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(First of all, I'll say that I'm not in any way involved in this production, LOL, though I have spoken to the producer a time or two over the years on other projects he's done.) I happened upon this show this morning when looking at the list of Tubi's new content for February. I called it up because it was a true-crime show on Detroit cases. And then I recognized the producer's name -- cool. I just watched the first ep and am now in the second. I love true-crime docs (especially Detroit or Michigan stuff), have really eaten them up in recent years, and as true-crime docs go, this one has nice production values. I've got to go ahead and give it the whole 10 because I love to see something like this coming out of Detroit, with thoughtful research, well-done interviews, and highlighting cases people might not be aware of or may have forgotten about. Plus, there's the element of coordinating with Crime Stoppers of Michigan to actually help bring these cases to resolution. Great concept, great to see, and I hope there are more episodes.

This was an excellent performance by the two lead actors, Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez. Their actions and situations were gritty and real, and they seemed very much like real un-Hollywood type characters throughout. And wow ... this was truly a great illustration of the strength of genuine love despite imperfections, despite society's view of what's right and what's wrong and what's successful and what's not. And most of all, I was greatly struck by the illustration of how belief in a person (and love for a person) whom others find unacceptable or unlovable can so powerfully TRANSFORM that person. The Kirsten Dunst character goes through a rather big change, a change that you would've thought impossible, but she pulls it off believably.

I have always enjoyed Steve Martin. It doesn't matter what he's in; I just admire his talent and I've been downright crazy about his humor since I first saw him do that "King Tut" thing back in the 1970s. Here, he tackles a more dramatic role with so much warmth and sincerity, and he even manages to inject some comic moments in his typical style.

To know that he also wrote this screenplay is not surprising, as he's a gifted writer, as well. The story in this film is tremendously life-affirming. If nothing else, it illustrates how even the most serious or threatening situation can turn around, just like that, in the blink of an eye. As with M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs," Christians might be thinking of Romans 8:28 when they see this film -- how events, good or bad, are so often intricately orchestrated to a better end that we really can't see coming.

My favorite point in the film is when Steve Martin's character, having just been robbed of the fortune he's amassed in gold coins (he stored his cash in these coins rather than in a bank), sees this sweet toddler girl wandering aimlessly into his home as an event that was simply meant to be, as the "gift" he is given because his money has been taken away. His faithful perspective is greatly rewarded.