Twelve Mile Road

Unrealistic. Because who would put up with a daughter like this, besides and extraordinarily weak father? Who would let their immature, naive 18 yr old daughter get married? Even if she is pregnant? Who would expose the daughter of a gf to his daughter if she was in this shape, and then stick up for her no matter what, and get mad at his GF for telling him the truth about her? And then there is the feeding of the Anti freeze to the poor cow. To me, this is the movie about a really weak father and his damaged daughter. I would have straightened her up, not made excuses for her misbehavior, or expect others to put up with it.

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!

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.

i didn't even know this was made for television...a good small film with good acting. maggie grace and tom selleck have great chemistry as father and daughter, the rest of the cast isn't bad either. the quiet pace fits well with the country atmosphere, and dulcie's journey to finding herself again is believable. the most impressive scene in the movie, for me, was when dulcie ran into the forest, her dad catches her, she screams and her dad asks 'are you crazy?'. that's where the chemistry really clicks, i get the feeling some other actors might have completely ruined the film. 12 mile road is not a very original film, not even particularly thought-provoking or profound, but it's a great pick to watch a film with your girlfriend that both of you can enjoy. recommended unknown film.

Now THIS is what I call a GOOD MOVIE!! My Melissa and I watched it and absolutely loved it! It was about a man who lived in the country. He had a daughter who was a mess. The daughter's MOM made her move up to her DAD'S farm. Yes, the MOM and DAD are divorced. So, this BEAST of a girl moves up there and feeds one of TOM SELLECKS'S cows ANT FREEZE. That was amazingly cruel. Tom Selleck's character even misses a wedding because he wanted to help a COW become UNSTUCK. That was interesting. I love cows as well, but I mean, come on. There was an unusual cameo by Patch Adams. It's so hard to see that though.

So many good things about this movie. I don't regret watching this TEAR JERKER. In other words, my dame cried.