Homecoming

Anne Bancroft gave a superior performance as the grandmother of 4 abandoned grandchildren who come to her home out of desperation.

Left alone in a car, the children make their way to a great aunt only to find that she has died and has left a daughter, Bonnie Bedelia as the quintessential spinster, a devout Catholic, who attends mass regularly but who will not keep the 2 boys in her home. Bedelia, in a brief role, captures the heart and sole of this woman brilliantly. Others may find her performance somewhat comic in nature. She carries herself as Ruth Buzzi did on the TV hit Laugh-In.

It is Bancroft who depicts a mean, vicious grandma who is gradually soothed by grandchildren desperate for a family life and desperate for love.

Finally admitting that she wants them but can't afford them financially or to fail them as she did her children, her last minute change of heart (though expected) at the bus stop is heartwarming.

A wonderful film describing family values and dysfunctionalism.

I don't usually like "sappy" movies, but this one really captured my heart. Kimberlee Peterson's performance as Dicey is phenomenal!! I felt her pain and despair in every facial expression!! I hope she is still working in film.....it would be a shame to waste all that talent!

I love movies like this, that show how strong & willing parentless children can be to do the right thing, to keep the 'family' together ! Knowing that they are 'just' kids, and trying to find a responsible adult to help raise them (especially the younger ones) was the only choice they had.

If you liked it as much as I did, then you gotta see "Manny & Lo" (with Mary Kay Place) and "A Home Of Our Own" (with Kathy Bates).

I give this movie 3 out of 4 stars. Great cast, excellent plot, but somewhat sluggish.

"Go Anne Bancroft, Go !!"

I found this movie to be excellent. I know mark jean has done little that I would call quality but I found the cast capable. Bancroft is magnificent as Abby and Kimberlee Petersen held her own in those all-important wordless moments. The premise is shaky but this movie is fun and not in a Garbage Pail Kids way. It is refreshing to see representations of children that are not part of the Hollywood cookie-cutter kid characters. Hanna Hall says only a few lines, but they are gems, just like in real life, the quiet folks always say so much more than the talkers. William Greenblatt and O'Brien do very well also. I can only assume that Bonnie Bedelia and Anne Bancroft were worth their collective weight in gold with all these green kids. There efforts paid off in my opinion. I hope you enjoy.

Normally I am wary of feel-good, sentimental films which are sometimes described as "heart-warming" and usually involve children and/or animals but this one came up trumps. It was on at 2a.m., which is a fair indication of the esteem in which it was held by the television station. Frankly it was excellent, it skilfully portrayed the characters and side-stepped what I usually refer to as "mush". The acting of all concerned was excellent (has Anne Bancroft ever turned in a bad performance?) and I enjoyed it thoroughly. While I will continue to avoid this type of scenario this was indeed one out of the box. The children certainly gave Miss Bancroft a run for her money in the acting department but age and experience won out in the end.