Afouotos
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
SpunkySelfTwitter
It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
Beulah Bram
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
apple_scruff1983
For the Roses, the book upon which this movie was based, is one of my favorite books of all time. That said, Rose Hill is probably the worst book adaptation I have ever seen. The only thing that it shares in common with the book upon which it purports to be based is the names of the characters.I honestly wish that I could erase the memory of this film from my mind, so that it would not tarnish the image of the book I enjoyed so thoroughly. I can't believe that Julie Garwood, who penned this excellent book (and it's sequels, which are about the four brothers-- none of whom die in the book!), allowed this terrible movie to be made.As far as what is the most awful thing about it, I don't even know where to begin. Perhaps it is the portrayal of Mary Rose, a girl who is supposed to be sweet and well adjusted, caring and altruistic. In the movie, she comes across as a spoiled brat who doesn't appreciate anything that her brothers have done for her. And Harrison is supposed to be her handsome Highland love interest, not the wimpy loser the movie makes him out to be.I won't even get into all of the things that are wrong with the way the rest of the family is written, except to mention Mama Rose. One of the central parts of the book is the letters the Mary Rose and the boys send to Adam's mother, Mama Rose (who becomes a surrogate mother to the entire clan), throughout their lives. Each chapter began with one of these heartfelt letters illustrating the growth of each individual into a man (or woman). I realize that they could not have put the correspondence into the movie, but they could have in some way alluded to the closeness they have all developed with the woman who raised them in spirit, not being present in the flesh.Anyone who is thinking about watching this movie-- don't. Even as a stand alone movie, it is pretty bad. If you have read the book, then really DON'T WATCH THIS. It will only serve to make you angry and disappointed. I was so excited when I heard that they were making a movie out of this book, but they should have just left it alone. If you are still interested in the movie, just go buy the book, For the Roses by Julie Garwood. I promise you, it will be a must better investment of your time!
TakaraK84
"Rose Hill", although a decided effort at the wonderful story by Julie Garwood, fell well below the desired mark for me. I felt as if I was watching the book's alternate universe/ending. I understand that sometimes the best book-to-movie jumps are made by making cuts to the movie where needed and changing a few things, but this movie changed so much about the proper story that I almost couldn't watch the rest of the movie. First off, none of the brothers die or have any romantic interest, so if Hallmark decides to finish the series off and anthologize the last four books, they'd better figure out how to bring Cole back to life and do away with the "Adam and Shining Water have a baby" bit all at once. Jennifer Garner was a good choice to play Mary Rose Clayborne, however, not the best choice, given her affinity to give the "pouty lip", where the book's Mary Rose would have ground her heel into that lip. The family does not break up in the end, showing that the true testimony to the story is not the romance aspect, but truly the family that stayed together throughout all the troubles. But what made me truly angry was the writer's gall to bring in new characters and nix out the true characters who made this story what it was to me! Fergus Carroll is a sad stand-in for Harrison Stanford MacDonald, Shining Water... wait, she had no character in the book, as well as Annie, the Clayborne family maid. John Stringer is new, and as for Cole Clayborne getting shot, I'd like to laugh a mighty laugh at the writer for even thinking that the book's Cole would take that without dishing back. Please. And Mary Rose's true family is from England, not New York. Sorry for the length, but I have to say that that flat out sucked.
rmorrow44
I enjoy Hallmark Hall-of-Fame movies, and I was interested to see some early work by Jennifer Garner, but this story was weak and underdeveloped. It was heart-warming and clean, if that's what you're looking for, but characters for me were unbelievable and the plot just never developed enough. I found it lacking. And since this site requires 10 lines of type in a comment and that's all I have to say, the rest is just filler. Jennifer Garner needs some good movie roles. I'm crazy about Alias, but I don't want to see her stuck in a kick-butt girl role. I'd like to see her in a good, tragic love story, where there's a little of her "I love Michael Vaughn but can't quite have him because something always gets in the way."
Melissa Alice
This is a very interesting and fun family movie with drama, romance, adventure, and a bit of humor in the Old West and the more "civilized" East. The acting is good, and the story is really good. I gave it an 8/10.
