I had trouble getting invested in this movie. It was pleasant enough but I walked away feeling like something was missing.
Keri Russell's Livy was not that likeable. I don't feel like the movie showed me enough of what was lovable about her and it certainly didn't show me how Ray fell in love with her. She went in with a justifiably bad attitude and kept it for too long. A good person would have had at least some gratitude for the things that were done for her and the warm welcome she received. She had a tiny taste of the condemnation she would have received had the situation been handled any other way. Very tiny. Maybe it was the point that even Livy wasn't sure how she felt, and as the viewer I had no idea which way she was going to go until the last minute. In short, I wanted more.
Skeet Ulrich's Ray was as caring and loving, and patient, as anyone could ask for, yet to me he came off as milktoast. I can't help but think of Dale Midkiff playing Clark Davis in the Love Comes Softly series. The two men are actually very similar, but in Clark Davis I saw strength even when there was doubt and in Ray I saw fear. (Actually I watched this hoping for a similar story and it was in a lot of ways.) I wanted more about Ray also so we could see him as more than futile attempts to show Livy he loved her.
We know almost nothing about the baby's father. Perhaps the only thing we need to know is Livy's summary to Martha which seemed like it took 30 seconds.
Mare Winningham was good even though she appeared much older than Livy or Ray.
There was implicit social commentary about Japanese Americans being held in American internment camps. That was a terrible injustice and some of it was revealed in this movie. On the other hand, I was a little surprised at how much freedom the two sisters had.
I thought the climax was very clever.
Overall, I found it watchable but to get all the 10 stars bouncing around here, I would want more to help identify with either Livy or Ray or preferably both.
Keri Russell's Livy was not that likeable. I don't feel like the movie showed me enough of what was lovable about her and it certainly didn't show me how Ray fell in love with her. She went in with a justifiably bad attitude and kept it for too long. A good person would have had at least some gratitude for the things that were done for her and the warm welcome she received. She had a tiny taste of the condemnation she would have received had the situation been handled any other way. Very tiny. Maybe it was the point that even Livy wasn't sure how she felt, and as the viewer I had no idea which way she was going to go until the last minute. In short, I wanted more.
Skeet Ulrich's Ray was as caring and loving, and patient, as anyone could ask for, yet to me he came off as milktoast. I can't help but think of Dale Midkiff playing Clark Davis in the Love Comes Softly series. The two men are actually very similar, but in Clark Davis I saw strength even when there was doubt and in Ray I saw fear. (Actually I watched this hoping for a similar story and it was in a lot of ways.) I wanted more about Ray also so we could see him as more than futile attempts to show Livy he loved her.
We know almost nothing about the baby's father. Perhaps the only thing we need to know is Livy's summary to Martha which seemed like it took 30 seconds.
Mare Winningham was good even though she appeared much older than Livy or Ray.
There was implicit social commentary about Japanese Americans being held in American internment camps. That was a terrible injustice and some of it was revealed in this movie. On the other hand, I was a little surprised at how much freedom the two sisters had.
I thought the climax was very clever.
Overall, I found it watchable but to get all the 10 stars bouncing around here, I would want more to help identify with either Livy or Ray or preferably both.