Twelve Mile Road

It was Fathers' Day when I watched this movie on CBS. The day when I went home from church, I read the Sunday newspaper for the week, and found the TV channel section and looked under "Sunday's Best". What happened next? I'm given a short summary on 12 Mile Road. I thought, "Maybe the main character was going to be laid-back". I was wrong. The local newspaper I read, The News & Observer, said that the character was "a wild child with a destructive streak." When I saw the preview while watching Cold Case on TV (the episode had a 1990 murder), two things were wrong with the movie: the troublesome girl, and the setting. The main character did not have a fashion like today's kids on skateboards. Instead, the main character looks as if she got her clothes and cosmetics at Hot Topic (yes, Maggie Grace, I'm talking about YOUR performance in this movie). When I saw the strangely dressed teenager, I thought "PERSONAL FOUL! Did Alex Varkatzas tell her to dress this way?"--I was wrong. Alex Varkatzas had nothing to do with this--and any fans of Maggie Grace would be grossed out had they seen this movie on TV (just look at the way she dresses!). I hate to sound like Jim Cramer and Simon Cowell, but this wasn't Maggie Grace's best work. That was absolutely terrible. My advice: for Maggie Grace, wait until Season 2 of Lost, or wait for the new movie The Fog, also starring Smallville lead Tom Welling. Maggie Grace can do better than this. Congratulations to Tom Selleck for keeping her in line throughout the movie--and for the times where you JUST CAN'T STAND the main character. Sheesh!

Made me ponder on life. I could relate to Dulce, honestly... I was just like her when I was younger. This movie hit me deep. It's very well-acted and well-written too, good for a rainy afternoon with the family.

Stephen Landis (Tom Selleck) lived on a farm in Idaho, but his wife Angela (Wendy Crewson) wanted to live in the city and become a lawyer. So she and their daughter Dulcie (Maggie Grace) left Stephen alone.

As the movie opens, Dulcie is 16, wearing too much makeup, and getting a tattoo. She is such a troublemaker her mother believes a summer on her father's farm would do her good. Meanwhile, Stephen's girlfriend Leah (Anna Gunn) wants to move in with him, along with her teenage daughter Roxanne (Tegan Moss). As you might expect, Dulcie causes problems, but she is not the only one. Surprisingly, she and Roxanne become friends, but Roxanne's troubles are not Dulcie's fault.

Maggie Grace gives a wonderful performance, as Dulcie goes from delightfully nasty to just nasty to merely delightful. Dulcie is not really that bad once the movie progresses, though she hates the farm and becomes quite depressed. Going back to the city at the end of the summer is not the answer, however.

One thing that makes this movie distinctive is its emphasis on Christianity. Stephen's neighbors are among the few real Christians shown on TV, and the term 'born again' is actually used by one character. There are serious moral dilemmas, and the solutions are not perfect.

This movie had its ups and downs, and it appeared at one point that all was lost, but things started looking up again.

As a resident of Idaho, I couldn't resist watching this movie, plus it had Tom Selleck. The storyline was common enough, divorced parents, daughter lives with mom, daughter is a wreck, mom dumps daughter on dad who has a farm, and daughter goes from bad to tolerable. Actually, the plot works, simply because everyone plays the part like real people. It's almost like we stepped into a reality show. We don't get to see every little thing lined out (hmm, we have to think for ourselves? that's different), and there is no great resolution. Life is like that sometimes--most of the time.

This was a pleasant way to spend the evening, but not a terribly memorable movie. Tom played a farmer fairly well, and the rest of the cast filled in the movie all right. The only character that didn't get a chance to develop was Leah, Tom's live-in girlfriend. She wasn't allowed much range, yet the one line she delivers about wishing she hadn't ever met Tom's character felt real and sincere.

If it comes around on TV or if you want a soft free watch from HULU-give this one a try.

I'd like to see the sequel of that movie. The movie portrays a situation common or frequent enough in life. All the characters play parts that are believable. I'm not including details not to spoil it for others, but the end of this movie is really the beginning of another story. I'd like to see more of that story. I particularly enjoyed the males' dialogue lines in the movie. They portrayed strong men, living strong, respectable values. The men portrayed good role models. The women's lines were all decent as well. Thank you for that. I'd love to be part of a writing team of that genre and caliber. Thanks again.