L'enfant qui ne voulait pas mourir

[1] apart from Thomas Sangster (of "Love Actually" fame), the American actors' "English" accents are appalling.

[2] the acting is so wooden.

[3] the "English" scenery (especially local church and "Royal Marsden" exteriors) is so American!

[4] the general 'direction' is so amateurish, and obviously "Made-for-US-TV".

It's a shame, as the story is real, and inspiring.

So why is it that US directors/actors all think that everyone in England speaks with a plum stuck in their cheek?

We don't!

And why use US actors and US sets but a UK boy in a UK story?

"Miracle of the Cards" is a good heart-warming drama about faith and hope. It is a story of a young boy, "Craig", who is afflicted with a brain tumor and his fight to overcome his illness.

The perserverance and strength of Craig is clearly portrayed by the young actor. The actress that played Craig's mother, on the other hand, clearly did not put enough practice into her English accent. Her performance is wooden-faced and extremely strained. Craig's father is played by Peter Wingfield, who once again flawlessly became the character.

Would have been nice to have it actually filmed in the UK. The hideous clipped accents were bad enough but the hospital which looked like something from a 50's film, the post vans and ambulances that were obvious North American. And the church, no that doesn't look like it's in the middle of a forest rather than London. Luckily there's some decent actors but I can certainly see why Americans have certain views of what like here is like when you have films like this.

Oh and the addition of Union Jacks everywhere to reinforce the fact you're in the UK doesn't work.

When I learned the premise that The Miracle of the Cards is based on, that discovery was met with an inward groan. Here it is: a young boy with a brain tumor, not likely to survive, wants to break the Guinness Book of World Records count for receiving get-well cards. I was glad to see that the movie is based on a true story, at least, and not some urban legend or internet hoax.

The story is told mostly through flashbacks during a sceptical reporter's interviews with the young patient's parents. From the mother's nightmares of seeing her son in a coffin (which began before his first symptoms), to his hospitalization and diagnosis with a rare form of cancer and his pursuit of the record for most cards received, this sentimental story is worth watching IF you keep reminding yourself that it is based on a true story and that it's not a sappy takeoff on an urban legend / internet hoax.

Good production values, a few solid performances and what could have been a more compelling story line are unfortunately offset somewhat by a premise that has been defamed by internet hoaxes and by the length of the film at 89 minutes. Whether or not an hour and a half was needed to tell this story is debatable, but when a movie feels too long, it probably is.

A movie about how faith and hope can make a huge difference in the outcome of things...however as a Richard Thomas fan I was disappointed because he was not in it enough. You don't see him until the end and his part is small. Important but small. But it is a movie worth watching.