"Rose Hill", although a decided effort at the wonderful story by Julie Garwood, fell well below the desired mark for me. I felt as if I was watching the book's alternate universe/ending. I understand that sometimes the best book-to-movie jumps are made by making cuts to the movie where needed and changing a few things, but this movie changed so much about the proper story that I almost couldn't watch the rest of the movie. First off, none of the brothers die or have any romantic interest, so if Hallmark decides to finish the series off and anthologize the last four books, they'd better figure out how to bring Cole back to life and do away with the "Adam and Shining Water have a baby" bit all at once. Jennifer Garner was a good choice to play Mary Rose Clayborne, however, not the best choice, given her affinity to give the "pouty lip", where the book's Mary Rose would have ground her heel into that lip. The family does not break up in the end, showing that the true testimony to the story is not the romance aspect, but truly the family that stayed together throughout all the troubles. But what made me truly angry was the writer's gall to bring in new characters and nix out the true characters who made this story what it was to me! Fergus Carroll is a sad stand-in for Harrison Stanford MacDonald, Shining Water... wait, she had no character in the book, as well as Annie, the Clayborne family maid. John Stringer is new, and as for Cole Clayborne getting shot, I'd like to laugh a mighty laugh at the writer for even thinking that the book's Cole would take that without dishing back. Please. And Mary Rose's true family is from England, not New York. Sorry for the length, but I have to say that that flat out sucked.
Rose Hill
(1997 TV Movie)
Why "Rose Hill" fell far below the mark for me.
6 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers