A Place Called Home

Ann-Margret does it again! I've been going MAD waiting for this movie and now that I've finally been able to see it I can honestly say it was WELL worth the wait! A-M only picks the winners and she truly SHINES as Tula, an aging recluse whos feistiness and strong willed personality keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire film. She's mysterious, angelic, haunting, and very emotional as this character and even a non A-M lover would be interested in this one. Her chemistry with former Whorehouse co-star Gary Sandy is excellent, and the relationship between Tula and Cali (Shailene Woodley) is wonderful to watch develop. I enjoyed all the actors performances and they seemed to give it their all. The peaceful setting in Lake Tahoe is gorgeous and makes for a wonderful background & co-star in itself. I truly hope the academy of television arts and science FINALLY recognizes A-M this year with an Emmy, which she has so rightly deserved for YEARS now! This ones a winner, and A-M is AMAZZZZZING as always!!! I couldn't rave about her enough:) My only complaint is her wardrobe. Sure, she's playing an older lady, but there is a point in the film where she is made-over and well, to be honest, as gorgeous as A-M is to this day, they should have her prancing around in her trademark toreador pants again lol! Anyway check this one out. You won't want to miss it!

As soon as I started watching this film, I was drawn to the story. This is no ordinary TV movie. The plot is captivating, the cinematography excels, and the dialogue keeps the audience interested. Thank goodness that my wife had selected the channel so that we could catch this gem. See it.

This has big-time Hallmarky vibes all the way through, but that's not really a bad thing--it's nice to see a movie once in a while that doesn't have to be muted when the kids or Grandma come in the room (if people even have the propriety to do that these days.) I'd been unable to find this particular movie on any of the 12 zillion tv channels we get--there are others with similar titles---so I bought the dvd, and was impressed with the crystal-clear print and gorgeously photographed locales.

Speaking of gorgeous: even portraying a senior citizen, Ann-Margret's beauty still stuns--and, talented lady that she is, she's convincing as the imperiled but strong-willed widow. She has good chemistry with Gary Sandy as the local doc.

(Rusty Martin and Andy Travis? Who'da thunk it?) Main nitpicks from my viewpoint: the rest of the characters, good guys and bad, are a tad one-dimensional and their dialogue (much of which is spoken too fast, especially by the young father) tends to be drowned out by nearly-constant background music. The wandering-dad-and-kid schtick also leaves you wondering why social services wasn't on to them long before. But those things aside......it's worth a watch, for an old-fashioned 'feel-good' story, beautiful scenery, and Ann-Margret.