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This film made me cry when the mother is losing her family. in fact its the only film i can think of that made me cry. Its one of those films that has such touching moments that it remains one of the unforgettable films of the 90s. I think the sympathy here is in the fact she totally has her heart in the right place but the bureaucratic machinery cannot see that. Its one of the very few films which truly shows what it means to be a decent parent. Too many American films show upwardly mobile professionals as parents with very few real problems. Sherrybaby is another film of a low achiever but the lead in that film loses sympathy points due to her promiscuity and drug habit. Rent this film if you want a good cry....best watched alone!

A mother's desperate struggle, to keep her family of six boys and her husband with her. When her husband is suddenly struck by a mental illness, this slow witted, yet devoted mother seeks help from the State. Instead, the State victimizes them, through unfeeling policies and protocols. At first it seems they want to help, but their callous interference leads to family disintegration and one of the older boys becomes disenchanted with his home life. Convincing one of his brothers to come with him into foster care, provides a slippery slope for the State to seek custody for the rest of the children. With help from a prominent lawyer, devoted to her, but dubious in motive, the State is forced to return the children from foster care and provide the services, she had sought for her family, in the first place...

( Note ) One of this mother's most endearing qualities, was her ability to make up fairy tales, from true life experiences, to entertain her children; but the greatest fairy tale of them all, comes true, in the ending of this story. The boys come home from foster care, having learned that just about anyone can be good parents, but the yearning, in their hearts belonged to the only one they could truly call," mom ".

This is a most touching movie. It deals with the struggles of a slightly retarded woman who only wants to keep her six precious children close to her. Her husband is suddenly stricken with mental illness and has to be drugged to a near stupor to control his outbursts. With no money coming in, she goes to the county to seek help for her children but the county child welfare agents decide it would be best to remove the children because she is not a fit mother. Never mind that one is almost 17 and helps take care of the others now that dad is not able to. This story is as much about true love for family as it is about the calloused opinions of the child welfare people. We sometimes read where child welfare didn't act in time, but this is one time when they should have stayed out of the way. This is not intended to be an indictment of child welfare services, they have a difficult and thankless job. And they do save a lot of children from bad homes, just not always.

It doesn't seem possible until the last 15 minutes or so for this to have a happy ending but it will.

It is a bit telling on societies taste for cinema that this fine movie only has three reviews. The title must be too boring. But make a movie with sex or suggest there will be horrendous explosions and there will be dozens of reviews from people extolling the merits of it.

My heart goes out to all who are poor, or retarded or abused. The ending depicts life the way it should be for all people.

Please watch and enjoy, it is quality viewing.