Broken Bridges

Bobby Delton's death in a military exercise brings his family back home. His sister Angela Delton (Kelly Preston) has been estranged since getting pregnant. She returns with her rebellious teen daughter Dixie (Lindsey Haun). Her mother (Tess Harper) tries to stay positive but her father Jake (Burt Reynolds) still holds resentments. Angela is shocked to find Dixie's father, fading country singer Bo Price (Toby Keith), has also returned.

Toby Keith is a stiff actor. I'm trying to accept that for this character. He's a piece of stone stuck in the middle of the screen. Kelly Preston is no great catch either. It's more interesting to see Burt again. The girl shows different sides and out performs everybody else. The music is pretty good and that helps a lot. Otherwise, it's a relatively unimaginative melodrama.

Had the chance to see an advance showing. Looking for a movie professional reviewers will ooh and ah over? Forget it! There are no real surprises, twists or turns ... no artsy-fartsy foreign director trying to impress the Hollywood types and hoping for some directing award. This movie comes only with some solid actors portraying what could easily happen in real life. Looking for high speed chases or Tom Cruise-like stunts? Don't bother with this film. Just bring your heart if you want to glean anything from this one.

Filmed in the real town of Senoia, Georgia, one 'Chicago Sun-Times' reviewer describes the fictional town of Armour Springs as "... one of those Southern towns that exist primarily in the minds of screenwriters". Apparently he's never been south of the Mason-Dixon line and we personally don't care for his type down here anyway. Senoia is only one of many small towns that do exist and have retained remnants of the America that was once innocent ... where kids could be kids and adults acted like adults. The same reviewer seemed impressed with Kelly Preston as giving the only "solid" performance. She did good but she wasn't at the top of her game. If you score her in comparison to the performance of the "rookies" (Toby Keith and Lindsey Haun) Preston wasn't that great.

While I loved the movie there are a few disappointments. The character of Anna Maria Horsford should have been expanded. She is an excellent actress and could have been given more exposure. A "situation" involving Dixie (Haun) and some guy seems to be left hanging. The movie could easily have been a television series by expanding both characters and plots within this quiet little town.

I really enjoyed the story line and the messages in the movie, and the sound track is awesome. Toby Keith's talent was very evident throughout the story, not only as a singer, but also as an actor. Kelly Preston was able to show her inward pain and disappointment for the way her high school boyfriend had treated her earlier in their lives. Lindsey Haun was a real surprise and has a nice singing voice. Of course the "old timers" were a very important part of the story also, as is true of actual Southern families. This is a good "Southern" story filmed from several small towns in Georgia near here. The scenery was very representative of the area. It was especially interesting to see the final movie after knowing a lot of the local extras and watching the filming last year.

Finally, a movie without profanity, violence, computer graphics, obnoxious music, and sex! But what this movie does have is Toby Keith, Kelly Preston, Burt Reynolds, Lindsey Haun, and a terrific soundtrack.

Lindsey Haun, who is not a newcomer to the acting biz, stole the movie in her spot-on portrayal of Dixie, a struggling 17 year old who longs for a family. Her scenes with Toby, Kelly and Burt were fabulous. When Dixie debuts her song to the congregation, she really shines. This gal can sing! No wonder Toby signed her to his label- Show Dog Records Nashville! Toby, in his big screen acting debut, proves he can do anything he sets his mind to. He more than just says lines - - he emotes, he connects, and he delivers a terrific freshman effort.

Tess Harper, Ann Marie Horseford, Willie Nelson, Bebe Winans, and Toby's very own Easy Money Band complete the cast.

I loved it and will see it again and again, and will own the DVD. Very family friendly.

The reason I didn't give this a 10 is because of the editing and some missing back story, not because of the acting performances.

I have seen many movies over the years, so I may be a little too discriminating. That said, Broken Bridges did not live up to my expectations. The writing wasn't the best. The directing wasn't the best. And the sound people should never work in Hollywood again.

That's not to say that Toby Keith is a bad actor. Quite the contrary, he shows real potential, and I really hope to see him in other movies, hopefully movies that are better written and allow Toby to really show his acting chops. Toby said that while it may not seem like a stretch, he is really different from his character, and unlike the real life Toby, Bo is struggling with his career. Toby...you're a great singer, brilliant songwriter, outstanding performer...but this wasn't much of a stretch. A cop, a lawyer, a teacher, or even a biker allows you to try out your acting chops. Toby plays a country singer, and Toby is really a country singer. Toby Keith's character dresses like...Toby Keith. But Toby did give a good performance, so I applaud him for that.

Lindsey Haun had better become a big star. She's beautiful, and shes a great singer and actress...a double WHAMMY! Her performance of Broken was one of the highlights of the movie. This wasn't a huge blockbuster film, but I hope it was big enough to get people to notice this great talent.

The soundtrack was very good, I'll give it that. But I was expecting much more with this film. It's great that so many people on here like it. It just wasn't for me.