On A Smile as Big as the Moon

Mike Kersjes (John Corbett) teaches a special ed class at a high school. He has a special group of kids with disabilities ranging from Down syndrome to the "alphabet" kind like ADHD. One day, the kids go on a field trip to a museum - and come back with pamphlets advertising Space Camp. A place for "gifted" students, Space Camp sounds like the coolest thing ever to more than one of the kids. So Mike decides to make it happen. Unfortunately, he has to 1) get his superiors to okay the trip, 2) get Space Camp to agree, 3) raise enough money, and 4) get the kids into the proper physical and especially mental state. It ain't gonna be easy.

All right, I'll just start off by saying this is a Hallmark movie. But it's so much better than one of their typical movies that I forgot it was even Hallmark. Or I would have forgotten if there weren't so many Hallmark card commercials.

Back to my review. The acting, writing, and story are amazing for a TV movie. A Smile as Big as the Moon wouldn't win any Academy Awards if it was a theater release, but it's really more than just passable. At least one of the kids is played by someone with the real disability, and the others seem to be pretty darn good actors. John Corbett is good as Mike. And that's pretty much everybody who has a big part.

So the production is good - and the story is better. People so often forget that disabilities don't define people. Yes, psychologists, I'm looking at you. Special ed kids are so often marginalized just because they happen to have difficulty reading, concentrating, remembering, or even just comprehending. They get labeled so that everyone sees them as "Down syndromes with people" (so to speak) instead of "people with Down syndrome." Then the kids' development is stunted because they're told they "can't do that" because their brains or other parts of them work differently. The only words to describe that viewpoint are ones that I prefer not to use. A Smile as Big as the Moon tears down that horrible inversion by showing just how much kids are capable of achieving if they're only given the chance and a helping hand.

My Rating: OK (mild language)

On The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Uncle Ralph (Henry Winkler) is the ultimate gift getter. For his little great-nephew Brian (Connor Christopher Levins), that is. Unfortunately, old Uncle Ralph hates shopping for girls. He finds a Christmas present for Brian's mom Jen (Brooke Burns), but when he meets a handsome stranger on his way to visit Jen and Brian, he can't resist a little match-making. So he talks Jen into letting this handsome stranger, named Morgan Derbie (Warren Christie), stay in her house for a night while Morgan's waiting for his plane. But Jen isn't too pleased about it. And neither is her boyfriend.

Pros: This was surprisingly well acted. Both the lead parts are pretty good, which is more than I can say for most Hallmark movies. It was also really funny. Uncle Ralph in particular has some great lines, while Morgan's facial expressions are hilarious.

Cons: Okay, so the story is a little unbelievable. Believe it or not, the romance isn't particularly well done. I don't mean that it's lame (although it kind of is); I mean there are pretty much zero romantic scenes, and there seems to be almost no chemistry between Morgan and Jen. Very strange for a Hallmark movie.

My Rating: OK (sexual references)

On The Magic of Ordinary Days

It's World War II, but Livy Dunne (Keri Russell) is a young lady with her own problems. She's not married, and she's pregnant. Her father arranges for her to marry Ray Singleton (Skeet Ulrich), a farmer from a backwoods part of Colorado. Though she's never met the man, Livy reluctantly agrees. While Ray soon falls in love with her, Livy's heart still belongs to the father of her child.

Pros: This is really a beautifully pro-life story. In one scene, Livy tells a doctor that she made a "mistake" that resulted in her baby's conception. The doctor replies that she won't think of it as a mistake when she sees her baby. Plus, Ray doesn't care that the baby isn't his - he's going to love him or her like a real daddy. Which brings me to another subject - Ray! He is so sweet to Livy, he would melt any woman's heart. There are also no flashbacks, which, in movies with storylines like this one, can often be crude. The acting is surprisingly good for a Hallmark movie.

Cons: Um, the "Japanese-American" women that Livy befriends are Asian, but they don't really look Japanese. The actresses are from Singapore and Indonesia. I have no idea whether that part of the story is at all accurate, either. Also, the clothing is really laughable. Like any woman would sleep in a no-sleeved nightgown in an old farmhouse in Colorado in the winter!

My Rating: T (thematic elements)

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Regarding The Russell Girl

Sarah Russell (Amber Tamblyn) has leukemia. Terrified at the prospect of dying, she goes back home to visit her parents, but, at the last moment, decides not to tell them about her disease. While on her visit, she runs into people she fondly remembers and people she'd rather forget - namely, her high school boyfriend Evan Carroll (Paul Wesley), and her next-door-neighbor Lorainne Morrissey (Jennifer Ehle). While Evan is delighted to see her, Sarah's reappearance stirs up tragic memories for Lorainne, who starts down a slippery slope of bitterness and a refusal to let go of the past.

Pros: There's nothing I like better than an awful Hallmark movie. Quite honestly, I love watching them with my friends and laughing the whole way through. But the only laughs I got out of this movie were the intentionally funny lines, and other parts made me cry. Evan is really very adorable, and all three dads in the movie (Sarah's father, Evan's father (even though he's only in one scene), and Lorainne's husband) are awesome. That's really why I like this movie so much. When is a father ever portrayed as anything other than an idiot nowadays? Jennifer Ehle was fabulous as Lorainne, and Amber Tamblyn did a great job with some not-so-easy lines and facial expressions as Sarah.

Cons: To be honest, tragedy and faith go hand-in-hand. If you're going through a tough time, lean on the Lord. Unfortunately, there is barely (if any) mention of God in this movie. But I don't allow that to overshadow the rest. I must admit, too, that the kissing scenes were weird. Neither Evan nor Sarah do anything wrong; the kisses are just weird.

My Rating: OK (tragedy, lack of trust in parents and family)

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Regarding The Love Letter

Scott Corrigan (Campbell Scott) is going to be married to a wonderful young lady named Debra (Daphne Ashbrook). When Deb's eye is attracted to a beautiful wedding dress in the window of an antique store, the couple ventures in to take a look around. Scott discovers an old Civil War-era desk, which he promptly buys. When he brings it home, he discovers a letter hidden in a secret compartment of the desk - and begins to communicate with a woman who has been dead for a hundred years.

Pros: Um... *Scratches head* I liked Scott's mother, Beatrice (Estelle Parsons). I also liked Deb.

Cons: Where to begin? First, the acting was terrible and the writing was worse. Elizabeth, the woman who falls in love with Scott through his letters, was so modern it was literally painful. (Painful because I was laughing so hard my side hurt.) **Spoiler Warning** Plus, what was up with the "I'm in the past and the future, only I'm different people"? Huh? That smacks of reincarnation to me.

My Rating: AGC

Concerning Amish Grace

Angry with God over the death of his baby girl, Charlie Roberts (John Churchill) decides to go shoot some other little girls. He targets a school in the Amish community where he serves as the milkman. In the wake of his terrible murders and suicide, the Amish people reach out to his widow Amy (Tammy Blanchard) with their forgiveness and sympathy. But Ida Graber (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) is one mother who is not ready to forgive. Her hatred for Charlie runs too deep to be uprooted lightly - she won't betray her daughter by forgiving the man who killed her in cold blood.

Pros: Obviously, this movie is about forgiveness. As such, it's a great movie. There's one scene between Gideon Graber (Matt Letscher) and his surviving daughter Katie (Karley Scott Collins) where he explains to her that God, the Just Judge, will ensure that evil people like Charlie will get what they deserve. Hatred only harms the haters, not the hated. (As a side note, I believe only an insane person would do something like Charlie did - I have hope that he was no longer responsible for his actions and he might end up in heaven someday.)

Cons: The Grabers are fictionalized characters. I did not appreciate Ida's character at all - I thought her whole purpose was to add emotional tension to a story rife with more viable emotional storylines. The acting is, sadly, not very good. Tammy Blanchard and Kimberley Williams-Paisley are very good, but everyone else is, well, not very good. Particularly Gideon.

My Rating: OK (shootings and suicide (not shown), parents arguing)

In Relation To Love Finds a Home

Dr. Belinda Owens (Sarah Jones) has a near-perfect life. She has a wonderful husband named Lee (Jordan Bridges), and a beautiful (matter of opinion) adopted daughter named Lillian (Courteney Halverson). But Belinda can't be perfectly happy - her inability to get pregnant clouds her otherwise-perfect life. Then her old schoolmate, Annie (Haylie Duff), comes for a visit. Annie is pregnant with her first child, and seeing a pregnant friend so close at hand increases Belinda's anxiety.

Pros: The cons are a really long list, so I have to say right now that I like this movie. Lee is great! Lillian's boyfriend, Joshua (Michael Trevino), is really cute. (Even if the actor has distractingly pierced ears!) He's also very responsible and sweet. Annie's mother-in-law, Mary (Patty Duke), is hilarious and acted very well.

Cons: Aaaaaaaaaah! The latest Love Comes Softly movies have had this sort of "squelched girl syndrome" (as Steven D. Greydanus of Decent Films says). They all have women who are restricted somehow by their husbands. I find that extremely annoying. Lillian, despite what everyone says, is not "beautiful," although she can look pretty. Haylie Duff was a terrible choice! She doesn't look "pioneerish" in any sense of the "word." Her skin is too dark, her hair too short and streaked, and her eyebrows too dark for her hair color. Plus, she doesn't act like a pioneer woman - and she certainly doesn't look pregnant! The writing and acting could be better, though I've seen worse.

My Rating: OK (birthing scene)

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Concerning Stranded

David Robinson (Liam Cunningham) is a preacher who refuses to swear allegience to the crown. Because of this, he and his family are put on a ship and sent to a penal colony in the Pacific Ocean. But then the ship wrecks in a storm. The youngest Robinson, Jacob (Andrew Lee Potts), is placed in a lifeboat, but the rest of the family gets trapped in the hold and left behind. They make it to a nearby island and slowly build a life there. Then, after a period of seven years, a young lady shows up on their shores and brings trouble. A pirate ship is right on her heels, captained by a lieutenant from the prison ship and an unusual first mate - a seventeen-year-old boy named Jakie.

Pros: Um... The scenery and wildlife are stunning. Fritz (Jesse Spencer) is very good looking.

Cons: It's a not-too-good adaptation of Swiss Family Robinson, though they had to change the title because the family is British, not Swiss. The Disney movie is far superior. There are tons of storylines (father/son conflict, Jacob's conflict over choosing family or friends, sibling rivalry, Captain Blunt's (Roger Allam) inexplicable attraction to Lara Robinson (Brana Bajic)), but none are fleshed out. In short, they tried to cram as much as possible into a roughly three-hour movie, but failed to make it work.

My Rating: OK (violence)

Concerning Lantern Hill

Lantern Hill, a Canadian adaptation of L.M. Montgomery's book Jane of Lantern Hill, is the story of a young girl whose parents are separated. Twelve year old Victoria Jane Stuart (Mairon Bennett) has lived with her mother Robin (Patricia Phillips) for as long as she can remember. Then one day they receive a letter from Jane's father Andrew (Sam Waterston), requesting a visit from his daughter. Jane, who has heard nothing but bad things about her father from her mother's family, reluctantly agrees to go.

Pros: To be perfectly honest, there are very few pros in this movie. The two best parts were Jane's friend Jody (Sarah Polley) and Violet and Justina Titus (Joyce Campion and Florence Patterson, respectively), who could be very funny.

Cons: The acting was bad. Particularly in Andrew's case, which is too bad because the whole emotional pull of the movie is centered on him. There are also some weird sort of dream/vision scenes with a ghost that are entirely out of place. I've never read the book, but the whole movie came across like a badly done abridgement. Many scenes and characters seemed to be included simply because they were necessary for later parts of the story - there was very little character development and almost no flow in the story development.

My Rating: T (broken marriage, "spooky" ghost scenes)

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