Little John

This is such a good story, with such good acting!! I have always enjoyed Ving Rhames, and Gloria Reuben, both great actors! And I'm so glad to see that today, Robert Bailey Jr. is still acting! I had never seen, or remember this being on, and I'm so glad I found it on Directv! For the movie to go through each character's feelings, to finally reveal the main reasons at the end, made it all the better!! I highly recommend this to be watched, for a movie you won't forget!!! Plus that's my kind of ending!!!

This movie has a powerhouse of seasoned actors. Unfortunately, the scripting left more to be desired, and miscasting is quite evident when it comes to Patty Duke! Don't get me wrong, I like Patty (Anna Marie), but this role was a no fit! Patty Duke is way above that role, which was placid, sweet, and totally boring! On the other hand ... it was nice to see her looking so good ... in 2002 ... but a wallflower she is not! The story pretty much stinks with contradictions in the role of Little John's mother, played by Gloria Reuben. Another fine actress wasting her time with this movie. First, she appears too young to have the position she has acquired as a Judge. And, being a Judge that makes extremely important decisions in regards to abused children ... and, basically, having done the same thing by abandoning her own baby ... is totally crapola! Her role, as already said, was ridiculous and contradictory of her own inner qualities. Plus, the idea that she never told her father that she was raped is highly improbable! Anyone, having their own father telling them that he was disappointed in her because she allowed herself to become pregnant ... would ... scream RAPE! Its a matter of self-preservation when it comes to a child being scorn by a parent for something he, or she, had no control of. Emotional reflex! Ving Rhames ... I don't dare say anything against him ... we share the same birthday. Frankly, this a a seasoned actor and did a great job with his part ... but, alas, he was also miscast! Ving Rhames is like an action hero ... volatile, somewhat like Patty Duke, that bites the reins in most of his roles. So, basically, what I am saying here is this ... the cast was subdued ... sat in a chair and had the hands tied behind their backs ... like alka seltzer without the fizz! One keeps waiting for the high dramatics, which Patty and Ving are loved for, but all we get is a two day old flat soda ... a bore.

As for the main character ... same goes here also. When you see this little kid take care of his grandpa ... and drive this truck to a diner for help ... you think ... this is going to be a winner! Wrong! The bottom line is this ... a lot of good actors were hired to waste their time developing a loser that is beneath every one of them! The acting was quite good, all around, but it was still a bore!

What a horrible sin to waste the talents of this Oscar and Emmy-winning actress! In a storyline that is barely passable in itself (what 12 year old kid acts as perfect as little John does???) Duke is merely scenery as law clerk for Reuben. Her screen time is limited, as it was in her last Hallmark film, A Season for Miracles (1999) but at least in that one her character was an important aspect of the story. Here she is simply window dressing. What ever happened to the days when she was starring in gorgeous Hallmark productions such as Harvest of Fire (96) and A Christmas Memory (97) both of which she should have received Emmy nods for.

On the other hand, Ving Rhames does all he can in his role as the grandfather, but Gloria Reuben probably needs to have her acting phoned in for her, as it looks like she is reciting them from a teleprompter or something - no feeling, just words.

And the ending absolutely sucks. It plays it safe once again, when one of the few redeeming assets of the movie was how the mother-son reunion was not written from a Hallmark card, but much more real. In the end everything is a mess and the reader sits there wondering why he or she just wasted 2 hours of their time.

My score: 5/10

A family with a painful interpersonal past attempts to reconcile and forgive. It is realistically difficult but demonstrates the need and value of facing past issues fully, painful or not. Hallmark has given another great movie. Acting is very good. Patty Duke has a small role, performs it well and proves that great actresses just love to act, especially if it is a story worth telling. Those who dislike the movie because she has a small role need to realize that is beside the point and it was her decision to make.

Well if one can go from being in college to being a full-fledged judge with everyone very excited about you in only twelve short years, with at least three of those years spent in law school, then what can't you do? Being a mom to a half grown boy who is already just about raised and just about perfect should be a piece of cake. What a waste of everyone's time and talent. BTW, the kid is so cute, if she isn't convinced, I'll take him. No problem. Tell Grandpa the kid was right the first time and that the aunt and uncle would do in a pinch. Heck, I'd prefer the vet from the diner in terms of human warmth to the frozen judgette.