Come Away Home

A wonderful family film. Beautifully written, acted and directed. The story was touching without being the least bit sappy. I am amazed by what can be done what a small amount of money and a great deal of talent. In an era of "over the top", big budget movies with little substance, this movie was a breadth of fresh air. The two main characters, Grandpa Donald played by Paul Dooley and Annie played by Jordan-Claire Green were particularly good. You got to know these people during the course of the film came to like them and were rooting for them to prevail. This was a truly delightful movie which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Overall this was a very enjoyable film. It has points of humor and tenderness. While it may be a bit boring for young ones, it is not at all inappropriate and something that the entire family can watch. It may be a bit of a "Hallmark moment", but it makes it more easy to relate to rather than cheesy and corny. My biggest criticism however would be with some of the acting and dialogue. For the most part, it was good enough, but there are a handful of scenes that were hard to watch. There are also several scenarios that were pretty hard to believe and seemed a bit forced. But still, that doesn't take away from the beautiful themes and overall morals of the story.

On May 11 I had the pleasure of taking my 12-year-old granddaughter and nine-year-old grandson to see the movie "Come Away Home." Initially, I wanted to take the children because I thought they might enjoy scenes from the Hilton Head Island area but didn't expect much more.

To our very pleasant surprise, "Come Away Home" is a beautifully produced movie with one of the most outstanding story lines I have seen in quite some time. The acting is top notch, including islander Gregg Russell, who did a wonderful job. The scenes from Hilton Head were enjoyable but I must say that this movie reaches far beyond Hilton Head. This is a movie for the world to see.

Word of caution: Grandpas should plan to bring a few tissues and hugging of the grandchildren will be in order on the way out of the theater.

I saw this film in the theater because I like to support independents, and I found it to be very well done. I typically prefer not to watch child actors, but the 12-year-old lead girl was excellent. The Grandpa, who played the Dad in Sixteen Candles, seemed so genuine in all of his scenes.

There was a fair bit of comedic moments... I longed for more actually because there were a couple of great comedy combinations with the actors. However, the overall acting, the unique backdrop of the locations, and the subtleties of the screen writing made this film enjoyable to watch... and very touching as well. I recommend it highly if you can find it.

COME AWAY HOME is a surprising feel good movie for the whole family. It's a "PG" movie not just for kids. It was a pleasant night out with no violence, sex, or bad language but a movie that goes back to traditional values and a simpler life. And, yes, there are some "issues", such as rebellious teen, too busy parents, anger at the dad-grandfather character, but these represent things we can all relate to, and hopefully work out. Anyone who has ever visited Hilton Head, S.C. will recognize the scenery and location. While short-lived in theaters, it would be a great TV movie. I hope everyone will tune in! You won't be disappointed.