L'incroyable Mme Ritchie

"The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie" was a great film and I think if it would have had a cinema opening, it would have done well. It was one of the best movies I have seen in a while. The gorgeous Kevin Zegers as "Charlie" and lovely Gena Rowlands as "Mrs. Ritchie" were perfectly cast. I suggest that everyone watch this film.

This is one of those films that you say to yourself, "Wow!.... What an emotionally satisfying film!". It is definitely filled with great emotional highs and lows.

While the performances were very good in general (Especially Gena Rolands!). Kevin Zegers(Charlie) came up a bit short.

The Romantic Quality of the screenplay all be it a bit mushy,is exactly the quality that I think you should come away with. It gave me tears in my eyes. It has a certain spiritual undertone as well. It makes one think about how our weaknesses can be our strength.

All and All I'd give it a score of 7.5 out of 10.

I had no idea of the storyline of this film and was 'incredibly' touched by it. Gena Rowlands was excellent as always and Kevin Zegers shone as the troubled teen boy. With his hunky good looks and natural acting techniques, Kevin Zegers is definitely an up and coming film star. The humorous scenes with the 'mildly retarded' boys brought tears of joy to my eyes. I loved how they 'dressed' for lunch and dinner.This film has enough teenage story lines to appeal to young boys and girls and enough 'adult' content to appeal to mature women and men. I would highly recommend this film to viewers of all ages, especially those with a heart.

Wonderful feel good movie with veteran cast Gena Rowlands, James Caan, and David Schofield, delivering fine performances. Kevin Zegers in the key role of Charlie was also very good. The sharp contrast between Charlie's totally dysfunctional family, and Mrs Ritchie's unconditional loving family, drives the film. Lessons in forgiveness and tolerance permeate the emotionally satisfying script. Interesting parable that a family is like a garden, and needs love and attention to grow. A very quiet movie that has a lot to say about honesty and human kindness. Not necessarily a tear jerker, more of a mind stimulator, or perhaps a wake up call for your emotions. - MERK

At the beginning of this movie we meet Charlie, a hot headed teen who is constantly fighting at school. His home life is miserable. His father is an equal hot head who argues constantly with his mother driving her to drink. To make matters worse he's just fallen in with a group of troublemakers. He gets blamed when one of his friends steals a purse. The principal, played by James Caan, agrees not to suspend him if he works off his debt to the purse's owner, Mrs. Ritchie (Gina Rowlands).

Mrs. Ritchie proceeds to teach Charlie about living and caring for each other.

The movie start out poorly. The setup of Charlie's character is painful and the scenes with his friends cliché and over dramatized.

However, when Gina Rowlands appears on the screen as Mrs. Ritchie the movie takes a wonderful turn. Mrs. Ritchie is offbeat and colorful; her zeal for life intoxicating.

Don't let the start of the movie keep you from enjoying a delightful and uplifting film.