I watched this film because of Melissa Gilbert's presence. I have liked her since her "Little House On The Prarie" days. I must say I concur with other reviews regarding the weak French accent she was able to muster.
The best performances were from Liana Liberato (Pip) and Brad Johnson (Matt). They had an actual chemistry that made watching their interactions interesting.
I always have problems with films, they simplify lives to fit the time limits available. Take lonely divorcée Matt. Somehow he is able to afford to paint on the beach all day and never worry about earning a living. When his ex-wife moves his daughter to New Zealand with her new husband, he apparently makes no legal effort to prevent a move that will effectively deny any custody rights. His lonely bachelor pad on the beach somehow is always orderly with no housework.
When Ophelie (Gilbert) and Pip move back to their main house, it is in perfect order inside and out despite a three-month absence and no visible domestic help.
The biggest sticking point is the horrible CGI explosion of the jet carrying Ophelie's husband and son, shown in a flashback. It would require a nuclear explosion to vaporize an aircraft this way. A little creativity could have produced a more reasonable crash that would serve the plot line.
The Wexler Center where Ophelie volunteered was obviously not in the San Francisco Bay area. The Palm trees in front of the building are not found that far north. The exteriors were all filmed in the Los Angeles area, except for the Hillsborough location shots for the main house.
One minor point I noticed was that the dead son "Chad" was portrayed by Gilbert's real-life son Dakota Brinkman. He had no speaking part, but this may be an attempt to launch him in an acting career.
I concur in the other reviews that mention how weak the romance seemed to be. The chemistry was hardly convincing between the two leads. It seems that Melissa Gilbert will be forever condemned to these made-for-TV efforts. That is too bad. She is really a competent actress who is pushing the age limit for lead roles.
The best performances were from Liana Liberato (Pip) and Brad Johnson (Matt). They had an actual chemistry that made watching their interactions interesting.
I always have problems with films, they simplify lives to fit the time limits available. Take lonely divorcée Matt. Somehow he is able to afford to paint on the beach all day and never worry about earning a living. When his ex-wife moves his daughter to New Zealand with her new husband, he apparently makes no legal effort to prevent a move that will effectively deny any custody rights. His lonely bachelor pad on the beach somehow is always orderly with no housework.
When Ophelie (Gilbert) and Pip move back to their main house, it is in perfect order inside and out despite a three-month absence and no visible domestic help.
The biggest sticking point is the horrible CGI explosion of the jet carrying Ophelie's husband and son, shown in a flashback. It would require a nuclear explosion to vaporize an aircraft this way. A little creativity could have produced a more reasonable crash that would serve the plot line.
The Wexler Center where Ophelie volunteered was obviously not in the San Francisco Bay area. The Palm trees in front of the building are not found that far north. The exteriors were all filmed in the Los Angeles area, except for the Hillsborough location shots for the main house.
One minor point I noticed was that the dead son "Chad" was portrayed by Gilbert's real-life son Dakota Brinkman. He had no speaking part, but this may be an attempt to launch him in an acting career.
I concur in the other reviews that mention how weak the romance seemed to be. The chemistry was hardly convincing between the two leads. It seems that Melissa Gilbert will be forever condemned to these made-for-TV efforts. That is too bad. She is really a competent actress who is pushing the age limit for lead roles.