I wouldn't call Sarah plain or ordinary, quite independent yet filled with so much love to give that for the children played by Lexi Randell and Christopher Bell, she becomes the perfect mother figure if not their real mother. Glenn Close had already conquered the world of the movie of the week in addition to theatrically released films, and five Oscar nominations later began to branch out with first this (the filmed version of a Patricia MacLachlan novel that lead to two followups) and a triumphant return to Broadway with a dramatic play and a musical. She's joined by Oscar winning character actor Christopher Walken playing the widowed father who desperately needs a mother for his children and possibly a wife.
Close truly shows that she can play every role, grabbing onto the role of Sarah and not letting go. She finds herself at odds with Walken over the way he holds the memories back of his late wife, and there's more to his grieving than he's letting on. Sarah isn't about to come into the house as a shrinking violet the way the late Katherine supposedly was, and it's only with the agreement of testing the waters that the two end up eventually bonding. She won the young son over immediately, but the older sister is a little more difficult to completely win. It's only after lots of tension that the two start to be more comfortable with each other, although her home sickness for the New England coast does remain an obstacle. This is a very warm film, never schmaltzy or corny, just a story of real people living a simple life, but finding that accepting their differences can make all the difference.
Close truly shows that she can play every role, grabbing onto the role of Sarah and not letting go. She finds herself at odds with Walken over the way he holds the memories back of his late wife, and there's more to his grieving than he's letting on. Sarah isn't about to come into the house as a shrinking violet the way the late Katherine supposedly was, and it's only with the agreement of testing the waters that the two end up eventually bonding. She won the young son over immediately, but the older sister is a little more difficult to completely win. It's only after lots of tension that the two start to be more comfortable with each other, although her home sickness for the New England coast does remain an obstacle. This is a very warm film, never schmaltzy or corny, just a story of real people living a simple life, but finding that accepting their differences can make all the difference.