Chosen Family

This movie trailer gives the impression of a romcom, but between the mediocre acting, the used up plot, and the fact that there is no rom or com it was just disappointing. The basic storyline is downtrodden girl who is emotionally abused by her family, and who is a yes girl. She meets a "the man of her dreams" but he has a daughter that he caters to, unrealistically so, I really wish the script writer had stuck with just one storyline and not made this characters life so tragic. She remains upbeat the whole time and you root for her to just loose it on the family, and cut them out of her life. The end also just kind of leaves you hanging. In the end it was a waste of time and money.

In charmless cheap drama "Chosen Family" Heather Graham's an upper-class US East coast community's yoga teacher with awful parents, addict sister Julia Stiles (the best aspect of this tripe) who blames her for her woes, and dire taste in men til she meets John Brotherton who seems perfect (to her & her pals anyway - to any ordinary person he'd surely seem a smug dweeb) though he too has issues - with obnoxious 7yr old daughter Ella Grace Helton. It is cringe-worthily abysmal. Graham screwed up SO badly in her second film as writer / director (after 2018's "Half Magic"). For a WAY better movie with a similar theme try "I'll Be Right There", cos this turd stinks.

This movie was cringe-worthy, cheesy, sappy, and corny. I understand that the creators had good intentions, and I managed to finish it, so I want to rate it at least two stars. They worked hard on this film, but it wasn't good. The acting and directing left a lot to be desired.

Heather Graham and Julia Stiles look amazing, but both are in their 50s, and I think they are trying to act like they're in their 30s. Their outfits were a bit revealing throughout the movie, which felt excessive. The film didn't seem very realistic or effectively portray real life. While Heather Graham has a beautiful body, part of me thinks she took this role mainly to showcase it and not much of her acting skills. And how does a yoga instructor afford a beautiful house by the water? I don't understand how anyone can relate to this movie.

I did not get through the whole movie. I loved the premise, but the execution was bad. It is not okay to call a little girl a b***ch word and compete with her to get her father's attention. It was clear that the little girl was going through a separation trauma and needed help, she did not need a grown woman-baby taunting her and throwing tantrums.

Initially, I was mesmerized by the main character and could relate to the struggle of having to put up with unreasonable relatives. However, as the movie progressed, it just turned into something completely weird where a grown woman was behaving like a five year old.

"Chosen Family," written and directed by Heather Graham, felt to me like a very personal story that took courage to reveal & tell. But that risk of vulnerability she undertakes makes it very relatable. I was rooting for Anne (Heather's character) all the way.

Moments of self-baring, discomfort, heartbreak and even dread are handled with directness. However, the light comedic tone underpinning Anne's experiences helps keep her -- and our -- head above water. More than that, it leads to self-empowerment as well as a realization of what exactly the word "family" -- or what constitutes a healthy support structure in one's life -- should mean.

I was both moved and entertained by Heather Graham's story & film.