First off, to set the initial (annoying) tone for me for the entire movie, Thomas McCarthy is a 31-year-old portraying an 18-year-old teenager ready for college, and never once is he convincing as a teen nor does he look the age. He is a better actor than this - if you get a chance and can find it, catch his portrayal as a mentally "slow" adult with the luminescent Candace Bergen in the movie Mary & Tim. (Look on YouTube.)
This Hallmark movie very obviously has its heart in the right place, but it is so cloyingly sweet and message heavy that I had to mute it in places in order to finish (stomach) it.
Sadly, I have never been a fan of Mary-Louise Parker either, but thankfully she doesn't finish out the movie. She is much more successful in her performance in Fried Green Tomatoes.
Additionally, the 2 youngsters who play her character's children are more natural actors as grade schoolers than the annoying actors who play their adult versions, especially the third one who was the baby early on.
Finally, Blythe Danner, as another reviewer noted, relayed the death of her character's daughter-in-law to her movie son with as much feeling, emotion and empathy as if she were reciting the names from a phone directory. The only actor who rang true for me was Jeffrey Nordling, and unfortunately his part was brief.
This movie was disappointing because of the exceptional and usually talented adult cast who could just not manage to pull it off nor elicit any emotion in me as I trudged through it. Even when the dog died.
And let us not forget: the Church of the Second Chance. Oh brother, if that telegraphs anything.
This Hallmark movie very obviously has its heart in the right place, but it is so cloyingly sweet and message heavy that I had to mute it in places in order to finish (stomach) it.
Sadly, I have never been a fan of Mary-Louise Parker either, but thankfully she doesn't finish out the movie. She is much more successful in her performance in Fried Green Tomatoes.
Additionally, the 2 youngsters who play her character's children are more natural actors as grade schoolers than the annoying actors who play their adult versions, especially the third one who was the baby early on.
Finally, Blythe Danner, as another reviewer noted, relayed the death of her character's daughter-in-law to her movie son with as much feeling, emotion and empathy as if she were reciting the names from a phone directory. The only actor who rang true for me was Jeffrey Nordling, and unfortunately his part was brief.
This movie was disappointing because of the exceptional and usually talented adult cast who could just not manage to pull it off nor elicit any emotion in me as I trudged through it. Even when the dog died.
And let us not forget: the Church of the Second Chance. Oh brother, if that telegraphs anything.