Love's Unending Legacy (2007)

The Worst Film Ever

Brilliant and touching

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It's three years after Missie LaHaye lost her husband Willie shot in the line of duty as sheriff. She moves back east to her parents Marty Davis and Clark Davis with her young son Mattie. She takes the teaching job. She adopts bitter orphan Belinda who is the last without a home. Her little brother Jacob had been taken by the Pettises looking for a farm hand. Sheriff Zack Tyler falls for Missie.The adoption story is compelling. The overall feel is a bit disjointed especially at the beginning. The story improves as it concentrates more on Belinda and the adoption. That's the more dramatic part and a real tear jerker. This is a sincere faith-based movie. It's the fifth in the series. The TV movie does have its charms but also has its limitations.

What could have been a good TV movie was weakened by an overdone and unsuitable musical score. I found this was an annoyance during the first half of the movie. Performances overall were not that bad but the this mood music (that didn't seem to suit a western film) played over the actors as they spoke in many scenes and this became a real distraction.In one scene, which takes place in the church, a pastor is asking a congregation to volunteer to take care of homeless children lined up across the platform behind him. All the dialog in this scene is underscored by this deep emotional mood music which is unnecessary and distracting.

While I appreciate having decent,wholesome movies to watch, the movies based on the Janette Oke "Love Comes Softly"series are such a disappointment. I know some of the messages suggest "if you can just get past the books" you can enjoy the movies. I cannot seem to do that. I love those books and do not understand why it is so hard to make movies that align more with stories and plots in them. I know some books are hard to make into movies and need some dramatization, but I don't think these books need THAT much help. I watched the first three but by movie number four, I'm reading the back of the DVD and I'm thinking "No thank you!" It really is a shame, these could have been terrific movies.

*might contain spoilers*When looking up this movie, I noticed another movie due out later this year. I wonder if they had to rush this one in some fashion given they had two so close together. This might explain the somewhat lackluster nature of the film in some respects.Still, I overall appreciated the film, though you saw what was happening a mile away. Missy was good here, the actress playing the role emotionally true. The foster daughter also was decent enough, a few very touching scenes. As to the locket mentioned, I do think that was handled a bit badly ... like just as a set-up device. The whole thing did seem a bit rushed/thin at spots, but overall, it still had some true heart. Given the number of films already out there, it still having such life is impressive.A word on the new mother ... the original obviously off the bigger things. She had some illness (maybe it was explained at some point, I didn't see all of the film or series). She also seemed to have a slight accent (Southern?) that the original didn't have. But, she did a good job in her role, fairly small, but a few important scenes.As to the hubby dying at the beginning, I didn't mind it ... as to the flashback bits, I think they did the job adequately enough. In real life in the late 19th century, life was perilous, and a sheriff is a risky job. Of course, we have a plot device and parallels to the original film in a fashion.I actually liked parts of this better than the past two, of which I had trouble getting into in some ways. Overall, a bit thin, surely, but worth a look for fans.