Like Dandelion Dust

When the father is an alcoholic abuser and the mother can't stick up for herself, there's always hope that the son will get to a better home. "Like Dandelion Dust" explores that hope and the powers of wealth, love and family.

The strength of the film lies in its story-telling. The characters were all painted extremely realistically and even sympathetically, and every scene in the film advanced the plot. Written by Oscar-nominated writer Stephen J. Rivele and Michael Lachance, it certainly comes across as a film driven by the writing. But no matter how interesting the story was, they couldn't completely keep my attention. When we have gritty scenes, we get drab shots. The story really wasn't brought to life.

"Like Dandelion Dust" is less like a film and more like a novel. And unsurprisingly, it is a novel with the same name by Karen Kingsbury. As I have just learned, Kingsbury is known as a Christian novelist. Although religion is an element in this film, it's presented in a very subtle, questioning way. See "Like Dandelion Dust" because it's a novel, not because it's a Christian novel.

One of the best movies with one of the most bizarre releases I've ever seen. In the Dallas area it is currently playing in one mall theater for only two shows a day, one in the morning and one in the early afternoon.

I can't comprehend how such a good movie gets so little theater distribution.

The six main characters are as multi-dimensional as fictional movie characters get. They act like real people would in real situations.

While there are a few times when the camera lingers too long for emotional effect, everything about this production is top rate.

If it is being shunned due to its Christian origins, that is a shame. The few references to Christianity are really only there to advance the plot.

I was a little surprised to realize at the end that I had just watched a great movie without any profanity or skin. It is still not a film for children because of its theme and some domestic violence.

If anybody knows, please post why this film is not enjoying wider distribution. This is a Blind Side caliber movie without near the preachiness.

LIKE DANDELION DUST is a very small scaled film about a very large subject: adoption and the struggles that at times are associated between birth parents and adoptive parents. Adapted from Karen Kingsbury's popular novel by Stephen J Rivele and Michael Lachance and directed with sensitivity and fine pacing by Jon Gunn, the film succeeds primarily because of the exceptional acting on the part of the acting by Mira Sorvino and Barry Pepper.

Blue collar worker Richard 'Rip' Porter (Barry Pepper) is an alcoholic with anger management problems and as the film opens he is arrested for beating his wife Wendy (Mira Sorvino) and imprisoned for seven years. Simultaneously we meet the wealthy Jack Campbell (Cole Hauser) and his wife Molly (Kate Levering) who are playing with their six year old son Joey (Maxwell Perry Cotton) and interacting with Molly's sister Beth (Abby Brammell) and husband Bill (Kirk B.R. Woller) who are suggesting that Joey, being adopted, should be brought up in the church: there is conflict as Beth seems to feel Molly isn't caring correctly for Joey since he is adopted!

Rip is released form prison and is clean from his alcoholism and anger management problems and Wendy confesses that when Rip was incarcerated she had been pregnant and because of Rip's problems she put her newborn son up for adoption, having her mother sign for Rip. Rip is shocked with the news and at once wants to get his son back. An adoption agency is consulted in the person of Allyson Bower (L. Scott Caldwell) who is placed between the Porters and the Campbells in making the decision as to where Joey should be. Because of the forged adoption papers Joey is still the child of the Porters and they fight the Campbells for custody. Joey is in the middle and with Allyson's guidance tries to adapt to his birth parents on planned visits while the Campbells try every avenue to retain their beloved Joey. How the game is played includes errors on the parts of both sets of parents but the situation is finally resolved in a very touching manner.

Sorvino and Pepper are brilliant in their roles as the beleaguered Porters. The reason the film works as well as it does is the fact that the good and bad aspects of human behavior on the part of all the characters in the film is balanced. It is a realistic look at what appears on the surface to be polar opposite couples - and in the middle is the very finely tuned performance of little Maxwell Perry Cotton. This is a film that tugs a bit heavily on the heartstrings, but for anyone who has been involved in an adoption problem it will ring true.

Grady Harp

There were so many things to like about this movie and so many talking points.

While the movie was a little too stereo typed for my liking, stereo types exist for a reason.

I thought the Porter side of the story was extremely well done. Wendy Porter played the abused wife brilliantly, acting as abused and battered women often do.

I was perplexed as to why Wendy would want her biological son to live with her though. Perhaps the fact that her husband wanted the boy influenced her. After all, what is in the best interest of the child? What they went through with the boy, and their experiences was so well done it was very difficult to watch.

The Campbell's were the boy's adoptive parents and they were portrayed as such the perfect family, that you couldn't help but want the boy to stay with them. I found the way they acted, especially the way Holly Campbell reacted was a little too unrealistic but then again, I've never been in the position of potentially losing my child.

This is a powerful movie. Definitely one to stir the emotions.

Wendy Porter (Mira Sorvino) calls the cops and sends her abusive drunk husband Rip (Barry Pepper) to prison. Seven years later, she's there to greet him upon his release. He has stopped drinking and is a changed man. She reveals to him that they have a son and she let him be adopted. The adoption paper was forged by somebody inside the prison and a judge annuls the adoption. Joey is ripped from his comfortable home and loving parents Jack (Cole Hauser) and Molly Campbell (Kate Levering).

The interesting thing here is that nobody is played as a pure villain. Everybody struggles in this movie. It's a losing proposition in any case. All four actors bring out some deep emotions. There are some real moments. The lack of one specific rooting interest does take a toll on the movie. This is a difficult but compelling watch.