YMMV / Mary Reilly

• Alternative Character Interpretation: It's left open but it's possible Mary's father raped her or at least molested her in some way. Her second flashback of him has the father inviting her towards him saying "what am I going to do with you?" - immediately cutting to the adult Mary crying in her sleep. At the funeral he says "we had some good times", which could be a lecherous taunt. But then again, there's no reason to think it never went further than whipping or locking her in the cupboard with a rat.
• Critical Backlash: The film was not well-received upon release, being viewed as boring or dour. It's essentially a Gothic Melodrama in the same lines as Rebecca or Gaslight, and such films were very uncommon in the 90s. Empire even listed it on "50 Films That Should Never Have Been Made". Reception to it seems to be a little more positive - Roger Ebert even gave it three stars - and if you overlook Julia Roberts's attempt at an Irish accent then it's a fine adaptation as well as putting a different spin on the Jekyll and Hyde story.
• Ham and Cheese: Glenn Close is incredibly lively as Mrs Farraday - in stark contrast to the more subdued performances from the others.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • Early on, Mary is attacked by Mr Poole the butler for how long she was in Jekyll's office. Mary makes up a story that they talked about doing something with the garden. Poole later mentions this in front of Jekyll who doesn't miss a beat and plays along, also asking Mary to "remind" him of their decision.
  • The final line between Mary and Jekyll before he succumbs to his wounds - "you said you no longer cared what the world thought of you, and nor shall I", followed by her lying next to him under the blanket.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: It's impossible to look at Glenn Close's portrayal of Mrs Farraday and not think of how she played Cruella De Ville in 101 Dalmatians (1996) the same year.
• It Was His Sled: The film exploits this for Dramatic Irony - the audience knows Jekyll and Hyde are the same person (John Malkovich plays both, with only small differences to suggest Hyde is just a relative) but Mary does not.
• Never Live It Down: Julia Roberts's Irish accent is often mocked. To some, that's the only thing the film is remembered for.
• One-Scene Wonder:
  • Glenn Close actually has about three scenes, but you can tell she has great fun in bringing her character (the madam of a brothel) to life.
  • Ciaran Hinds as the Upper-Class Twit Sir Danvers, who coincidentally shares a scene with Glenn Close as well.
• Questionable Casting:
  • Julia Roberts as a Victorian chambermaid was a headscratcher. This was before her Career Resurrection with My Best Friend's Wedding, so she was deliberately trying to do something different. Her accent was suitably poor but the performance itself was fine. She never did a period drama again however.
  • John Malkovich as Dr Jekyll is another. While he works better as Mr Hyde, his stoic demeanor as Jekyll leaves a lot to be desired.
• Squick: The gory scenes in the slaughter houses; the shot of a young girl in the brothel sullenly waiting for her next customer; the sight of the room in the brothel that Hyde was staying in, complete with a spray of arterial blood on the wall and ceiling...quite a few scenes in the film are comprised of this.
• Vindicated by History: The film was a flop with lukewarm reception from critics in the 90s. Decades later, it's considered a very underrated horror film. While Julia Roberts was mocked for her Irish accent at the time, years later viewers can appreciate her attempts at a different character from her usual romantic comedy good girls, and Malkovich is praised for his performance as Jekyll and Hyde. And there's the fact that — even with the love story between Jekyll and Mary — it's still very faithful to the original novel.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: The transformation from Hyde into Jekyll is quite impressive - and suitably horrifying.