Amor en Wilderness

This is another one of those heartwarming mush films that CBS gets a kick out of showing on Sunday nights. It's an enjoyable family film, with some amusing moments and good performances... especially that little girl! Wow, what an actress! She was more natural and believable than both of her older siblings. If she keeps it up, she could be the next Meryl Streep.

Valerie Bertinelli, although far less annoying here than her character on "Touched by an Angel," is a bit odd, with wild mood swings and unpredictable reactions to things. I didn't like her too much, but that's the only complaint I can think of. On the whole, it's an entertaining feel-good film for all ages.

In Alaska, Susannah Stanton (Valerie Bertinelli) and Jesse Stanton (Jeffrey Nordling) divorced two years ago. They have two daughters, the teenager Bridget (Brittney Irvin) and the young girl Hannah (Emily Tennant), and a young son, Sam (Michael Welch), and they are good friends. Jesse lives in an isolated ranch, where he receives guests for fishing and tracking, and he depends on his plane to go to the city of Anchorage, where Susannah has a restaurant. They separated because Susannah felt bored and lonely in the ranch. Susannah is dating a lawyer, and their children decide to find a woman for Jesse, sending a letter to a popular magazine called Alaskan Love. He receives a large number of replies, and the children later feel that probably his perfect match is Susannah, and they try to arrange a plan to bring them together. I saw "Wilderness Love" by chance on cable, and what a delightful surprise! The story is adorable, the cast is excellent and the locations are marvelous. I found also amazing the resemblance of Jeffrey Nordling with Michael Douglas. Unfortunately this movie has not been released on VHS or DVD in Brazil, but it is indeed a worthwhile family entertainment. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Um Amor Sem Limites" ("A Love Without Limit")

"Personally Yours" was inspired by actual events and it is obvious by the natural and realistic emotions that are embedded throughout the entire movie. Three children of divorced parents strive to overcome obstacles and get their stubborn parents back together. The plot is perfectly balanced between the story-lines of the children and parents, allowing both adults and children to enjoy this production. The cast and crew all did a wonderful job bringing this delightful story to life.

I hope that CBS plays "Personally Yours" again at some point. I know I will look forward to seeing it and I can't recommend it enough to those who missed it the first time!

...but that doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend it. After all, romantic comedy viewers have certain expectations. No one dies, and even the arguments aren't too serious. There are some humorous moments, and Valerie Bertinelli exhibits her usual charm. They don't call her the Julia Roberts of TV for nothing! One downside is that half the time the adults take a back seat to the boringly squeaky-clean kids, allowing pros like Valerie and Donnelly Rhodes (of "Soap"fame) to walk through this vehicle with their eyes closed. The other is that Alaska is touted as the setting for this movie, but you wouldn't know it to look at it. Anyone who's seen our most beautiful U.S. state--even just on television--could tell that it was shot elsewhere: Canada, as usual. (Rhodes and several of the other actors are Canadian.) Once you get past those two limitations, it's smooth sailing. I wouldn't go out of my way to see this, but if it happens to be airing, go ahead and watch it.

Finally a great movie about kids that are incredibly wonderful and parents who has the kind of love that we dream about. This movie has enlightened my heart made me laugh and feel so good inside. The actors are so Great they don't have to be billionaires they are great Actors and I hope they stay this way.