Fairfield Road

Big city political assistant ends up in a small town after finding his gf is cheating and his job tanks. He gets involved in a development issue in a small town.

Is a small town better off without big business? Hallmark's movies always promote no development.

Anyway this predictable movie with Jesse Metcalfe doesn't offer anything new. He has no chemistry with his costar. Still it's okay for one watch but not memorable.

Noah MacManus is a rising young politician, but when the Boston politician he is an aide to melts down in the middle of an election, the U.S. Senator he is set to work for gets caught in a scandal and the woman he has been engaged to for eight seconds cheats on him, he winds up on Cape Cod with his dog and finds love and purpose.

There's little that's wrong in this by-the-numbers TV romcom, except for a lack of good jokes. Everyone is good looking, everyone speaks their lines and does a decent job acting, and Toronto in Canada stands in nicely for a picturesque small town in Massachussetts. The whole effect is a decent enough time-waster for the Hallmark Channel, if little more. Still, visually it's pleasant enough and if your attention wanders for a minute or two, you won't be terribly confused when you start watching again.

I like feel good movies like this. Jesse Metcalf is always easy on the eyes. I'll watch anything with this dreamy man. A movie I would recommend and watch again and again. I like all hallmark films in general but I'll try anything.

I'm just starting to watch Hallmark's "Fairfield Road" (2010). I only got to the credits before one thing became obvious: I've heard this title song before.

"Fairfield Road's" composer is listed as Ian Thomas and this film is his only IMDb credit.

However, it must be noted that the music to his instrumental theme song is, in fact, "Durham Town (The Leavin')," a 1969 written and performed by Kenyan/British singer-songwriter and musician Roger Whittaker. The song hit #12 in Great Britain when it was first released in 1969. When it was re-released in 1976, it hit #8 in Canada and #23 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart (now called the Adult Contemporary chart).

What gives?

Jesse Metcalfe stars in Fairfield Road and revives the Frank Capra idea of the small town idealistic hero. Jimmy Stewart never did a better job with Bedford Falls than Jesse does in saving a small Massachusetts coastal town in this made for TV film.

Things really go out from under Metcalfe as the film opens. He leaves his job working on the campaign of Maria Ricossa the Mayor of Boston and then a prospective job working for a US Senator blows up in his face. Adding insult to injury his engagement to his fiancé Natalie Brown also goes South when he finds her cheating on him.

With wedding ring in hand he goes off to where they were going to spend their honeymoon, a small New England Cape Cod village at Derek McGrath's small inn. He's persuaded to stay both by the charm of the place and the bookstore owner Natalie Linska.

Since politics is his bag, Metcalfe gets intrigued also by the current election for town supervisor. McGrath is a candidate, but he's a heavy underdog against Brandon Firla, one alpha male type developer who wants to build a strip mall there. The whole character of the town would be changed if that came to pass. And Firla is also a truly hateful being.

Metcalfe's speech to the town at their meeting where they personally choose their supervisor is right out of Frank Capra. But that's something that never goes out of style. Need I tell you the result.

Fairfield Road was a truly pleasant viewing experience. Jesse Metcalfe brought some of this same idealism into playing Christopher Ewing in the unfortunately canceled Dallas. I hope he does more roles of this type.

Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart would be proud.