The Beach House

This movie is not about how someone is acting. It's more about what it is important in life, what is the happiness for you. Where do you see yourself in 5 years. And when those 5 years pass, what will you say, how many moments you will remember.

The plot is a bit more unusual for a Hallmark movie, though not completely original. Some scenes were frustratingly uncomfortable. Chad Michael Murray's attempt at a southern accent made me laugh at times. The beautiful scenery of the South Carolina island is the best highlight! I saw lots of advertisements for this movie leading up to the premiere, but I was not expecting the story to be so emotionally heavy. Have tissues ready!

There are deeper levels of family issues than your average Hallmark Saturday night premiere. Everyone has some history they need to address.

Some of the acting was better than others. Minka Kelly was OK and held her own. Andie McDowell had her moments also. Others, not quite as good, certainly not Donny Boaz.

The tone was a little more somber than I was looking for on Hallmark for Saturday night.

My mom and I had a really bad day, and we were looking forward to vegging out in front of a Hallmark movie with Andie MacDowell. We thought The Beach House would be just what we needed: Andie fixing up her family's beach house, looking at the coast with a mug of tea just like she did in Cedar Cove. However, this movie was not what we needed, so if you and your mom find yourself in the same situation, watch Cedar Cove instead.

The good news is Andie MacDowell gives arguably her best performance in The Beach House. She shows unexpected pain and thoughtfulness as she stars as a terminally-ill mother trying to fix up her house and her daughter's life before it's too late. I am glad I watched this movie, because I like Andie and she did an excellent job, but it would have been better to watch it on a different day. Minka Kelly plays Andie's daughter, and in the tradition of Hallmark, she comes from the big bad city, finding herself and love in the small town of her youth. Chad Michael Murray is Minka's love interest, so if you're not watching this movie for Andie-but why wouldn't you?-you'll be relatively entertained.

If you liked the book, or if you're in the mood for a good cry, go ahead and rent this Hallmark Hall of Fame. You'll see the beautiful shoreline of South Carolina, the fun and cute journey of baby turtles crawling from their eggs to the ocean, and Andie's great acting chops.

Set in South Carolina but filmed in Georgia, Savannah and Tybee Island. A 30-something daughter left home some 15 years earlier to make her career in Chicago. A very difficult dad was her impetus. Now dad is long gone and she is coming home to visit mom and brother, but also with a secret, she has lost her job and has some life decisions to make.

She quickly meets up again with an old friend who had been more, they have sparks right away but she is very reluctant. She fully expects to head back to Chicago soon and doesn't want to start up something again.

This get really complex when her mother tells all of them she has an inoperable condition and this is probably her last summer. The movie follows a typical clean Hallmark path and my wife and I enjoyed it as pleasant entertainment.

At home streaming from Amazon .