The Lost Valentine

On Valentine's Day 2010, Caroline Thomas visits Union Station for the 65th time, hoping her husband Neil will return. The friendly conductor says she's been on time every year for the 25 years he has worked there.

Susan is a reporter for the TV news magazine "American Diary", and she is tired of stories that she does not consider meaningful. Still, she gets sent to do an interview with Caroline, which she considers more of the same. She's about to find out this is the best story she has ever done, and one of her show's best stories as well.

Andrew, whose job involves lots of travel, proposes to Susan in front of their friends, but Susan rejects him because the proposal was not romantic enough--and not done in private. Andrew goes off on his latest trip.

Susan and her crew meet Caroline, who is reluctant to do an interview at first. Caroline is persuaded when Susan claims to know her grandson Lucas, a physical therapist who she met once. Lucas helps talk his grandmother into doing the interview, and it becomes clear that Lucas may be a better match for Susan than Andrew.

Through flashbacks narrated by Caroline, we learn that Caroline and Neil met but did not have a relationship at first, but then they became reacquainted after Neil became a Navy pilot in World War II. At the time, Neil was not part of the fighting, and he and Caroline married and moved into a rundown house which they fixed up (and they must have done a good job because Caroline still lives there). Then, after Caroline was already pregnant, Neil decided he had to join the war. In one of the first flashbacks we see Neil getting on the train and Caroline handing him a handmade heart--a very emotional scene. One wonders if this couple will ever be able to separate.

During the war, Caroline receives numerous letters from Neil, but she occasionally sees the Western Union man delivering bad news to her neighbors. And then one day it's her turn.

But missing does not mean dead. Susan and Caroline become good friends, and Susan has become quite fond of Lucas as he has helped her with back problems. And she really wants to find the conclusion to the story. There are clues as to what may have happened to Neil to keep him from coming back.

Meanwhile, though Susan and Andrew are not getting along, Andrew has connections in the Phillipines, where Neil was last seen. The investigation uncovers a wonderful story, which is well-done, though I shouldn't give away too many details.

The final scenes prove a worthy tribute to our men (and women) in uniform, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Betty White gives the best performance of all, and I expect to hear about her when Emmy nominations are announced. Although she is best known for comedy, she delivers a full range of emotion, sometimes demonstrating her comic abilities but also achieving fine results with drama. Yes, there is heartbreak, but it's not all bad.

Jennifer Love Hewitt does a good job here, though I have to say her scenes with Andrew seemed more like a Canadian Lifetime TV-movie than a Hallmark Hall of Fame. She and Sean Faris have much more appeal, and even give us some laughs in a movie that really needs them.

Billy Magnussen and Meghann Fahy both do a good job as the leading cast members from World War II. They too have a couple of scenes with some laughs, but they mostly deliver real drama.

I really liked the World War II music in the flashbacks. Mostly, though, these scenes had the pleasant orchestra music that seems almost boring by comparison to the high-energy jazz from wartime.

It was a perfect story for Valentine's Day, even if it aired two weeks early.

Sometimes I think that Betty is risking overexposure considering all she has been in lately, but then you see something like this. Wow! Did the other actors bow down on the set in "we're not worthy" reverence? They should have. All the actors were fine in their roles - no big issues with any of them. Betty just stepped it up several notches.

You watch something like this that links to such an iconic time in history. You realize that there are fewer folks around who lived it, and maybe they know or knew something we have forgotten. Like how to love completely and forever. They are now old and generally carry their hurts with such grace and dignity that it can really pull the tears out when you get a glimpse at what their life has forced them to bear. Betty makes you believe it totally. Let's keep her around forever.

"Isn't there supposed to be magic?"

Caroline Thomas, played by Betty White, was a twenty year old WWII war widow who was left pregnant and alone. Every year for 40 plus years she has been going to the train station on Valentine's Day just in case her husband came home.

She knew her husband Neal since grade-school but they lost touch and weren't reunited until 1942, while Caroline was working for the USO and Neal was a Navy pilot.

"One thing people learned from the war was not to waste time."-Caroline.

I love the time period and I loved the storyline. Betty White put in a fantastic performance and she was well supported by the fellow cast including Jennifer Love-Hewitt.

Caroline Thomas (Betty White), a grandmother, goes to the train station every Valentine's Day. It was there that she last saw her husband, Neal, who was shipped off to the Pacific during World War II. Also, the two of them, young and in love, were married on February 24th so its a special day. Since the day Caro got the telegram stating that her husband was missing in action, this fine lady makes this gesture of hope that he will return one day. Luckily, she does have loving support from her handsome grandson, Lucas (Sean Faris), whose father never met his dad, Neal, because his birth came after the squadron was sent away, too. By some happenstance, the story of Caroline's faithful station visits comes to the producers of a show called American Diaries. They send beautiful reporter, Susan (Jennifer Love Hewitt) to Mrs. Thomas' house to investigate the possibility of doing a human interest television spot on the war widow. At first, she is a bit reluctant, but soon she is delivering a captivating tale to Susan. Grandson Lucas also spars with Susan a few times but then grows warmer in his attitude. This begins to complicate the situation because Susan is almost engaged to another globe-trotting reporter named Andrew (Will Chase). Then, Caroline has a mild heart attack. Also, Susan discovers that she may have path to discover what did happen to Neal. So, will the program be made and will it include the truth about Neal's fate? This lovely film deserves to be FOUND, by anyone and everyone. It is just terrific in every way, from the cast to the production to the heart-felt story. White doesn't get to display much of her sensational humor but she is great in a more serious role than she normally undertakes. Love-Hewitt and Faris make a very fine, potentially romantic duo. Also, the flashbacks to the forties are made with care, providing a wonderful glimpse into an era gone by. Do you want to spend an evening at home with the best possible entertainment? Then, silly, don't wait and go find The Lost Valentine.

I had always thought of Betty White as a comedienne, and an excellent one. But it turns out that she can also do drama, and here she delivers an Emmy-worthy performance. Clearly the World War II era and the story of the Greatest Generation still has a hold on the American psyche, and this story captures that. It's about an American World War II widow named Caroline Thomas, whose veteran husband has been missing since 1943 and is presumed dead, yet she goes to the train station where she last saw him in hopes of welcoming him home. Her story catches the attention of a television docudrama network and they assign crack reporter Jennifer Love Hewitt to cover it. She initially dismisses the assignment, but quickly becomes attached to both the story and to Caroline and her family, especially her handsome grandson Lucas (Sean Faris). However, the story delivers some surprises. The ending, while perhaps far-fetched, is surprising and moving. There are a few unexpected twists to the story and a few which are no surprise at all. Yet even the obvious points don't matter. The entire cast delivers credible performances, but White truly commands the story. The moment when White's character finally tells her husband goodbye is an example of filmmaking at its best. This show is a credit to everyone involved.