Grynell Reviews

Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (2004 TV Movie)

Doll lovers rejoice!

[23 November 2004]

I'm afraid the the average viewer probably won't be familiar with the American Girls line of dolls. Each one, in this case Samantha, has her own clothes, pet, and a biography in the form of a storybook.

To attempt to make a movie of one of these dolls is doomed to limited results. I doubt the target audience of doll lovers/collectors and the young girls that enjoy them will be large enough to make more than a peep out of this film.

It's the PG rating of ALL PG ratings. Expect nothing more than a simple tale of Samantha's favorite Uncle bringing home his new bride to be. Qualms and mistrust of her from Samantha are tepid in these times of "The Stepfather" and "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle."

For fans of American Girls Dolls ONLY!!

The Reagans (2003 TV Movie)

Big brouhaha over nothing.

[5/10 · 1 December 2003]

In spite of the flack from the RNC and conservatives all over the country, this film was about as controversial as "Bambi." Left alone, no one would even remember seeing it a year from now.

Far from being a "tell-all," it was handled almost lovingly. Brolin did a fairly decent *impression* of Ronnie, though never quite believable. Over the course of a couple of hours, Davis actually becomes Nancy.

The striking thing about the storyline is that Ron's Alzheimer's was spotted very early on by Nancy, and actually gives a new slant to the hazy "I don't remember" days of the Presidency.

Though certainly not as bad as predicted, it's still a long way from something I would recommend. If you're over 30, you'll get a kick out of it. The Al Hague sequences are hysterical!

Watch this movie only if you have 3 hours to kill late some night.