Hidden Places

I did a search on romance/drama movies and this was on the Hallmark channel. I've always liked Jason Gedrick (since Heavenly Kid :), so I figured I'd curl up Saturday night and watch (without much thought of getting enthralled in the story). I didn't realize I would enjoy it so much!!!! I remember Sydney Penny as the new Gidget and have always liked her, too. This is not a movie to critique writing styles, direction, etc. I usually enjoy movies that people criticize because movies are meant to be enjoyed - if you don't like it, deal with it and realize that just because you don't like it, doesn't mean everyone agrees with you. My suggestion about "Hidden Places" - Just watch the movie and get lost in the pain and joy that Eliza and her family go through and smile at the ending (you'll be able to even if you're crying tears of happiness :)

I'm a little bias, because this was based on my Aunt Lynn Austin's novel. But aside from that, it was a great, clean, uplifting movie in which they are few and far between. The movie starred Sydney Penny, Jason Gidrick (Iron Eagle), Shirley Jones (Partridge Family), Tom Bosley ( Happy Days)and Barry Corbin (Northern Exposure). Good job to the Hallmark Channel which made and aired Hidden Places, Saturday night, January 28th, 2006. If you liked this movie, you'll love the book by the same name. She also has many other great titles in bookstores. She did a series on the Kings from the Bible in which she used facts and fiction to create a knowledge of just what the old Kings in the Bible had to do the keep their standings.

I watched this movie because Sydney Penny was in it....she never lets us down! How beautifully she portrayed the character, Eliza....Sydney always brings part of herself to her characters (it's underlying, and adds color). Having lived through similar circumstances, I felt a real bonding with all of the characters. Shirley Jones is a real professional...and was totally believable as the aunt. Tom Bosley never fails to please us. He is always "into" his part, and we can feel his emotions. Barry Corbin is one of my favorites, since I first really enjoyed him in The Thorn Birds (he co-starred with Sydney Penny), and various other projects. And last, but not least - Jason Gedrick - he has matured so much in the past few years, and was believable in his role. I feel that this will become a real classic.

Hidden Places is a nice film about a young mother of two whose husband has died, she moves her family back to her father in laws orchard in the 1930s. The father in law dies leaving the family with a mortgage payment and other hardships. A young handsome world war one veteran drifter comes to town and helps the family out, this is a quaint and heartwarming story about hard times and how the salt of the earth survived the depression. Good cinematography and scenery. The dialog struggled some in places, but the experienced cast did a wonderful job making the characters as believable as possible in a film whose era has few living members left. A good movie about overcoming tragedy and hardship for the entire family.

I really liked this film about decent people being kind to each other and trying to do the best they could. Kindness and decency are rare things to find in a film these days.

I was very pleased with the cast of this film--Jason Gedrick is one of my favorite actors, who unfortunately doesn't get the roles and recognition he should. He reminds me quite a lot of another actor I really like Anthony Zerbe. Other members of the cast were Sydney Penny--a very pretty young actress, whom I had not seen before, and the wonderful Shirley Jones.

The story revolves around a young widow, with two young children, who is trying to hold things together following the death of her father-in-law.

I quite liked the setting which was a farm (an orange grove to be specific), during the early 1930s. The big old house they lived in was an absolute delight to see-- there are so few houses like that left anymore.

A young man named Gabe Harper (Jason Gedrick), a drifter, arrives in the area and is stopped by the sheriff in questioned. As it turns out, the sheriff is a really good guy and he gets Gabe on at Eliza's farm.

To say too much more would be to give the plot away.

9 stars