| When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Kent Harrison |
| Produced by | Terry Gould |
| Written by | William G. Borchert Camille Thomasson |
| Starring | Winona Ryder Barry Pepper John Bourgeois Rosemary Dunsmore Ellen Dubin |
| Music by | Lawrence Shragge |
| Cinematography | Miroslaw Baszak |
| Editing by | Ron Wisman |
| Production company | Hallmark Hall of Fame |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Release date | April 25, 2010 |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Preceded by | A Dog Named Christmas |
| Followed by | November Christmas |
When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story is a 2010 American film that premiered on CBS on April 25, 2010. The film was produced by Terry Gould, directed by John Kent Harrison and written by William G. Borchert, who based the script from his novel of the same name. The film is similar to another Hallmark film My Name Is Bill W., that premiered in 1989. This film tells much of Bill W and his wife's story that the 1989 television film did not cover, particularly the creation of Al-Anon.
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In 1914, Lois Burnham, a college-educated woman from an affluent family, met and fell in love with Bill Wilson, a young man of modest means. They married in 1918, and after his return from World War I, the two set out to build a life together. While Lois worked as a nurse, Bill struggled to find his niche. Lois believed that Bill was destined for greatness, and despite his increasing reliance on alcohol, she showered him with love and support. Eventually, Lois persuaded a friend’s husband to hire Bill at his financial firm. By 1927, Bill was working on Wall Street and the couple was living a luxurious lifestyle. But despite Lois’s valiant efforts to control his drinking, Bill’s addiction to alcohol spiraled out-of-control. Soon his job, their lifestyle and their dreams were all gone.
In 1935, after years of struggling to cover for Bill and trying desperately to manage his disease by herself, Lois finally saw him get and stay sober – not through her help, but from the support of a fellow alcoholic, Dr. Bob Smith.
As Bill and Bob attained lasting sobriety and co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous, Lois began to feel neglected. Bill got and stayed sober without her help, and she felt isolated and resentful. Lois soon discovered she was not alone in her isolation and anger, and that there was a vast number of people whose lives and relationships had been devastated because a loved one was an alcoholic or drug addict. To help herself, and others like her, she co-founded Al-Anon in 1951.
When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story is the 240th presentation by Hallmark Hall of Fame, the long-running anthology program of American television films. It was based on a novel The Lois Wilson Story: When Love Is Not Enough by William Borchert, which was published September 17, 2005. The film was set primarily in the United States but filmed in Canada.[1]
The film was given mixed reviews by critics. It was released on DVD in Hallmark stores in the United States.
In its original American broadcast on April 25, 2010, When Love is Not Enough was seen by 7.29 million viewers, according to MediaWeek. It was out performed during the same time slot by both Brothers & Sisters and Celebrity Apprentice.[2]
Linda Stasi in the New York Post wrote; "Everyone does a wonderful job in this movie -- but, in the end, it seems more like a rehash of writer Wiliam G. Borchert's 1989 'Hall of Fame' movie, My Name Is Bill W. than a real portrait of the woman whose idea helped millions of suffering families."[3]
Mathew Gilbert in The Boston Globe wrote; "This new CBS Hallmark movie does its job effectively enough, bringing us through the ups and downs of Bill and Lois Wilson's marriage as they wrestle with his addiction."[4]
The film has been nominated for several awards;[5]
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