Hello Sister, Goodbye Life

Wow, the only likable character was the lawyer - and just barely that at times. The mother was the same character she played on Just Shoot me, the college girl was an obnoxious, selfish brat, and the little girl was a horrible, petulant little monster to such a degree that I found myself rooting for the selfish college girl to dump her on the grandparents. Plus the turnaround from things-going-badly to things-going-well was abrupt enough to give a viewer whiplash. Similarly themed movies that were better written include but are not limited to: Big Daddy (1999) (yeah, even that was better), Léon: The Professional (1994), Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), almost any Shirley Temple movie, Let's Sing Again (1936).

The actress that played Olivia was amazing in the hit movie 'Mean Girls', but only so-so in the ABC Family Original movie, 'Hello Sister, Goodbye Life'. Celia seems like she would be a brat and Richy-rich. I also think it was gross that she was dating her professor. That's like illegal! This movie was so corny and I believe it is physically impossible for ABC family to make a GOOD movie! It was OK but it copied 'Uptown Girls' and 'Raising Helen'. How they soon bond is also very corny and I don't think of it as a movie any living human should have to sit through. It wasn't as bad as i thought though. Oh wait, yes it was.

This is one of the best TV-movies I have ever seen. It was fantastic. Everything about it rocked. The plot line was a great idea. Both the actresses playing Olivia and Celia were excellent together, I would enjoy seeing them in another movie. The whole movie itself was sweet, and I recommend it to everyone. This movie was sweet and interesting, portraying the details of what many families have to endure. The death(s) of loved one(s) are not easy to deal with, nor are the changes in everyday life that you are required to make also. Hello Sister, Goodbye Life is a good example of what can happen as a result of a death in the family, also what can happen when two sisters really care about each other.

This is the story of an immature college student (Lacey Chabert) getting custody of a seven year old girl. There is definitely a Big Daddy or Uptown Girls vibe to this film, however, there is really no comparison in quality. Chabert is okay in her performance, and new comer Sammi Hanratty who plays seven year old Celia is cute but certainly won't be up for an Academy Award any time soon. With typical made for TV movie acting and a storyline that didn't really have much of a flow to it, this movie was disappointingly less than I expected. I would only recommend it to young children or anybody who enjoyed Big Daddy or Uptown Girls and can tolerated a second-rate production of those films.

A very good script and a briskly maintained pace of direction struggle with some handsome but unfortunately one-note performances. While I do not expect Sammi Hanratty in the role of the seven-year-old Celia to show the range and subtlety of of Shirley McLaine, Lacey Chabert as her older sister seems to spend most of the movie locked in low-key, depressed sarcasm and even old hands like Wendy Malick play their characters -- well, if not monotonously, then at least never straying far from the keyboard note they start out at.

You may argue that this is the way movies, especially TV movies are made these days. Movies are made to accommodate demographics, and the demographics for beautiful, busty young actresses like Ms. Chabert are good enough to compensate the viewer for the fact that she does not have the range that she will, one hopes, develop as she grows. For old geezers like me, there is the eye candy and a story that makes some good points and touches our hearts a little. Am I unreasonable to hope for more?