Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Road Less Traveled

I don't think that I've been able to watch any of the six SSD movies I've seen so far without having to frequently wipe my eyes. Yes it's sappy, but it's lovely too. Even the mysteries they take on in the form of undeliverable mail have tender moments. This one was no different.

There is still the quirky and nerdy nature of at least three of them, although Oliver has come a long way. He is still incredibly formal. Norman and Rita are planning a wedding but they are still a little bit different. I keep thinking that Oliver and Shane should be getting married also. The look that Shane has in her eyes when she looks at him is definitely love.

The story gives us plenty of chance to assume what the hidden secret will be. Maybe you will guess right, but maybe not.

A basic detective movie heavily flawed by stereotypes and political correctness. This is yet another movie stereotyping intelligent people "nerds" as unable to fix cars or have normal relations with women. The movie promotes political correctness by describing the adoption of a "rainbow family" against the capability of a couple having their own family. This is certainly a fantasy not based in reality. The movie uses stereotyping and political correctness to deflect from the lack of substance in the main story.

7.8 stars.

They are still bringing their best to the table, these lovable Postables. I enjoyed this episode about as much as any, it's good, not the best one, not the worst, right in the middle.

As the story goes, the gang decides to hit the road in an old RV that was given to Rita by her parents as a present for their wedding (or they borrowed it, I'm not sure).

During this road trip, we have emotional ups and downs regarding wedding preparations, and Norman isn't quite ready to get married, but his reasons are pure. Rita is there to reach out and touch his heart to help him get ready for being a good husband and father (potentially). Norman is hesitant to ever have children, he doesn't want them being bullied as he was.

Shane and Oliver hit the usual minor speed bumps in their ongoing relationship, but that's what keeps the audience coming back for more. Gotta maintain the tension.

And of course, there is a plot regarding lost mail and helping a little boy and his mother who are in danger and meandering aimlessly across the state of Colorado.

Another great watch. Still consistently good material.

I normally enjoy the SSD movies. I couldn't believe that Canon City was continually mispronounced as 'Cannon' City rather than the correct pronunciation, 'Canyon' City. It's a Spanish word. That could have been easily fact-checked. One would think that highly intelligent, Denver based postal workers would know the correct pronunciation of another city relatively close to Denver. That detail ruined the whole movie for me. A little fact check next time, please.

If you're familiar with any of the other Signed Sealed Delivered recent movies, you know these have seen their share of ups and downs. From annoying characters, to cheesy story lines, it seemed hard to hold this together and still keep the plot moving forward. The Road Less Traveled took us on a very laid back journey, giving us the characters we know and love, yet portraying them out of their comfort zone and still true to themselves. Full of multi-layered conversations (which kept us chuckling quietly to ourselves), to the subtleties of every scene, we gained a deeper insight into how important truly listening matters. Was it a little sappy? Yes. But over here, that's to be expected--- and a welcome relief from the darkness we usually receive in most TV shows. I think that's why I'm glad this isn't a series any more. It helped to avoid cheapening the story and kept the characters real when SSD switched to separate movies...and this could be one of the best decisions HM ever made.