Wild Hearts (2006 TV Movie) User Reviews

Good character study

[MickyG333 · 7/10 · 17 December 2023]

7.0 stars.

I liked this film solely for how it portrays a sheriff and his daughter. She is a complex individual full of spunk and personality. He is a likable father and lawman. The writers and director do a wonderful job developing her character. Sheriff does his role some justice and they have a good father-daughter bond. My only criticism is that the acting is inconsistent. It tends to be flat at times, and other times excellent. The dialogue is virtually non-existent, so it detracts a bit from the entertainment value. The director produces a nuanced drama with too many silent moments, instead of much needed conversation and tension.

Beside the relational aspects of this movie there really isn't much to enjoy. She is an animal lover and has a gift and affinity for wolves, mustangs, horses, etc.

The plot is interesting, expands into a semi-thriller near the end as there is a crime to be solved and some shady characters are revealed. There is even a bit of an altercation. It doesn't much lend itself to a romance, but there are a few ok kiss moments. It's a generic film, could've had been much better, or worse, however you choose to view it. You can probably make yourself enjoy 'Wild Hearts' just enough to be satisfied.

Clearly filmed in California not

[dmackiepi · 5/10 · 12 January 2020]

When you are going to claim a movie is being filmed in Montana make sure that you do not show the California state flag at the courthouse. Also last time I was in the state of Montana I don't remember seeing palm trees. Not everybody that lives in a small town is a jerk. All right I understand that they probably had to film this in California but it doesn't even remotely resemble the beautiful state of Montana. But once again the state flag really gave it away. I grew up watching John Boy and I still see him as John Boy. Goodnight John Boy.

Thoroughly unenjoyable movie...makes you wish it ended an hour ago

[paulgxxiii · 1/10 · 12 November 2007]

....and that's after watching the first 30 minutes! This just isn't up to par with the often good movies you see on Hallmark. I seem to be in the minority but the I found the most of the actors unbelievable and the dialog awful. God awful! Whoever played the daughter was so miscast...her crying scene made me just want to clobber her - maybe her character was supposed to be whiny and unlikable.

The director/writers seem to depend on rely on old gimmicks to advance what story there is. I guess I shouldn't really expect originality necessarily, but I'd like the story to not be totally derivative and the dialog and action to move the story along without relying on every character talking to wolves as if they're holding a conversation (and from what I could tell, the wolves were the ones with the good lines!).

Great !!!

[kimbo812 · 10/10 · 8 July 2006]

This is a great story, like so many of the shows that have been on Hallmark a great family type show. It would be a show that would be a great series. I liked the characters and the actors who played them well , most of them have been favorites of mine for a long time. We need more shows like this, something that the family can sit down together and watch without any bad language or scenes that need to be censored. The scenery was beautiful and the animals were great.. Reminded me of one of the old time Walt Disney movies that I enjoyed as a young girl. Good triumphed over evil that is the way it should always be. The young people did a great job as well as the old pros.

A classic, feel good, family movie with great acting!

[l_markem · 10/10 · 9 July 2006]

I tuned this in not expecting much and was very pleasantly surprised! Instead of a formulaic, movie of the week, I encountered an unfolding narrative that quickly drew me in and had me caring about the characters, both human and the animals. The cinematography was spectacular for a relatively low budget TV movie, especially the scenes showing the mustangs running. I thought the acting was uniformly very, very good, with special notice going to young Hallee Hirsh, in the lead role of Madison, who I remember from ER and JAG and many other TV episodes as well as both TV movies and feature films (You've Got Mail). She has grown into a very lovely young woman, beautiful actually, and she is a superb actress - real and believable at all times. And she always makes me cry. I hope to see a lot more of her in coming years. I thought Nancy McKeon was also very charming in her role as the town's new veterinarian. There were nice dynamics between her character and Hallee's character and her character and Richard Thomas's character. The young actor who played Hallee's friend was also very endearing as was the veteran actor who played Hank. Good job Hallmark. Give us more movies like this!

Wonderful Movie! You Will Love It.

[movieman102002 · 10/10 · 9 July 2006]

Wild Hearts from Hallmark is a Wonderful movie everyone will love. Bobby, played by Richard Thomas plays a cop and he moves him and his daughter Madison played by Hallee Hirsh, to a small town called Hope. Madison ends up having a special gift with a wolf and her babies and loves riding horses. A crook ends up killing some mustangs and burning a guys place down. Madison ends up getting into trouble with the crook and the wolf saves her life. This hallmark movie needs to go on DVD, I love it. I also love watching Hallee Hirsh in movies and TV shows, Hallee Hirsh is my favorite actress. I always loved and enjoyed Richard Thomas, Nancy McKeon, and Geoffrey Lewis in other movies. If you want to watch a good clean family movie, Wild Hearts is the movie to watch. When you watch Wild Hearts, it will prove to you that they can make a movie without profanity. I really enjoyed this movie and I know you will too.

wild heart

[janmarie10842 · 8/10 · 13 July 2006]

Good family film with a well known cast. The movie shows the transition of a young high school girl Madison, trying to cope with the loss of her mother (though very scarce detail is provided regarding the circumstances of her death) to a journey into self discovery. Away from the "old friends" she sheds her mask of piercings and quickly gets in touch with her self and her life directions. She discovers she has a gift in dealing with animals and falls for a guy who she never would have looked at twice before. All these new experiences seem to fill the void of her deceased mother and bring her closer to her father, Richard Thomas, who has moved back to his home with Madison after his estranged father's death. He reestablishes a connection to his past through the grieving process. The time spent on this is not overdone and helps him to appreciate the bonding that occurs between him and his daughter. A little more insight into the father/son estrangement would have been appreciated but is not necessary to the enjoyment of the film. It is a sweet clean movie.

Excellent Movie

[nabor7 · 10/10 · 14 July 2006]

This is one of my all time favorite Hallmark Movies, and the list goes back into the early sixties. The cast, setting, and overall acting was superb. The one thing that caught my attention was the soundtrack. It played the entire movie and only softened during the dialogues. It reminded me of a movie of the Smoky Mountains I once saw with only music playing while the movie runs. I thoroughly enjoyed both the movie and the unique use of the music. They blended together beautifully. It's refreshing to be able to sit down and relax with a movie that can carry itself without gore, sex, and profanity. This would be a good example of how it's done. Everything flowed easily from scene to scene and the touching moments were done with perfection. The estranged relationship between father and son and the consequences it brings was handled with a sensitivity that makes you stop and think of your own life. The emotions that emerge when Bob finds his fathers scrapbook and his wife's letters to his father was done in such a way that you can't help but reflect on your life. Hallee Hirsh was outstanding as Madison and everything she said and did seemed sincere. Great acting all around, and a highly recommended movie, with excellent cast, scenery, acting, and excellent interaction with animals, especially the wolves.

Excellent family movie

[BidiBidiBomBom06 · 10/10 · 21 November 2006]

Being a fan of Nancy McKeon, I watched this movie as soon as I could. This is an excellent movie to watch with your family. I enjoyed Richard Thomas, Nancy McKeon, and Halee Hirsh very much. Bob Hart (Richard Thomas) is a cop who moves with her daughter Madison (Halee Hirsh_ to a ranch that he lived in when he was a little boy with his father. While working as the town sheriff, his daughter helps the vet, Emily (Nancy McKeon) take care of the animals. He is approached by a man who wants to buy Bob Hart's farm for more room to make a mall. His horses start getting killed and the people who don't sell him their properties end up having them burned down. Madison overhears a conversation between the town mayor and the man, who finds out what his plan is. The day is eventually saved, by a wolf. Excellent movie to see with members of your family.

Great Movie!

[mike1290 · 9/10 · 18 July 2006]

This was such a great movie! As you can see it is really hard to sit down and watch something with your "whole" family with out flipping the channel to the food network or some other family approved TV station. And I must say that it was really really good! I thought that the acting was pretty good. It was not great but you know it was not produced my Hollywood and thats pretty hard to come by when you don't have the support or the money or the advertising by the big guys. The location was really cool. I live in Michigan so the land formation and scenery is really different. So I thought that looked great. Richard Thomas played a good part also. But if you ever find time to watch this, or if you ever see it on TV such as the hallmark channel or something else, TAPE IT! This was a great find. And I am even lucky in watching it, for on the day that it was airing I was just flipping thru the channels and then the commercial came up and I'm like: "wow I should tape it just in case it was be really good" and I was not let down.

GREAT MOVIE!

Excellent movie the entire family will definitely enjoy

[mydanes · 10/10 · 8 March 2009]

I stumbled on this movie on The Hallmark Channel, I always check for something good to watch on THC. I read the description and was intrigued so I started watching it and quickly realized I had to record it for later because it was so enjoyable. Great story, morals, country, actors - I loved it - I even recorded it to my DVR so I can enjoy it again!!!! I felt that the reviewer that said they wished the movie was over an hour ago after watching 30 minutes of viewing the movie has 'no taste' in GOOD movies. I thought the movie did a great job showing compassion for: The horses, The wolves, and The people Finally, I only wish that more movies could just be 'good stories' without the language, sex, blood, etc. that seem to be 'required' by current day standards.

A great film for the whole family

[saelyall · 10/10 · 13 July 2006]

This movie is a must see for anyone with a family, or anyone that loves horses and animals.

It is an all around great movie. There isn't anyone in your family that wont enjoy the beautiful scenery, gorgeous wild horses and the light mystery that is in the story being told.

I really loved the country they were in. I wish they would tell us more about where they filmed the movie. It is the kind of place I would love to live.

Like so many other movies that the Hallmark Channel puts out, this is greatly enjoyable. I agree with the other person that said that she really liked all the actors who where in it, that they were many of her favorites. I totally agree. It was very nice to see Nancy McKeon again. I think she is a very talented actress. Richard Thomas is great too. I loved the relationship that was built between their two characters, and that between Hallee Hirch (Jag) and A.J. Trauth (Even Stevens). It was really nice to see Geoffrey Lewis play a good guy for once, two.

I highly recommend you watch this movie next time it is on.

Better Than Expected

[galinda · 10/10 · 9 July 2006]

I have to say I went into this with low expectations. Watched more for the actors than anything else, but I was pleasantly surprised. This was a nicely done family film. Maybe because it was Hallmark I expected it to be extra sappy, but it really wasn't. Sure some of the plot points were cliché (The big bad developer wanting to wipe out Main Street), but the writing, direction and acting made up for it.

I thought the writers did a credible job creating a believable father/teen daughter relationship. They were close, but not unbelievably so. They weren't pouring out their feelings to each other in a ridiculous manner. The direction kept things moving. They stuffed a lot into the 1 hour and 40 minutes but it never felt slow or overstuffed.

Richard Thomas, Hallee Hirsh, Nancy McKeon, AJ Trauth, and Geoffrey Lewis also all did well with their respective parts. A lot of the vets could walk through this sort of thing in their sleep, but there didn't seem to be any phoned in performances. Hallee Hirsh did a great job as the sort of rebellious headstrong teen. Richard Thomas was as you'd expect--solid. Nancy, AJ and Geoffrey all charmed in their roles. On a completely shallow note, Nancy McKeon looks pretty amazing for having turned 40 this year.

My only complaint would be in the depiction of the beginning of Bob and Emily's relationship. While I liked that they kept it light, at the beginning it was obvious there was an attraction between the two. However, Bob then sort of acted rude and distant to Emily in the early scenes. Particularly at the 4th dance. No sooner does she come over, Bob cuts her off mid sentence and walks off. I was expecting there to be some sort of explanation for Bob's rude behavior--that after his wife's death he wasn't ready to date yet or something--but it was never explained.

wild at hart

[maryhelencook60-18-1703 · 10/10 · 4 June 2014]

i love this film so much as i love animals to and i wood love a copy of this film on DVD and its hard to find there is some good acting in it to wood love to see a part to if they wood make one the baby cubs in it are so sweet i wood love to have one to hold the place that it was filmed in was great i wood love to live there its so peaceful if anyone nos were to get this film on DVD email me i think its a good family film to and i can see a family siting down to eat a takeaway and see it on TV we all like a good story and i think this one wood do it i give it a 10- out of 10 as it gave me a lot of joy watching this story i did not want it to end

This is such a refreshing TV movie

[mj_bish · 10/10 · 14 July 2006]

Who played the Mayor? His face is so familiar, I believe he is a long time character actor with a possible first name of James? Can anyone help with this? The IMDb cast list is incomplete and when the credits rolled after the movie, it went too fast, and the print was reduced to accommodate advertising. So we couldn't read the remainder of the cast.

Is there any way to know WHERE the movie was filmed? The scenery is breathtaking. It looks like Montana or Wyoming. Was this a trained adult wolf or is this another miracle of computerization? This rating should be at least a 12 in my books. Thanks, Hallmark, I hope you will do more of this type of movie.

Shorty

This is an amazingly great show!

[janetzoellner · 10/10 · 14 January 2022]

The cast is perfect! The story lines so interesting. This is a winner!!!

Richard Thomas is great in this role. His daughter on the show is a great and beautifully spirited young woman. And the vet is beautiful. She played in facts of life. I am so impressed.