie is about? She was in a horrible situation. If that's what you have to do to be successful in gymnastics (it's not; it's an extreme case and plenty of girls do well without nearly killing themselves), then you can't go on!

[@thelogicaldanger]

No, this was and is the norm. Only now we know that sexual abuse was also thrown into the mix. Very sad.

[@mikiwink]

good movie and all but, this lady playing the mom is old and not believable. they should've made her the grandmother or something. + her "acting" is horrible. all i've seen her do is big wide eyed deer in headlights and the "if i clutch my purse real tight or cover my mouth w/my hands and pretend to cry, i can convince the world to see things my way" gymnasts have to have tough skin and so do the parents... granted this guy is a super jerk and should be kicked in the face

[@RaciallyConfused09]

the mother's acting was not that good. well everybody's acting was good, but it wasn't up to today's standard of acting. I couldn't really get into it, but I do realize that this is a very serious problem in gymnastics and i hope that everyone realizes that.

[@AlanaOJD]

@xxxfantasyhorse Dude, we're "poorer" than China.

[@gopkatherine]

I would have beaten the crap out of that mom. We all make sacrifices for our sport - and the sport does change us, we develop into the people we were meant to be. To tear your child away from a dream YOU implanted into them, you forced them into at a young age is irresponsible and ridiculous. The child will live with regret and what ifs for the rest of their life.

[@tupac4life1989]

+gopkatherine ypur right she should wind up paralyzed like dana...first of all shes her child ...she can still do gymnastics but kids at that age should not be pressured like that... I would never allow my child to be that miserable..they only get one childhood and they should enjoy it...you would allow your child to be trained by someone who allowed a kid to compete with a messed up back? and wind up in the hospital....... no one implanted anything into Katie ..... its the parents job to protect there child...when Katie hits 18 she can do w/e the hell she wants

[@babyduck198718]

then why watch???

[@vickymarie000]

i don't really like the ending of this movie. i can't quite put my finger on it.. it's just not satisfying enough.

[@MiCHAELJLYSSAPAC]

Omg one of the worse endings in movie history.

[@imanygirl]

yeah, the ending sucked, but really the whole movie was pretty lame. the acting was horrendous.

[@musicmaninac]

dude i liked perfect body sooooooooo much more this one sucked

[@XxtatgalnextdoorxX]

This ending is so stupid

[@accailiaagathism]

This movie sucks :/