* of ****
Rated: PG
Length: 98 minutes
Writers:
Tom Ziegler (play)
Grace McKeaney (teleplay)
Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman
Cast:
Gena Rowlands: Grace Stiles
Diane Lane: Gloria
Neal McDonough: David
Chris Beetem: Roy
Carrie Preston: Charlene
Emmy Rossum: Luanne

Synopsis:
The stubborn terminally ill old country woman teaches her hospice caretaker, a hurting young woman from NYC, a few things about strength, self respect, and real living.

Review:
Good gravy! As anyone who's getting out of a rehab nursing home knows, you do not sit down in a rocking chair because it's darn near impossible to get up out of it again. And speaking of getting out of a hole...

The utilitarian telling of the story and weak direction leave this looking like an after school special. This was a Hallmark Hall of Fame production which would explain the similarity. The depth and reason of Gloria's pain needed to be filled out more. The story is played out well through reasonable acting, but there is often an absence of inner passion that would be needed to elevate this production. The only well acted scenes are between Gloria and her husband. Some of the earlier scenes with Rowlands and Lane do have a cute balance to them, but they were both performing beneath their historic capabilities. The location of the setting on the old farm brings some realism to the story, but that isn't nearly enough to save it.