In order for a big-city doctor to get the job of a lifetime, he must spend his summer in Dunn's Rock, North Carolina. Arriving with his 10-year old son, he discovers what is most important a... Read allIn order for a big-city doctor to get the job of a lifetime, he must spend his summer in Dunn's Rock, North Carolina. Arriving with his 10-year old son, he discovers what is most important and learns to enjoy the simple things in life.In order for a big-city doctor to get the job of a lifetime, he must spend his summer in Dunn's Rock, North Carolina. Arriving with his 10-year old son, he discovers what is most important and learns to enjoy the simple things in life.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 9 wins total
Photos
Zac Gardner
- Freddy Jenkins
- (as Zachary Gardner)
Leah Marie Parker
- Lucy Taylor
- (as Leah Parker)
Tyler Chase
- Tommy Burns
- (as Tyler Wiesner)
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- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
this is a calming nice movie. rare! the performances were just fine. subtle and under acted, which is a good thing. the "mountain folk" had some caricatures, but in the end, all were good people. great to watch with kids, mine, 3 & 9, watched this calm talking movie with interest, just as much as watching flashing zip zap action cartoons and laugh track Disney shows which is pretty much all the choices there are. i hope more movies like this come out. it hit on some serious issues with subtlety and a sense of reality like a well staged play. my kids learned some strength things here. kudos to crew, actors, writing, director. my only real critique, and i hope the DP learns from this, which may have been due to budget & constraints, but the lighting felt a little too even handed, too well lit. but i am picky about that and like my fog machines, rays of light, dark shadows and negative space. course i'm a monster scifi geek myself.
This film felt like Everwood meets the Hallmark Channel on a budget. While the storyline is fine, none of the characters were developed beneath a superficial level and felt very phony towards the end. What doctor when faced with an un-breathing son would stop to cry instead of beginning CPR?
I wanted to like the characters in this but it felt like movie needed to be more thought through before it could be engaging. For the most part the photography was beautiful and the sentiment was admirable if somewhat unbelievable.
It felt unformed when we first see the son left on his own, with no though having been put into how he would spend his day. Some of the hillbilly types were a bit too stereotypical and I didn't really find it credible that they were afraid of big city doctors.
I think that the sentiment was legit and the potential was there but everything felt like it needed more development and maybe a good solid rewrite.
I wanted to like the characters in this but it felt like movie needed to be more thought through before it could be engaging. For the most part the photography was beautiful and the sentiment was admirable if somewhat unbelievable.
It felt unformed when we first see the son left on his own, with no though having been put into how he would spend his day. Some of the hillbilly types were a bit too stereotypical and I didn't really find it credible that they were afraid of big city doctors.
I think that the sentiment was legit and the potential was there but everything felt like it needed more development and maybe a good solid rewrite.
Didn't they do this basic format in Doc Hollywood? At least that was funny, well acted and had charm. This one rots your teeth!
It's a formula we've all seen many times before. Big-city professional gets banished to the boondocks and has to adjust to a new way of life. One could compare it to "Hart of Dixie", though the community in that TV series has a doctor already and is closer to civilization. This movie has one common thread with that series which I won't mention because it's a spoiler, but it does explain a lot.
Still, it's not as bad as all that. Evan isn't a pleasant character and it seems unlikely he'll become the beloved doc, but he knows what he is doing and can handle, and has to handle, a number of crisis situations made worse by the fact no hospital seems to be nearby.
Edie McClurg stands out from the rest of the cast and has just a delightful personality, and most of the other actors do a good job too. Young Channing Nichols is adorable, nice and intelligent. Mickey Jones is of course a genuine hick and a lot of fun and everything you'd expect in this place, but he turns out to be much more.
Still, this is not really a hick town. Terry seems intelligent and so do some of the others. The people in general seem real and not backwoods bumpkins, especially the ones with no lines that are only seen in situations such as town meetings. Based on the credits, I would say these are real people from Transylvania County, and it shows.
It is a family movie, but there are some upsetting situations and a medical crisis that involves blood. And this far from a hospital (we're not told, but there's not one in the immediate vicinity), some unpleasant truths have to be dealt with.
It's an okay movie.
Still, it's not as bad as all that. Evan isn't a pleasant character and it seems unlikely he'll become the beloved doc, but he knows what he is doing and can handle, and has to handle, a number of crisis situations made worse by the fact no hospital seems to be nearby.
Edie McClurg stands out from the rest of the cast and has just a delightful personality, and most of the other actors do a good job too. Young Channing Nichols is adorable, nice and intelligent. Mickey Jones is of course a genuine hick and a lot of fun and everything you'd expect in this place, but he turns out to be much more.
Still, this is not really a hick town. Terry seems intelligent and so do some of the others. The people in general seem real and not backwoods bumpkins, especially the ones with no lines that are only seen in situations such as town meetings. Based on the credits, I would say these are real people from Transylvania County, and it shows.
It is a family movie, but there are some upsetting situations and a medical crisis that involves blood. And this far from a hospital (we're not told, but there's not one in the immediate vicinity), some unpleasant truths have to be dealt with.
It's an okay movie.
A rare and beautiful film about country life shot with simplicity and warmth, without contrivance or sentimentalism. Unlike many shows and films with the theme of big city meets small town, this film did not attempt to idealize small town or country living, instead showing how the magic, healing and community found in any place is due to an inner transformation and change in perspective. The magic of ordinary life in the country and the process of healing from grief and recovery from loss is captured so well here due to the quiet brilliance of the principal actor, Cameron Bancroft. Exquisite and subtle acting performance from Bancroft as Dr. Evan Gibbs and the actor who played his son, Nate, Aiden Mitchell. All of the cast was authentic, and the movie was deeply emotionally engaging, even wrenching because of this. I grew up in a small town and in the Country and I appreciated the humor, candor and realism and subtle moments of nature and grace, unadorned yet deeply poetic and meaningful, throughout. It also left much "scope for the imagination" as Anne of Green Gables would say.
Did you know
- TriviaAlso titled Country Remedy (on the Dove Channel)
- SoundtracksHaggard & Jones
Performed by Cody McCall
Written by Prentis Goodwin
Published by pigFACTORY USA (ASCAP) & Temphis Crown Music Reg (ASCAP)
Courtesy of pigFACTORY
- How long is Simple Things?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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