Soda Springs

Soda Springs is the town that Jason Pickett hails from, but some people just aren't happy to see him return after a stretch in prison for vehicular homicide. That includes law enforcement and it includes the husband of his ex-wife who divorced him while he was in the joint.

But when this would be country singer whose career was sidelined by the tragedy comes into Victoria Pratt's store it's love at first sight. Turns out the ex-wife's husband was worrying unnecessarily.

Soda Springs has a nice story, but the film moves at such snail's pace you will get inpatient for the end. Not the best Hallmark romance out there though there is a nice country music score for the film.

Soda Springs is an uplifting story about second chances and redemption. It is a well acted and beautifully shot film with a couple of good plot twists. Many of the characters in the film are easy to identify with which brings it home in several scenes. It starts slowly and builds nicely. This film won best feature film at the Louisville International Festival of film last fall and just won the audience award at the Sun Valley Film Festival a few weeks ago. That says a lot. The film isn't rated, but, I would guess it's probably PG for those wondering. This is a great little indie film worth seeing.

"Lock up your wives and daughters, Eden Jackson's back in town." Eight years after a terrible accident affected a small Idaho town the man responsible returns to start his life over. Almost instantly the town begins to treat him as an outcast and refuses to accept him back to the community. Slowly he begins to win his ex over and secrets start to come out that change the town forever. I have seen a few movies like this (I can't remember the names of them) but it has the feel of a movie like "Pure Country". An exiled resident returns to face his past and meets resistance. You have all seen that movie before so you won't be surprised. This movie is pretty cheesy but it is actually not bad and does have a twist at the end that isn't totally predictable but not unexpected. Without trying to spoil the movie I will let you know that Tom Skerritt is in the movie for about 2 minutes, so if that's why your renting it be warned. Overall, not really a whole lot to say about this movie. Cheesy but an OK movie that many will like. I give it a B.

(2012) Soda Springs DRAMA

Although, this film has a happy ending, I still have to give this film a respectable thumbs down, since the events regarding the crucial automobile accident contradicts what's revealed later. The overall experience plays like a made for TV movie or like a "Sunday Afternoon Special" focusing on actor, Jay Pickett (who also co-wrote the movie as well) plays Eden who's life comes tumbling down after being involved in an automobile accident that killed some people. Then the real movie starts once he's being let out early because of good behavior, and because of overcrowding. At first, viewers assumed that he's 100 percent guilty for that may not be the case. And as he's attempting to make things right, it is soon revealed that he also happens to have a son. Strictly by the book movie, which may not be bad had I not seen so much of this kind of movie theme before.

Soda Springs is a movie I will want to watch many times. I'm always a Tom Skerrit fan, but I saw many more nuances in his role in this film than ever before. Jay Pickett was only vaguely familiar to me, but I will definitely be looking for him in more films. Initially I wanted to see the movie to enjoy glimpses of familiar Idaho scenes, but the sincerity and increasing depth of the drama captivated my imagination and leaves me wanting to watch this movie again and again.

The theme I took from the movie was the work and patience required in rebuilding a life - work wasn't enough, patience alone wasn't enough - and everyone concerned had to contribute their own work and patience. How do you make work and patience and more work and patience exciting to an audience? It took a lot of skill and courage on the part of everyone who made this film! Through unexpected characters and careful pacing I sensed and then shared the frustration of the main character as he had to wrestle his life and reputation from the backbiters in his hometown.

The casting was well done and the locations were wonderful. I had expected to be pulled out of the story as I recognized familiar places, but instead that just added to the connection I felt with the characters. I still want my husband to watch Soda Springs so he can tell me if that pick-up Pickett drives is the same make as one we see around New Plymouth. It all felt so real to me that I can still feel the dust of the baseball diamond, squint into the bright sunlight and smell the inside of the feed store.

That feeling of connection is part of the reason Soda Springs lingers in my mind so long after watching it. It is also the reason I'm not at all surprised to hear of the awards this movie is attracting.