7.1 stars.
I love Sustad, she is like gold for me, although some of her latest stuff seems a bit on the edge. By edge, I mean outside of my usual preferences. Not sure what that's all about, but something isn't quite smooth about this film. Maybe the romance is a bit complicated, and don't get me wrong, complicated can be good. On the other hand, the mother's character is shallow and odd, the young son is really into ghosts for a specific reason, and that's fine, the older son likes a girl, but his character goes completely undeveloped. We also get to know the girl he likes and she's actually quite endearing.
Sustad's character has a younger sister who is somewhat flaky and too much into shallowness and fun, that's the best description. Maybe they make her that way so we can feel less sympathetic toward her because of what happens to her. I don't know, but what happens is really close to a betrayal. Maybe it's not a full betrayal as much as hesitation and reluctance on the part of Sustad's character.
In the end, I suppose all of them end up getting what they want, and I saw it coming, but was surprised by how the story arrives at the destination. That's fine, a little different, proven to be less effective than the usual formula in this case.
Anyways, I didn't quite feel the pure love, the gut wrenching yearning that some Hallmark films are able to convey until the very end. Therefore 'The Real West' is a bit above average (thanks to the ending).
