Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Aries0413 The film exceeded my expectations. Perhaps I was prejudiced about movies that takes place in the Midwest of 1800s. I didn't want to watch a movie about cowboys and defenseless women in distress where they fall madly in love in a very tacky way.Fortunately, I decided to watch it anyway. As a history enthusiast, I was pleased with landscapes and clothes that reflect the era in which the movie takes place. In addition, I was pleased to see that the leading role is far from being a defenseless woman. Maybe she was a little distressed at time but Marty is intelligent, educated and very strong. She has a bold personality that I loved. After watching some of the sequel, Katherine Heigl is definitely the right Marty Claridge. She plays this character with heart and conviction.I would also like to note the performance of the little Skye McCole Bartusiak, who plays Missie. Wow! She moved me, surprised me and sometimes frustrated me. She was pretty talented for a girl her age.I like that the movie was for all ages.

llindith Where do I begin? First, let's start on the predictability of the story. I could have predicted the bones of the entire story, including the baby by the dead husband, after watching the first five minutes of the movie.Could there be any more Western clichés? Let's see: Pregnant by a dead husband, instructing someone to boil the water when the baby's born, the stranger you're married to has to deliver the baby, the greenhorn woman who, in the words of the rather spiteful child she's caring for, "can't do anything useful." Oh, and let's not forget the complete unbelievability of having a just-born baby and his mother fully dressed and completely free of any blood or bodily fluids within just minutes after the birth. Boy, I wish I'd been able to invoke that cliché after my daughter was born.I also slapped my forehead several times at the complete idiocy of some of the scenes. First, any idiot who's ever ridden a horse knows you don't go chasing after it, like Heigl's first husband did. Let's see, it's not carrying the burden of a man, and you don't even have a lasso if you do catch up with it. D'oh. The man's handled horses halfway across the country and he doesn't know to get a little corn or sweet feed or a carrot and lure the horse over to him?? Next, having Missy fire the gun during the whiteout. Okay, I can see the logic there, but what does she do? Stands there with the *door open* in the middle of a howling blizzard. Hello? Can you say, letting out all the heat *and* probably making the fire go out?? And last but not least, when the barn that's about 50 feet away from the house is burning down, Clark tells Matty to stay in the house with the children. Hello again? If you're that close to a burning building, get OUT of the building, in case the one you're in gets set ablaze! And while you're at it, start trucking out your valuables from the house, in case.I simply could not see people with the experience these people were supposed to have had making these kind of errors. It really threw me out of the story.The character of Matty was all right, probably the best in the film (which isn't saying much). Clark, however, was two-dimensional and pious to the point of nausea. I realize it's a Christian film, but do they have to drive the point home with a sledgehammer? The little girl was so predictable in everything she did, it was unreal. Gee, she's a brat. Gee, she wears pants, because, of course, every little girl without a mom becomes a horrible tomboy! And gee, of course, she hates Matty, until Matty makes her a dress, at which point, she does the predictable 180.I also saw absolutely no reason these two would have suddenly fallen for each other. There was simply no character development along that line. One day, Matty's barely speaking to Clark, and the next -- how droll! -- she's pushing him over in the garden and he's tickling her. It's almost like I heard the director say, "Okay, you're in love now!" Totally unbelievable.This isn't family entertainment. We can think of a lot more entertaining things to do than watch this dreck. C'mon, people, throw some plot into a story for a change!

ashulllevy Unlike many of you, I had never read - or even heard of - Ms. Oke's series of books before seeing this film, despite having been a huge fan of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books (and the show) as a kid. I just happened upon the beginning of the movie as I was surfing channels last week, and I was hooked. I normally like edgier fare (such as "The Daily Show"), but this is such a nostalgic treat! I actually went out and found a copy of the book "Love Comes Softly" (it was in the young adults' section of the second-hand book store) and read it. To tell you the truth, I like the changes that Michael Landon, Jr. chose to make in the screenplay. I prefer Missy as a pre-teen and Marty as an opinionated, well-read young woman who has to come around to Clark's point of view on faith. In the book, she is a bit too much of an empty vessel for his teachings.All of the performances in this film are honest and affecting, if not pitch-perfect. Katharine Heigl uses some of her dramatic opportunities to soaring effect, particularly in her portayals of grief. But Midkiff - wow! He is heartbreakingly perfect in his portrayal of a character that might have come across as preachy and overbearing. It falls to him to hold the audience's hand and deliver the film's broad message of religious faith; but he doesn't grip too tightly, and his quiet manliness and humor are so compelling that...well, is any one else half in love with him? My only complaint is that, in an attempt to make a completely family-friendly film, Mr. Landon has gauzed over some of the physical hardships and intimacies inherent in the plot. This kind of cheats the audience out of some powerful emotional moments that help propel the characters' relationships. I like the fact that the film is wholesome; but it is possible to be clean without being sanitized.

majorjunkmail This is a wonderful movie about loss, love and faith. It has become my absolute favorite movie...for now at least. The little girl Missie is such a doll and perfect for her role.The movie has a bit of "Little House on the Prairie" feel to it but has a lot of it's own appeal. All of my friends love this sweet movie, too. Just shows Hollywood that not all of us are into the s_x, blood and gore of most movies out there. Most of us adore the more faith-based, clean, wholesome movies.My favorite part that makes me cry every time is when Marty is swinging on the homemade rope swing and is crying and crying over the loss of her husband...awe, just too sweet. And then when Marty walks in on Missy crying over her mothers death and confronts Marty, oh, my heart just breaks.This is a movie that the whole family can watch together.