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

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I found it to be pretty saccharine, and that's saying something considering how many Lifetime/Hallmark movies I've seen! I liked the kids, and Joe, of course (but not enough of him). Brooke's character was okay, but I can't figure out she and he hooked up considering such diverse interests - she a budding rock star or something, and he an Air Force pilot.

If a show does come out of it, I would definitely watch, but hope they beef it up a bit.

And I do agree. No whiny brats was nice to see, and the older daughter was, well, bitchy for a while, but then we found out why, which made sense.

[kazbaby]

Definitely way better than most of the made for tv flicks I'm forced to watch (or rather listen to since I tend to hide in reading during them) in this house. I'd watch if it's made into a series as long as they don't go down the road as shows like 7th Heaven. *shudder*

Joe was pretty damn cool in it and I really did love the way he was with the kids.

[timespirt.livejournal.com]

I liked it a lot but the jerky camera movements in the beginning and a few other places were making my head hurt. What ever happened to the smooth pan from one scene to another instead of the shaky jerky unstable movements that they think is a wonderful new thing?

[stella-pegasi.livejournal.com]

I am not a fan of sappy movies and this was no exception. I loved Joe in it because it was Joe, but it was clearly a vehicle for Brooke White. I thought her acting was atrocious, and certainly not helped by the badly written script. Joe hardly got more than two line at time. His best scenes were the ones he was in by himself or with the kids alone. They should have had it about a single guy getting the kids...then I would liked it better.

The kids were adorable, especially the little girl. She was precious. There was so little story and so many commericals that it was hard to stay focused on the story line. Not one scene was long enough for anything meaningful to occur. A very bad script and a very predictable sappy ending...too much sugar for me.

That said, Joe Flanigan is worth watching even in something bad. I hope he can find a better vehicle for him. But boy, did he look good....

I miss Sheppard.....

[syble4.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed it. It was what it was - family entertainment. Of course my favorite part was Joe in his boxes and all that domestic Joe stuff.

[dajaje.livejournal.com]

I thought it was a cute movie but the Los Angeles feed for Fox was having some horrible sound technical difficulties so it was hard to watch. It sounded like someone was playing the soundtrack on a record player and making the record speed up and slow down through the whole thing. :( And it wasn't just the movie, but the 8500 Walmart commercials too. We started out on the HD Fox channel but it completely lost the signal about 20 minutes into the movie. We stuck with it only because Joe was in it and enjoyed it well enough but I think we'll buy the DVD when it comes out in March so we can watch it the way it was intended to be.

Aside from the horrible sound, I agree the kids were a pleasant relief from the ones usually seen on TV these days. And Joe was just so cuddly through the whole thing. If they make it into a show, I'll watch it.

[parisindy.livejournal.com]

man it was just so great to see joe again.. hehe how funny is it that in nearly every show he does he is either in the military, a pilot or both lol

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

Downloading time :D

[gw-libero.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot for the review.
I still have doubts whether I shall buy the DVD or not ...
I'm not a fan of this kind of movie but still ... it's JF!

[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.

[susnn.livejournal.com]

I agree, but then again, this was largely a vehicle for Brook. I noticed she was better in her scenes with Joe and Sung Lee than in other scenes with other actors. I attribute the first to Joe and the second to her experience with young children. I think I would watch a series such as this, depending on where they took it and what emphasis was placed on the individual characters. At last view, Sally had foregone going on the road while Jason's return to active duty and test piloting was up in the air. ~snerk~ That would be an interesting hook to tag another movie on.

[padawan-aneiki.livejournal.com]

As I mentioned above in a reply to someone else's comment, while it was fluffy and 'sugar' and all that, there were some moments that hit close to home with our own adoption experience. Conversations and realizations, little moments that were like..."Yeah, I remember that." And it actually made me tear up in a couple places because of that.

While there could be arguments made against it for some of the reasons mentioned here, I personally enjoyed it anyway. Joe? Heck yes. But also because they talked about something I've been through, and something I believe more people should consider--adopting kids and giving them a good loving home. I was glad he took it on. :)

[beckys91.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed it, but warned my husband off, lol. I knew in advance that it would be a sappy, feel-good movie, which I love and he ... um ... doesn't. I loved the scenes with Jason & the boys, the scene with Sally and Jordan in her bedroom on her birthday got to me, and I even liked the music.

Re comments about Brooke's acting, this is her very first time ever aside of a role in high school, no lessons, no nothing, so I think she did pretty well. Not that it was perfect, but if she can do that well given her (lack of) experience, she'd probably come up to speed pretty fast.

Joe was fantastic, particularly when he didn't have many lines. His body language and his face when he was playing that game with Jordan added so much to the scene. Same when Jason & Sally were in bed and "discussing" their change of heart. So much said with no words, and I have no doubt it was due to JF's skill. Brooke was darn lucky they paired her with someone so good.

Funny, the one false note I found in the whole thing was the romantic relationship between Sally and Jason. C'mon, a kiss with him is just a peck on the lips??? Fine for the kids in the audience, but I totally didn't find THAT believable!

Becky