User reviews

Good show, but there are some obvious time line problems. First, in the original "Homecoming" it was stated that John Walton died in 1969. It conceivably could have been set before his death, but he looks very good here. In another earlier show, Grandma's age was noted as 68 and that she lived to 94, which would have put her death date at about 1960. But here it is, 1969, and she was over a century old! The kids, especially Elizabeth and Jim Bob, looked far too young to be playing their characters. All this could have been rectified if the producers had set each reunion movie ten years earlier than they turned out, but then it wouldn't have worked with the Kennedy theme in "A Walton Thanksgiving".

When they did the Walton reunion movies with Richard Thomas returning as John Boy the major problem is continuity. First off the year it started with is 1963 some sixteen years after the other reunion movies ten tears earlier with the retconning of Mary Ellen's son John Curtis and her having two children when she couldn't get anymore pregnant and the disappearance of Ben and Cindy's son.

Now with the final movie John and Olivia is celebrating their 40 anniversary which they married in 1929 which in the series the show is set in the Great Depression and all the children was already was born. The explanation is that the writers at the time wanted to make the movies more up to date.

Mary Ellen should have said the kids were from artificial insemination. She is a medical professional knowing her own pregnancy would be lethal.

Still no Jonesey and John Curtis. If he was gone he left because of serving his country.

Why is Paul left Erin. Erin should have found someone.

Elizabeth needs to have another boyfriend to move on from Curtis. She would have been unhappy as an untraveled house wife.

So sorry Jim Bob had no girlfriend or wife.

Baldwin Sisters should have turned their home into a retirement and nursing home center. That way they were never lonely. Ashley turned up as a patient, he never died he was mistaken as dead.

For some reason, creator Hamner has no problem ignoring true-time. The original series was so well produced, acted and directed, with a serious consideration of the time period. To start randomly selecting years for reunion movies, regardless of the logical age of the characters, is quite distracting. In 1969, these people would actually have been ten years older than they are portrayed. The old series was very consistent in its realism, although they did indeed drag it on two years too. John Boy had several interesting girlfriends in the series, so it's hard to figure out why they chose Kate McNeil to play his wife in the reunion films. Her personality is unlike any of his previous romantic interests, and she is not the type of person that John-Boy has ever cared for.

My opinion is that Kate McNeil works well as John-Boy's wife because she is different from the other actresses the character was interested in on the show. She comes across as a sweet and kind person who has a career and who truly tries to stand up to her meddling aunt in the previous reunion film. She also has blonde hair, as does the real Mrs. Jane "Earl" Hamner in real life. I thought the film wrapped up the story nicely if this is indeed, as it looks, the last Walton reunion film with the original cast. What happens to John-Boy in the end brings him "full circle" in my opinion as a character. We see him reach this place in his life after seeing him years ago for the first time as the struggling young writer.

I think this movie follows right along with the others. Kate McNiel was wonderful as Janet Walton. Though she was pregnant she looked beautiful in this movie. For some reason I thought that Kate McNeil was the same in all the Waltons movies in the 90's. I do hope they do another reunion movie sometime in the 2000's because I would like to know what each Walton family member is up to especially the father. Thank you and I think that Richard Thomas wouldn't mind telling us about how his two children are up to. Also I would like to see what the father is up to. Even though they might be too old to play the Waltons I think it would still be nice to see everyone again. Maybe they could do one around the time the space shuttle Columbia disaster. I don't know.

As a previous reviewer pointed out, the show begins with John Boy's coverage of Apollo 11's historic mission to the Moon--presumably assumed to be July 1969, which was the correct timeframe of the mission, yet John Boy is planning a combination Easter-parents' 40th anniversary celebration? Even a casual observer would immediately pick up on this error. And proceeding to error two--also previously noted is the incorrect timeline of John and "Liv's" "40th" anniversary? In a previous series episode taking place in 1937--in which Jim Bob runs away from home, he wanders into the office of the local army recruiter to enlist, to which the kind and patient recruiter begins to ask him basic questions about his age and whether he has a high school diploma, and then it comes out that Jim Bob--the baby boy of the family was born in 1924. So, if we're to assume John and "Liv's" 40th anniversary to be correct, then this would make Jim Bob having been born five years before his parents' wedding? Not to mention the chronological problem of his older siblings minus Elizabeth? The story is GREAT, ENTERTAINING, and does NOT FAIL Waltons fans, AND taking "The Waltons" as a historical novel, where liberties were taken with family names as well as place names, subsequent Walton movies should have continued to take great pains to remain true to original timeline/chronology of the original series for continuity. Otherwise, "A Waltons Easter" is a wonderful production.

With the three TV movies, there was little doubt that Hamner and the network were trying to squeeze the last drops of blood from the stone. The anachronisms have been pointed out by others. Beyond that, the series of conflicts (John Boy and his pregnant wife, Elizabeth and Drew, money problems still, etc) were pretty much contrived to pad the script.

It was nice to see the old characters, including Ellen Corby, though. Sad thing is that most of the old timers are now gone, and died some time ago, including Hamner himself. Michael Learned is about the only one left.

Since no one has made a comment on this movie, I thought I should. I saw it back on TV when I was 17 and liked it then very much, but I rewatched it the other day and was not at all happy with it. It seemed very pushed and unrealistic which is unlike the Walton series itself. Plus, everyone looked old and tired. When this movie first came out, there were rumors that there would be another movie in 2 years where Elizabeth and Drew get married. Well, that would be a good movie, but where is it? I would certainly watch it. As for this movie, while it is not up to par with The Walton Thanksgiving Reunion, if you are a true Walton fan you will enjoy it.

I loved the Waltons as a kid -- it premiered on my seventh birthday. I was so disappointed by the reunion movies. Seeing Ralph Waite recently on Bones made me think about it. Why did they need to "jump the shark" and make a movie out of linear time? They did that the first time with the one about the Kennedy assassination. The original show was perfect -- these final movies (and unless they correct all the errors of the first three I hope they were the final ones) were just heartbreaking for anyone who loved The Waltons. In this movie Mama and Daddy are supposed to be celebrating their 40th anniversary. If that were so, then their first six children were born our of wedlock, and Mama, who is always portrayed as having been a beauty in her youth, withered unmarried on the vine until she was almost 30. We know that's not true -- why make it so fake in a movie based on something we who actually watched the series when it originally ran loved so much? So disappointing. But it's nice to hear John Boy's voice on Mercedes commercials these days.

I didn't really like this movie because everybody was kind of whiny. What right does Elizabeth have to be upset that Drew is moving on when she wouldn't commit?

But, I really just wanted to comment on everybody complaining about the timeline. The timeline was always wacky on the show.

1st or all John Boy graduated high school at the end of Season 2. Erin graduated mid season 5. Like really, in the middle of the season. Anyway, that gives 2 and a half years for Jason, Mary and Ben to graduate before her. No sense whatsoever.

Pearl Harbor happens Season 7 epi 10 and is the war is over Season 9 epi 4 or something. That's 2 years instead of 3 and a 1/2.

I'm confused if it's 1969 and. Olivia and John are celebrating their 40 wedding annivsary which means they would have married in 1929?? But John Boy was born in 1916 which would make him 53??? I'm so confused.