Change of Heart

The plot of this movie is not new. Plenty of movies have been made about the interaction between a girl who is nearly an orphan and a bachelor for whom responsibility in any way is a big no-no. But I have to say I give Jeremy Ratchford and that angel of a girl, Sarah Campbell full marks for portraying such familiar character-sketches with a fresh, thoroughly heartwarming flair. In small but noticeable ways it defied the usual ways in which such sentimental movies are made. Felix is an utter lout at the start of the movie and by the end of it, he doesn't undergo a reformation, but Maggie evokes the dormant innocence and feeling of love and belongingness in him. And that I think is a great feat for any human. So Maggie, Felix's niece makes a deal with him that he should find her her father and she will give him eight thousand dollars which he needs to repay a couple of baddies. This deal leads to an adventure across city to find Maggie's father and there unfolds our duo's interaction. The ball being in Maggie's court, now that she has the money leads to humorous dialogues and ego-bashing between them. Eventually even though Maggie finds her father, a gay millionaire and Felix rids himself of his debt; their interaction which blossoms into mutual sense of love and respect brings them back together for better or worse.. This is a beautiful movie with some poignant moments that are captured and acted so well, they linger long after seeing the movie. Adding to the appeal of the movie is of course the fact that it is set during Christmas and provides the necessary atmosphere to the movie.. Felix is definitely not the most gentlemanly guy around(far from that) and Maggie is not the most coy babe in the woods, but still this movie reinforces the fact that we are at the core innocent, it requires that necessary impetus to rekindle it and that this movie manages that very beautifully. That is the reason I have quoted a line from Sarah McLachlan's song 'Adia' as a summary to this Canadian treat..

It's the old "Silas Marner" plot, and there's nothing fancy about the production, but this film is touching and well worth the time. Jeremy Ratchford's performance as Felix, the self-centred hustler, has real charisma, and you sense he could have gone much further with the character if the script had allowed it. Heath Lamberts' character is outrageously gay but wonderfully sympathetic.

A lovely movie, on so many levels. The performance of Sarah Campbell is absolutely remarkable. I wish we could see some more of her in this part of the world, but I will remember her name and look out for her. Great performance from Jeremy Ratchford as well. Canadian film and TV is so under-valued and under-appreciated by TVNZ. I saw this movie on TV by accident and wished I had not missed the beginning, but still thoroughly enjoyed it. A heartwarming story without being cloying and falsely sentimental. For my money right up there with Paper Moon, only I would rate Sarah Campbell far above Tatum O'Neill, notwithstanding that she had a much more appealing character to play.