Broken Bridges

Had the chance to see an advance showing. Looking for a movie professional reviewers will ooh and ah over? Forget it! There are no real surprises, twists or turns ... no artsy-fartsy foreign director trying to impress the Hollywood types and hoping for some directing award. This movie comes only with some solid actors portraying what could easily happen in real life. Looking for high speed chases or Tom Cruise-like stunts? Don't bother with this film. Just bring your heart if you want to glean anything from this one.

Filmed in the real town of Senoia, Georgia, one 'Chicago Sun-Times' reviewer describes the fictional town of Armour Springs as "... one of those Southern towns that exist primarily in the minds of screenwriters". Apparently he's never been south of the Mason-Dixon line and we personally don't care for his type down here anyway. Senoia is only one of many small towns that do exist and have retained remnants of the America that was once innocent ... where kids could be kids and adults acted like adults. The same reviewer seemed impressed with Kelly Preston as giving the only "solid" performance. She did good but she wasn't at the top of her game. If you score her in comparison to the performance of the "rookies" (Toby Keith and Lindsey Haun) Preston wasn't that great.

While I loved the movie there are a few disappointments. The character of Anna Maria Horsford should have been expanded. She is an excellent actress and could have been given more exposure. A "situation" involving Dixie (Haun) and some guy seems to be left hanging. The movie could easily have been a television series by expanding both characters and plots within this quiet little town.

Finally, a movie without profanity, violence, computer graphics, obnoxious music, and sex! But what this movie does have is Toby Keith, Kelly Preston, Burt Reynolds, Lindsey Haun, and a terrific soundtrack.

Lindsey Haun, who is not a newcomer to the acting biz, stole the movie in her spot-on portrayal of Dixie, a struggling 17 year old who longs for a family. Her scenes with Toby, Kelly and Burt were fabulous. When Dixie debuts her song to the congregation, she really shines. This gal can sing! No wonder Toby signed her to his label- Show Dog Records Nashville! Toby, in his big screen acting debut, proves he can do anything he sets his mind to. He more than just says lines - - he emotes, he connects, and he delivers a terrific freshman effort.

Tess Harper, Ann Marie Horseford, Willie Nelson, Bebe Winans, and Toby's very own Easy Money Band complete the cast.

I loved it and will see it again and again, and will own the DVD. Very family friendly.

The reason I didn't give this a 10 is because of the editing and some missing back story, not because of the acting performances.

I have seen many movies over the years, so I may be a little too discriminating. That said, Broken Bridges did not live up to my expectations. The writing wasn't the best. The directing wasn't the best. And the sound people should never work in Hollywood again.

That's not to say that Toby Keith is a bad actor. Quite the contrary, he shows real potential, and I really hope to see him in other movies, hopefully movies that are better written and allow Toby to really show his acting chops. Toby said that while it may not seem like a stretch, he is really different from his character, and unlike the real life Toby, Bo is struggling with his career. Toby...you're a great singer, brilliant songwriter, outstanding performer...but this wasn't much of a stretch. A cop, a lawyer, a teacher, or even a biker allows you to try out your acting chops. Toby plays a country singer, and Toby is really a country singer. Toby Keith's character dresses like...Toby Keith. But Toby did give a good performance, so I applaud him for that.

Lindsey Haun had better become a big star. She's beautiful, and shes a great singer and actress...a double WHAMMY! Her performance of Broken was one of the highlights of the movie. This wasn't a huge blockbuster film, but I hope it was big enough to get people to notice this great talent.

The soundtrack was very good, I'll give it that. But I was expecting much more with this film. It's great that so many people on here like it. It just wasn't for me.

I am a big Toby Keith fan but have to admit that I didn't have exceedingly high expectations when I went to the premier last week (I've never been overly fond of films that I think of as only show-casing the talents or looks or reputation of a celebrity). I was surprised and happy to be wrong in this instance; I loved the film and felt that it was a solid offering, not only by Toby Keith, but by Kelly Preston and the rest of the cast. The acting was solid and the characters and their relationships were predominantly believable; Burt Reynolds was stellar, especially. The music, too, was a good fit and added to the movie for me. Both my husband (who is not a county music fan) and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and although it definitely is a "chick-flick", I would recommend it to county fans and non-country fans alike.

I applaud Toby for this daring endeavor. He is a talent for sure, along with most of the cast. It was a good message movie, good music, with some humor, tears and leaves you with thinking about broken bridges in your own life. There were many broken up parts of the movie and I would have also liked to see more detail of a relationship mending between Bo & Angel. Lindsay was a shining star for sure; I hope she goes far.

All in all, I liked it but was not totally in love & I do not mean that bad, so fans, do not get all in an uproar. I am glad I saw it cause I am an avid Toby fan; but that does not mean I need to agree with all he does and I am entitled to my thoughts. It is not award winning material and no offense; but I will be surprised if it is picked up by many theaters with a long run. It was a feel good movie that I was glad to see away from all the violence that is out there. Keep up the good work Toby and I am sure you will only get better with more projects.