The Face on the Milk Carton

This movie was fantastic! Could have followed the book a little better, but all-in-all, it was a great adaptation. A must see. You might want to watch the movie first then read the books. The sequel was also part of this movie. (Whatever Happened to Janie?) Kellie Martin was fantastic as Janie. I couldn't have picked a better actress for the role.

I liked the books by Caroline B. Cooney better, but the movie wasn't bad. It was actually quite enjoyable as a girl sees herself as a kidnap victim on the back of a milk carton and sets out to find her real family and unlock the secrets of her past. I liked it. Read the books and see the movie, and decide which you like better. I enjoyed them both. I thought the casting was great and the situation very intense and suspenseful, making you think, "What if?"

*** out of ****

I may be a bit biased, since the book has always been one of my favorites, but many little descrepencies between the book and movie bugged me. Although Kellie Martin is a great actress, she was way too old to be Janie! She was 20, whereas Janie is supposed to be barely 16! Reese is supposed to be older, more mature, and he looks 3 years younger! Especially since it had to be packed into two hours, everything was rushed, and neither set of parents' characters were developed, nor did the relationship between Janie and Reese seem believable.

I don't think there was enough background in the family relationships to make it a tear-jerker, but over-all, despite the little mistakes, it was a good TV movie. 7/10

The movie starts like a sort of mystery/thriller,when Janie pursues the truth about her past. Along the middle we find out what has happened to her and the movie changes into a human drama. I could really identify with Janie here, putting myself in her shoes. How she copes with the very sudden changes in her life really made me think about parents and family relations.

Kellie Martin(Janie) gave a fine performance.Very much recommended.:)

I saw this on Lifetime sometime after it had originally aired and it dawned on me on whether or not this girl's decision would have been as difficult had this been about a girl who had been adopted and then had found her birth parents. It also could have been a much different flick if she had appeared to the Sands (her biological parents) after having been married and expecting. Kellie Martin plays an incredible role alledgedly based on a true story and gives a real performance with a lot of emotion than the usual shallow fare seen by so many teenage actors. A lot of credit has to go to the actors portraying the Sands and the Jessmons for providing Kellie a stoic and emotional base to create her role. The story of Solomon's tale of the the mothers is used as a wonderfully inspiring parallel and the dreamy flashbacks of the girl's hazy flashbacks of being kidnapped. This is a wonderful movie to make any parent pull their kids tighter, but watch the hands when you hug your teenage daughter!