Mjeteconer Just perfect...

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Danielle I didn't read the book by John Grisham that this movie was based on, but I still found it lacking in several ways. I understand that it's supposed to be a coming-of-age story, where "reality" intrudes on the child's idyllic life, but the way it was presented was quite off-putting to me. I also realize that Grisham's book is a novel, but it's quite obviously based on his actual childhood, with lots of shots of the adorable, wide-eyed boy, Luke, "experiencing" life.It had some good moments, but mostly I thought it was a dull and sentimentalized remembrance of a childhood in rural Arkansas in the 1950s. Worse, despite the folksy setting, I thought the story was completely missing any kind of moral compass.The family picks cotton, goes into town on Saturday, and sits on their porch gossiping about the stereo-typically portrayed hillbillies and Mexicans that work their farm.The non-existent plot meanders through a series of mostly unrelated events. A migrant worker staying on the family's land kills a local man in a fight and the boy lies about it to his parents and the local sheriff (who notes that it's not a "murder" unless someone nice has died). Later, another migrant kills the first migrant, which the boy again happens to witness. He eventually tells his grandfather about this second murder, who encourages him to keep it a secret between the two of them, as no good could come from telling.About halfway through, the family discovers that the (inexplicably gorgeous) daughter of the poor sharecroppers down the road has had a baby secretly fathered by their beloved older son who is off in Korea. There is no further comment on this development. Oh yeah, and my favorite part - Our Hero (who is 10 years old) sneaks a peek at a grown woman bathing in the creek; later she tells him she knows he was watching, but she doesn't mind, that's just what boys do.While all this is going on, the mentally deficit brother of the first migrant worker paints the family's house for no discernible reason, with paint purchased with apparently mystical resources, since everyone is literally dirt poor.At the end, the cotton crop is destroyed by a flood and the family moves to Chicago so the father can get a job in the Buick plant, secured by a visiting cousin whose "Yankee" wife Luke intentionally humiliates in an earlier scene, with the hearty approval of the rest of the family. (Her crime? Showing her distain for the crude way that they live. Of course, Luke's mother openly yearns to escape the very things that the cousin's wife finds so unappealing. But still, the wife must be punished for her snobbery.)Not sure what the moral of this story was supposed to be, but I was pretty disgusted by the end of it. The consistently bad behavior of the Chandler family is portrayed with a rosy hue that makes it all seem very salt-of-the-earth and down-home. There wasn't a single moment in the movie where any character condemns these many appalling actions. I found it rather repulsive and not at all entertaining.Of course, the cast was terrific, with Scott Glenn and Melinda Dillon as the grandparents, and Robert Sean Leonard as the dad. The acting by Logan Lerman, as Luke, was good. The setting was certainly authentically portrayed. But, overall, I wish I'd spent my 99 minutes watching something else.What's happened to Hallmark movies? I have fond memories of them from my childhood, but they've either gotten much worse or I've completely outgrown them.

Mark Bruno The story follows 10-year old Luke Chandler(Logan Lerman) in his experiences during the early 50's in Arkansas. Luke experiences murder, love, childbirth, flooding cotton fields, a Mexican labor camp, and the breaking up of two families. Although shown on TV on April 27, 2003, if it is re-broadcast on television or released on DVD, this would definitely be worth your while to watch. The most touching scenes are the ones showing bonding between Luke and his grandfather "Pappy"(Scott Glenn). Robert Sean Leonard plays Luke's father.

vchimpanzee In Arkansas during the Korean War, 10-year-old Luke Chandler lives with his parents and grandparents on a farm where cotton is the primary crop. To pick the cotton, the family must hire 'hill people' and Mexicans. The hill people do not get along particularly well with those who look down on them, and sometimes they get into fights. Hank Spruill is especially prone to getting in trouble. One day in the house, he makes demands of Luke and, figuring Luke looks down on him, points out that at least his house is painted, while to Luke's family, paint is a luxury. Later in the movie, part of the house has been mysteriously painted. The prime suspect is Hank's disabled brother Trot, who can't work in the fields.Luke witnesses a fight Hank gets into that results in a death. He is afraid to tell the truth since Hank doesn't like him anyway, but the police officer who investigates appears satisfied with the explanation of self-defense. Hank's teenage sister appears to be falling for Luke at first, but later she is seen with Cowboy, one of the Mexicans, and Hank already despises Cowboy.The hard life on the farm is made even worse by several weather events during the second half of the movie. The promise of better times ahead is suggested when Luke's cousin shows up in a brand new Buick (Luke has never even been in a car, only trucks). His spoiled rich wife can't believe people have to live like this and is horrified by having to use an outhouse (This was one of my favorite scenes; Kiersten Warren is so good in roles like this). Also, the whole town is excited by a new thing called television and the idea of actually being able to watch the World Series. Luke is a Cardinals fan, but he gives up his dream of a Cardinals jacket for something more important.This is almost a family movie. There are two violent scenes that result in deaths (both witnessed by Luke; the second time, the person responsible threatens Luke's mother if he tells). People get into fights a lot in this environment, but the others are no big deal. Other possible red flags for parents: the birth of a child to an unwed mother, and the identification of a possible father. Other than these incidents, this movie could be acceptable viewing for the entire family.This movie was well done, and I thought the performances by many of the actors were good. I especially liked Luke's grandfather, who could be stern but tender. Not everyone has an easy life, and those of us who had it too soft can learn a lot from a movie such as this.

geja2001 I did not read the novel upon which this film is based. Perhaps, A Painted House is a commentary on a real person's life, and all the incredible events shown are true. My comments concern the television film. **SPOILERS** This Hallmark production featured two men being killed, a young kid watching a teen-aged girl bathing in a creek, and two people, one a Mexican (or "wetback," as they were called in the film) and the other a "hill" girl running away northward -- hardly Hallmark fare. I did like the relationships between grandson and grandpa and between husband and wife, and their struggles to make a profit seemed real, especially on a cotton farm in 1950's Arkansas. The parts that seemed unreal were the mother's constant cheerfulness, the money spent on paint, the clean, clean loft conveniently vacated by the pickers to accommodate the displaced, poor family, and the absence of any farm pets. I liked their having no animals -- none to get hurt for dramatic purposes. Throughout the entire film I kept wondering: What is the plot? Does all this really occur in one season for a kid? And will Hallmark ever get all new adverts? And where is Ricky? This film I shall not be purchasing. Hallmark is supposed to be Hallmark!