Un intrus dans la famille

I just finished watching this movie on t.v and it left me emotionally drained. The acting was excellent from the entire cast. The scenery made the story so believable. If anyone wants to see a movie that will make you cry but be happy at the end, then this is the one for you. You will not be dissapointed.

Small modern family, somewhat unhinged emotionally, decide to take in a healthy baby girl abandoned on the doorstep of their seaside vacation home. The parents, still grieving over a stillborn birth from years prior, are at slightly opposite ends of the situation, while their teenage daughter hopes to love the new addition despite the constant reminder the real mother will come back. Patricia MacLachlan co-adapted her book with David Manson and Kerry Kennedy, and was perhaps too anxious to ladle this TV-movie with a writer's lofty pretensions. Director Robert Allan Ackerman seems to have been taken in by MacLachlan's prose and gives the picture the kind of misty look one might envision for a 'prestigious' television event, but nothing which comes from this plot is very eventful. Much of the focus falls upon Alison Pill as daughter Larkin (her youthful confusion, her need to reach out and be reached out to), but the young actress is too studied, too careful in her reactions and responses; she's been prepared to be dynamic, though this low-gear scenario doesn't allow for such big emotions, and Pill comes off awkwardly half-animated and half-restrained. Farrah Fawcett's performance as the mother is a different matter: sluggish, at half-mast, Fawcett doesn't appear to believe in this material; indeed, it's a by-the-numbers enterprise at its core, with the husband logical and the wife loving (how neat and tidy!). Uninitiated, undiscriminating viewers might fall for it, however it's been done better, many times over.

we rented the movie last night and although it starts off promising, it gets bad really soon. all is soooo predictable and ever so constructed. yeah, the baby gets the family back together again, the teacher turns out to be the big love of the school keeper, larkin names the baby after the dead brother of her teacher. come on! my friend and i were just looking at each other as scene after scene went down the drain by little imagination. we were clearly annoyed by the larkin-character. duh! talk about constructed. no child would EVER say any of the deep insightful sentences she's uttering all the times. and while being ever so clever, she insults her best friend, when he tries to help... so this was made for tv. i hope it's not shown too often.

This strangely affecting film has the look and feel of a well-produced indie film. "Baby" is exquisitely shot and uniformly well-acted - propelling it miles above the sea of mediocrity that is TV. The deliberate pace avoids cliched melodrama in favor of character development. Although quiet and slow, "Baby" is well-worth sticking with.

I don't want to give too much away, but the central family (played by Farrah Fawcett, Keith Carridine, Jean Stapleton and Alison Pill) is scarred from a tragedy in the past. The arrival of an abandoned baby simultaneously wreaks havoc and brings joy upon the family. Producer Glenn Close offers affecting narratioin that never becomes obtrusive.

It's nice to see Farrah sporting dark hair, with her wrinkles in full glory as Lily. This is her best role in years, and she radiates warmth and (flawed) humanity. Be warned, though, her non-sex symbol appearance will be a bit jarring.

Stapelton has never been better as Bird, erasing any memory of her beloved Edith Bunker portrayal within her first seconds onscreen. As Lily's husband, Carridine has risen from TV B-movie hell to give a subtle performance that ranks as his finest work since 1975's "Nashville."

The real revelation here, however, is young newcomer Alison Pill. She simply rocks and deserves a career marked by longevity and accolades. Her eyes parlay a wealth of emotions, sometimes with little or no dialogue. Her work here ranks with the best performances from young actors (i.e. Tatum O'Neal in "Paper Moon," Haley Joel Osment in "The Sixth Sense") and neatly avoids being cutesy and annoying.

If you liked "Good Will Hunting," "Ordinary People" or "One True Thing," this flick could be for you. Give it a chance.