Love Takes Wing

7.7 stars.

The very first of the series was an astonishingly wonderful film, but 'Love Takes Wing' is better than some, I'd say it's slightly above average in comparison to most.

The "Love..." series of almost ten movies never fails to provide a good old-fashioned inspirational feeling. They knew they had something really special, so they went with it. Good for them. I have always been entertained just enough to enjoy each and every film in the series, and I think it's because they found a recipe and they stuck with it. It's kinda like a batch of cookies. You love it when Grandma makes that same batch of chocolate chip, maybe they aren't your favorites, but they are always delightful enough with a glass of milk, and if it isn't broke...

No matter what the story, the method and the material are always consistent and authentic feeling. They use the right music and direction to create a similar atmosphere, and the acting is always decent. Look who directed it. Interesting. I like his rendition of the town loser, but they sorta left that unresolved.

Two female doctors Haylie Duff and Sarah Jones come to Sikeston, Missouri and none too soon. The town is in the grip of an epidemic that appears to have started in the town orphanage. It's soon identified not as a kind of influenza as was thought, but the far more deadly cholera, most common back in a time of less sanitation.

Besides having to battle the usual Victorian prejudices about women in certain male only professions, both women especially Duff have their own demons to battle. Duff in fact is a recent widow who was unable to save her husband despite her medical training. Back two centuries ago, it was common for folks to die a lot younger.

The only real support they get is from the matron of the orphanage, Cloris Leachman and from Jordan Bridges the town blacksmith whom Duff gets romantically involved with. They have a week mayor in Patrick Duffy who wants to do the right thing, but is also mindful he has to go to these folks for votes later on. Sikeston also has a rabble rouser in Lou Diamond Phillips who lost family members and is willing to just throw the sick orphans on the street and out of town.

In addition to being the Grinch of the story, Lou Diamond Phillips also directs Love Takes Wing and gets nice performances from his cast. Particularly effective are the scenes with Haylie Duff and orphan Annalise Basso who bond quite nicely in the story and on the screen.

How do they deal with the epidemic? Well it seems that Johns Hopkins has developed a brand new technique for dealing with dehydration which is how cholera kills. I won't say, but I will say that nowadays it's something taken for granted.

Which shows you that even the most matter of fact and mundane things we have now are things that someone had to think up and bring about. And prove they work.

Love Takes Wing is a nice family film from the Hallmark Channel definitely worth a viewing.

How does a pure red head turn into a blond? The biggest thing that bothered me during the entire film was this hair situation. Belinda was a red head on Movie 5 and 6, now she is suddenly a golden blond; it makes no sense. Further more if they were going to pick a different actress, why not pick an older actress, possibly in her thirties? Belinda has just graduated from Medical school and yet she's in her early 20's, I can easily understand why no one will take her seriously. The most disappointing thing about the movie is that the Love Come's Softly films have fallen into this annoying pattern - Woman is married. Husband dies. Woman adopts child and remarries. Orphan grows up falls in love and marries - repeat. If the films art going to follow the books properly then why can't they come up with a new story and plot line? Something new and interesting. Don't get me wrong, Love Takes Wing still has the family vibes and is a nice clean film, but the quality is very poor with cheesy lines and terrible acting.

This is the seventh movie in the Love Comes Softly series.If you Love this movie you just have to start from the beginning .The movies in order is as follows....

1.Love Comes Softly 2.Love's Enduring Promise 3.Love's Long Journey 4.Love's Abiding Joy 5.Love's Unending Legacy 6.Love's Unfolding Dream 7.Love Takes Wing 8.Love Finds a Home

I really Love this series of movies.If you like to read the books are a must.This and all the other movies it this series are prefect for the whole family. That is not always the case with other movies made today.The Hallmark channel brings us great movies that everyone can enjoy and learn some good morals to boot.

Before I begin, I'll say that I have always been a fan of Jeanette Oak and her work. I am not however, a fan of Hallmark channel movies.(I've always thought them to be too predictable and repetitive)The Love comes Softly series is no different, except for the fact that it is set in the 1800's. The constant playing of dramatic music is irritating and the acting is far too modern for a western movie.And to be honest, it doesn't stray far from the other Love Comes Softly movies. Girl meets boy, they fall in love and get married, then have a child who repeats the same thing in the next movie. I'll admit that the plot is intriguing enough to keep you watching,and if your looking for a good family film, then this is for you.All in all this movie is your typical, feel good, western-love story.If thats your cup of tea then you will enjoy this, otherwise don't watch it.