El pequeño John

A family with a painful interpersonal past attempts to reconcile and forgive. It is realistically difficult but demonstrates the need and value of facing past issues fully, painful or not. Hallmark has given another great movie. Acting is very good. Patty Duke has a small role, performs it well and proves that great actresses just love to act, especially if it is a story worth telling. Those who dislike the movie because she has a small role need to realize that is beside the point and it was her decision to make.

This was a very good movie, the part that really moved me was when the grandfather decided to adopt the boy so that his grandchild would not be adopted by an unknown family. It was really cool when the L.J went looking for his mother only to find out that it was not going to be as easy as he thought. Very good ending too!

This is such a good story, with such good acting!! I have always enjoyed Ving Rhames, and Gloria Reuben, both great actors! And I'm so glad to see that today, Robert Bailey Jr. is still acting! I had never seen, or remember this being on, and I'm so glad I found it on Directv! For the movie to go through each character's feelings, to finally reveal the main reasons at the end, made it all the better!! I highly recommend this to be watched, for a movie you won't forget!!! Plus that's my kind of ending!!!

What a horrible sin to waste the talents of this Oscar and Emmy-winning actress! In a storyline that is barely passable in itself (what 12 year old kid acts as perfect as little John does???) Duke is merely scenery as law clerk for Reuben. Her screen time is limited, as it was in her last Hallmark film, A Season for Miracles (1999) but at least in that one her character was an important aspect of the story. Here she is simply window dressing. What ever happened to the days when she was starring in gorgeous Hallmark productions such as Harvest of Fire (96) and A Christmas Memory (97) both of which she should have received Emmy nods for.

On the other hand, Ving Rhames does all he can in his role as the grandfather, but Gloria Reuben probably needs to have her acting phoned in for her, as it looks like she is reciting them from a teleprompter or something - no feeling, just words.

And the ending absolutely sucks. It plays it safe once again, when one of the few redeeming assets of the movie was how the mother-son reunion was not written from a Hallmark card, but much more real. In the end everything is a mess and the reader sits there wondering why he or she just wasted 2 hours of their time.

My score: 5/10

Little John is well worth watching! Great acting, plot and ending. Tear-jerker. We all can learn from this; especially people who don't take the time to listen but judge. Humility, communicating patience and love always helps. This movie shows us that at the end of the day, everything comes full-circle, and when we least expect it.

Ving Rhames is one of my favorite actors and the young man who played LJ, was great. Gloria Reuben does not disappoint us as she, like Ving, has played many strong and diverse roles. I hope that I didn't spoil anything for you.

So, relax and enjoy this amazing movie on Hallmark.