Movie Review - Change of Plans

[kriadydragon]

D'aaaaw! Adorable! Oh, and the show was cute, too ;)

Well I was pleasantly surprised. I'll admit I gave the show a chance because of Joe, but I had expected to cringe quite a bit because made-for-TV family movies tend to be... er... unpleasant viewing, especially movies about families. I'm not a fan of characters with kids because more often than not - to me at least - the kids tend to be bratty, whiny, selfish, stupid and completely difficult to sympathize with.

But I really liked the kids in this movie. They were kids going through an actual trauma and trying to get through it, not kids looking for trauma as a reason to be self-pitying. It was actually easy to sympathize with these kids, and though the movie was predictable in some parts, it was all together still pretty dang good. There were actually a few times I got all misty-eyed.

And Joe, good old Joe, still his hot self :D He works great with kids. Very natural and easy going with them, which made it hard to buy that he was supposed to be an inexperienced new parent;) Not a bad thing, though, as too much parental bumbling would have been just as cringe-worthy as self-centered kids.

I have it DVR'd, so may give it another watch later on.

Comments

[wildcat88.livejournal.com]

Loved seeing Joe, and I also liked how the kids weren't the typical scheming brats. They behaved the way American kids that grow up in foreign countries act (I've met several) - respectful, honest, unpretentious. However, I agree with those who said Brooke Adams wasn't the greatest. The writing was cliched and the directing wasn't very good. Joe was good, and really at his best interacting with the kids.

To be honest, I think the movie would have been better served if it had been a little more serious. It was a little too lighthearted for the subject matter. Four kids who've lost their parents and the only home they knew are now living with strangers in what is to them a foreign country.

It was really great to see Joe in something new.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it could have done with a bit more seriousness - a little more crying from the kids, a few more moments where the kids realize that mom and dad aren't coming back. But, being a made-for-tv family movie I cut it a ton of slack for it, especially since the kids weren't obnoxious brats ;) It was a nice change to actually like the kids for once :D