I'm not normally a big Hallmark movie fan as they tend to be filled with cliches, formulas that have been overused, and endings that take place in the last five minutes that always wrap things up perfectly, no matter how unrealistic.
On a Saturday, this movie aired right after a Little House on the Prairie episode, and just as I was about to turn off the television, I decided to give this film a chance. To be honest, I've always loved Jeff Beal's music which he uses so beautifully in the Jesse Stone films. The man has a gift of capturing situations and human emotions through music.
Noah is a WWII veteran who returns home. He has a purple heart, both parents have passed, and a younger brother who's in prison. He spends time wandering, trying to figure out what to do with his life. He suffers from some PTSD, which is obviously not unusual, and a mysterious man finally points him in the direction of a nearby town where he just might find some purpose.
Eleanor is a lonely widow of a war veteran who came home, and seemed to be all right, but then committed suicide. She has no idea what would cause someone to do this, and it's something left hanging because it's never explored or even addressed within the film. She lives with Granny, a delightful character who has an obsession for chocolate!
Of course, we all know where this is headed between the two main characters, so there is literally no surprises here.
We also have Matthew, a young mute boy who lives with his grandparents, but is unable to connect with anyone until Noah comes along. Matthew takes an instant liking to him, as Noah--an expert fisherman--teaches Matthew how to fish.
The film works largely due to the performances of the supporting cast, from Jay O. Sanders, Jeff Perry, Geoff Pierson, legendary actor Robert Prosky, and as surprise appearance of Stephen Tobolowsky who make up the various townspeople. It's obvious that the town is full of nice people who welcome Noah with open arms.
Several things hurt the movie. First, the door was left wide open to explore the trauma of war veterans. I was hoping that Noah might be able to shed some light for Eleanor about her husband. The best movie ever made regarding veterans returning home is "The Best Years of Our Lives," and the challenges of reintigration.
Second, the movie would have also been better served with better actors in the lead roles. Klein has moments where he's good, but he's too wooden and uses the exact same bland, facial expression for most of his scenes. He seems quiet and keep to himself, but we don't see the pain and grief he's going through. And Gretchen Mol--at least in every movie I've seen her in--is never able to fully tap into her emotions, particularly those involving warmth and heartfelt feelings. She alway seems uncomfortable accessing those. And because of these things, the chemistry between the two leads suffers because of it. Mol just doesn't seem attracted to Klein at all.
And third, and of course, we get that 5-minute wrap-up scene where everything suddenly works out perfectly, which is as aggravating as it sounds because nearly every Hallmark film I've ever seen, uses this ridiculous formula because they're short on time, and therefore, a story that was fairly cohesive suffers immensely.
However, despite these problems, the film works overall, and again, it's mostly because of the townspeople and the performances given. It's a town that's warm and you probably wouldn't mind spending some time in and mingling with some of the people, even if you wouldn't get that same warmth of Noah or Eleanor in this particular story. Apparently, this film was adapted from a book. I'd be curious how much of the story ended up on the cutting room floor.
On a Saturday, this movie aired right after a Little House on the Prairie episode, and just as I was about to turn off the television, I decided to give this film a chance. To be honest, I've always loved Jeff Beal's music which he uses so beautifully in the Jesse Stone films. The man has a gift of capturing situations and human emotions through music.
Noah is a WWII veteran who returns home. He has a purple heart, both parents have passed, and a younger brother who's in prison. He spends time wandering, trying to figure out what to do with his life. He suffers from some PTSD, which is obviously not unusual, and a mysterious man finally points him in the direction of a nearby town where he just might find some purpose.
Eleanor is a lonely widow of a war veteran who came home, and seemed to be all right, but then committed suicide. She has no idea what would cause someone to do this, and it's something left hanging because it's never explored or even addressed within the film. She lives with Granny, a delightful character who has an obsession for chocolate!
Of course, we all know where this is headed between the two main characters, so there is literally no surprises here.
We also have Matthew, a young mute boy who lives with his grandparents, but is unable to connect with anyone until Noah comes along. Matthew takes an instant liking to him, as Noah--an expert fisherman--teaches Matthew how to fish.
The film works largely due to the performances of the supporting cast, from Jay O. Sanders, Jeff Perry, Geoff Pierson, legendary actor Robert Prosky, and as surprise appearance of Stephen Tobolowsky who make up the various townspeople. It's obvious that the town is full of nice people who welcome Noah with open arms.
Several things hurt the movie. First, the door was left wide open to explore the trauma of war veterans. I was hoping that Noah might be able to shed some light for Eleanor about her husband. The best movie ever made regarding veterans returning home is "The Best Years of Our Lives," and the challenges of reintigration.
Second, the movie would have also been better served with better actors in the lead roles. Klein has moments where he's good, but he's too wooden and uses the exact same bland, facial expression for most of his scenes. He seems quiet and keep to himself, but we don't see the pain and grief he's going through. And Gretchen Mol--at least in every movie I've seen her in--is never able to fully tap into her emotions, particularly those involving warmth and heartfelt feelings. She alway seems uncomfortable accessing those. And because of these things, the chemistry between the two leads suffers because of it. Mol just doesn't seem attracted to Klein at all.
And third, and of course, we get that 5-minute wrap-up scene where everything suddenly works out perfectly, which is as aggravating as it sounds because nearly every Hallmark film I've ever seen, uses this ridiculous formula because they're short on time, and therefore, a story that was fairly cohesive suffers immensely.
However, despite these problems, the film works overall, and again, it's mostly because of the townspeople and the performances given. It's a town that's warm and you probably wouldn't mind spending some time in and mingling with some of the people, even if you wouldn't get that same warmth of Noah or Eleanor in this particular story. Apparently, this film was adapted from a book. I'd be curious how much of the story ended up on the cutting room floor.