Expecting a Miracle

A couple, on the verge of ending their marriage because they cannot have children, find themselves stranded in a village in Mexico where they come to know some of the locals -- and each other --as they prepare for their festival.

This comedy-drama is handled in a very quiet manner and the focus seems to be more on the man, played by Jason Priestley, rather than his wife, played by Nicole Scipione, which keeps the tone a touch lighter than it might have been handled, keeping a good balance between comedy and sadness. Even Cheech Marin plays the local priest largely straight.

While this is not the best TV movie ever made, it is a pretty good effort and worth your time.

I read another review that credited actor for the wife character as Nicole Scipione. This part is played wonderfully by Teri Polo, who for some reason is not even credited in the movie information. Also, I am not sure why this is classified as a comedy-drama. If there is comedy, it is very subdued. I do agree that Cheech Marin even plays his part straight. That is a very nice change. Rebeka Montoya is wonderful as the young lady that befriends Teri Polo's character as is Kevin Hernandez who plays the young boy. However, Priestly and Polo, definitely are strong as the main characters of the movie. They learn that life and love can go on even without children. They also learn to place their life in God's hands, rather than trying so hard to control their own destiny. Oh,and the pilot pig must be given credit. I guess there was one comic moment in the movie. I highly recommend it as a family movie.

Too much sugar is bad for you especially if you're a diabetic. But metaphorical sugar, as in a sappy movie, never hurt anyone. True, it doesn't meet all people's taste, but in this case I enjoyed it.

Like many movies from these producers, you pretty much expect all the loose ends to be tied up happily. And even if you didn't realize that coming in, it's pretty obvious by about half way through what's going to happen. Or is it? I didn't expect that! Still a lot the predictable things did stay true to expectations.

The two leading ladies were a joy to watch in Teri Polo and Rebeka Montoya. Montoya, especially, fit the movie's ambience of total optimism. Polo's character's circumstances demanded that she start out a little sad but the town quickly changed that. Between the two of them, I wanted to be there in that town. Polo has appeared in a lot of productions that appear on Hallmark, Faith and Family, Pixl and others of that nature. It doesn't seem like Montoya has that portfolio which is too bad. I think she could fit well there.

Kevin Balmore played the little boy quite well.

It didn't look like there was a lot of expense on sets, but most of that was because most of the movie stayed in one place.

Don't expect too much reality, but that's normal in this genre. The biggest aberration from reality is how Norte Americano everyone's accents were, especially Magdalena.

I give this movie 10 stars for its story of marital struggles and uplifting miracles!

Struggles are part of marriage, and while the couple in the movie doesn't struggle financially, they do struggle with conceiving, which creates stress on them individually and puts serious tension on their union.

The characters, played by Jason Priestley and Teri Polo, seem ready to give up, but their hearts aren't entirely closed to each other and that means there is room for a miracle, which is nice to see in a movie these days.

I think the actors are good in their roles, and Cheech Marin as the wise Father Arturo is definitely my favorite. I also liked seeing Ed Lauter in a small supporting role.

I'd recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys the actors and appreciates uplifting stories of married couples who overcome struggles together.