Lebanon, Pa.

LEBANON, PA. is a quiet little conversational film that is a microcosm of the interrelationships of families and the issues that affect us all. It is this straight forward, no pretenses stance that makes the film work. The story takes place in the town of Lebanon, Pennsylvania and is portrayed as a place where values are traditional and immutable. But after viewing the film, one wonders if the reference to this very church- oriented place might be the biblical one: Jeremiah 22:23 'O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in travail!' Just a passing thought....

A death has occurred at film's beginning: Will (Josh Hopkins, another actor to add to the Hunk list) has driven form his advertising firm in Philadelphia for the funeral of his distant father, a teacher and toy boat maker who left his family when Will was young to live in this picturesque but doggedly small town mentality haven. He stays with his cousin Andy (Ian Merrill Peakes), a devout Catholic whose wife died giving birth to his second child Chase (Hunter Gallagher). His daughter CJ (Rachel Kitson) is the woman of the house despite the fact that she is only seventeen and in high school. Will attends the sparse funeral of his father: his mother (Mary Beth Hurt) is conspicuously absent, preferring to remain in Philadelphia because of her longterm resentment of he departed husband. Will finds the slow motion of Lebanon enticing, makes regular visits to the local bar (Christopher Mann plays the observant bartender) where he meets school teacher Vicki (Samantha Mathis), hits on her, falls for her only to discover she is married.

CJ has a problem: she is pregnant by classmate Pete (Josh Hunt) but has told no one - until she shares her with Will, a man she feels she can trust. CJ has dreams of attending college in Philadelphia but her current pregnant status threatens that. She is faced with a major decision: keep the pregnancy and put the child up for adoption or terminate the pregnancy to get on with her life. Will is supportive as is Vicki with out telling CJ what to do but assuring her she has options. Andy discovers CJ's secret (as does the entire gossipy town) and on religious grounds demands that she have the baby. How CJ comes to a decision is as tough as the decision Vicki must make about her deep feelings, reciprocated, for Will, and Will must decide whether to follow his father's pathway to isolation form the city or maintain his status quo. The interaction of all these characters results in some tough but realistic decisions about those things we all face in life.

Ben Hickernill wrote and directed this film which at times feels like a Hallmark special and at other times like a solid and brave little statement about the cultural divide in America.

Grady Harp

I write this because of the totally unfair review by "Ihmedeuce". Lebanon, Pa was a very entertaining movie with great acting. It had less Hollywood and more thought. The young actors were compelling and the story line quite interesting. No explosions or car crashes -- just a nice gem of a film.

The soundtrack was also well crafted, lots of great voicings and strings. This was an uplifting movie that gave one moments of helpless sensitivity due to the situations encountered in the plot.

These types of movies were made not for Academy Awards but more for gentle regular people to enjoy and must be watched in this light.

Nothing about it reflected LEBANON,PA....nothing...

Nothing!!

Lebanon, PA.

I picked this up at the local library. It was a "quick pick," mostly because of the review on the cover of the DVD, "Vastly superior to most of the Hollywood dreck we've been getting lately." That was enough for me. A good movie, minus the Hollywood propaganda. The idea that anything goes. Children are always more intelligent than their parents. Adultery is not only permissible, it's preferable. People who happen to believe in God are morons, even though the vast majority of Americans do believe. A story minus the glitzy aimless life preached by Hollywood.

Wrong. It was everything I thought I was avoiding but set in middle America. An indie film that portrays plain old Pennsylvania people as morons and bigots, lacking the "understanding" and "insight" of the benighted entertainers. Planned Parenthood is benign and helpful; Christians are cold, heartless, brutish and just plain ignorant. Morality is determined by strangers. The family is a farce.

This is just a stealthy attempt to impart the same old "Hollywood dreck" at it's "drecky-ist." The conclusion of the movie is as predictable as the plot.

Watch it...if you're just a "plain old" American who's more interested in being insulted than in being entertained.

Indie film makers should remember what Hollywood mogul Jack Warner said so long ago, "If you want to send a message, call Western Union."

...you are charming. I read the synopsis, then watched the movie, that is the conclusion I made. The geeks, psychos, cuckolds, etc are all bald and I guess being bald is symbolism for loser these days. There are many things to hate about this movie, from the plot, to the undeveloped story, to the B acting, to the there is nothing to like about his protagonist, to the stereotypes of rural living and communities, on and on it goes. This movie is filled with characters who seem unable to see the world through anything but their own selfish and immature perspective. Who take little to no responsibility for their own actions and learn nothing from the trials of others. This is perfectly summed up in the line "when WE kissed that night, didn't YOU think about what might happen (to MY marriage)?". A cast of mostly unlikable characters, but hey, Will has hair and is in great shape, so he must be charming.