Did you like this movie?

[deleted]

Yes, I liked it. Very well cast, I pictured those characters exactly as they were cast.

Yeah, but I knew Bancroft's grandmom was a softie from day one.
Dee4j

I saw some of the parts and it looks like a good movie. I hope it will be on again real soon.

Lester A. Vineyard

It's gonna be on the Hallmark channel this week or next early in the morning. Check the T.V. guid. You can also rent it at Blockbuster.

Eh. It's OK. Anne Bancroft slumming, but then, there aren't many roles for an actress of that age.

I agree with you on some.


I saw the movie first then just read the book.
I actually thought that she was perfect for Dicey, she was awkward as Dicey was.
Some of the movie sentences that I thought came out stiff were actually written like that.

I am like you though, I disliked BB as the cousin. I do think that the actors playing Sammy, James and Maybeth were the best.


If you don't have much to begin with, then you don't have much to lose.

Wow, I just noticed this thread was started 10 years ago.

I really like this movie, and I think you'd have to be pretty hard-hearted to not be a little bit taken by it. The children (especially the three older children) give good performances, but this movie really comes alive with Anne Bancroft. She turns in a fascinating, deep performance that rises way above the level of the usual TV movie.

Although the writing deserves some credit, it's really Bancroft's performance that keeps this character from being perceived as hateful, crazy, or unlikable. She makes the character interesting, funny, and beautiful in her way. We see from the very beginning that there's something else going on beneath the surface, that she longs for familial connection and must be hurting beneath her harsh exterior. I love the way she begins to appreciate each child differently, for his or her own character strengths, all character traits that she relates to in some way: Maybeth's quiet dignity, James's intelligence, Sammy's wilfulness, and Dicey's protective maternal instincts.

I really like the lingering message of this movie, too: that your actions are much more important than your words or gestures. The grandmother is harsh and angry with words, but her nurturing and caring come through with her actions from the very beginning. She pushes Dicey and the kids to stay; she feeds them and makes them feel useful; she gives the younger boy a bicycle and cares for Maybeth's arm while encouraging her to come out of her shell a little. You can't help but like this woman. And that independent, fighting spirit is of course something in the grandmother that the kids can relate to, something that makes them different from that "simpering" cousin Eunice.

The photogenic setting also helps this film. It's fun to watch these neglected kids enjoying life on the farm.