L'enfant du passé

This was a very good movie, the part that really moved me was when the grandfather decided to adopt the boy so that his grandchild would not be adopted by an unknown family. It was really cool when the L.J went looking for his mother only to find out that it was not going to be as easy as he thought. Very good ending too!

A family with a painful interpersonal past attempts to reconcile and forgive. It is realistically difficult but demonstrates the need and value of facing past issues fully, painful or not. Hallmark has given another great movie. Acting is very good. Patty Duke has a small role, performs it well and proves that great actresses just love to act, especially if it is a story worth telling. Those who dislike the movie because she has a small role need to realize that is beside the point and it was her decision to make.

What a horrible sin to waste the talents of this Oscar and Emmy-winning actress! In a storyline that is barely passable in itself (what 12 year old kid acts as perfect as little John does???) Duke is merely scenery as law clerk for Reuben. Her screen time is limited, as it was in her last Hallmark film, A Season for Miracles (1999) but at least in that one her character was an important aspect of the story. Here she is simply window dressing. What ever happened to the days when she was starring in gorgeous Hallmark productions such as Harvest of Fire (96) and A Christmas Memory (97) both of which she should have received Emmy nods for.

On the other hand, Ving Rhames does all he can in his role as the grandfather, but Gloria Reuben probably needs to have her acting phoned in for her, as it looks like she is reciting them from a teleprompter or something - no feeling, just words.

And the ending absolutely sucks. It plays it safe once again, when one of the few redeeming assets of the movie was how the mother-son reunion was not written from a Hallmark card, but much more real. In the end everything is a mess and the reader sits there wondering why he or she just wasted 2 hours of their time.

My score: 5/10

Hallmark has done it again with another great TV movie. Thank you Hallmark for making this film.

I love this heartwarming, redemptive story about a family that faces trials, yet works things out in the end and that put a smile on my face. The acting was excellent and the movie was enjoyable. I watch this movie over and over every time it is on.

I gave it a 10 because it is one of Hallmark's best movies. It was exciting to the end and the performances by all the actors were outstanding. They are all seasoned actors. This movie will go down as a Hallmark classic. I hope you will love it too.

Gloria Reuben, Ving Rhames, Robert Bailey, Jr. Star in Little John a very good movie about A family court judge's life is turned upside down when her father and long-lost son-whom she thought she gave up for adoption show up and try to make amends. I recommend it. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 4/20/2021.