unexpected grace it is.......

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source: Unexpected Grace

I don't want to give this movie away. But I am totally wrecked. What an expected roller coaster of emotions. I was unprepared for the total tide wave of emotions this movie evoked in me. Unfortunately, now I have to meet IMDB'S 600 character minimum. And I still have 328 characters to go. So let's talk about Billy Joel's best albums. The Stranger is obviously the pick, with the big hit songs and fan favorite Scenes From An Italian Restaurant. However, let's consider the work of art called Glass Houses. From start to finish, every song is a mini masterpiece. Of late though, I'm kinda grooving.....

7.7 stars. This is the story of a woman named Noelle who loses her 14 year old daughter Maya, we don't know how, but it's probably cancer. A man named Jack comes to town with his young daughter Grace, and they find something in their tree that was left behind from Maya, and that something is a letter written to the world and attached to a balloon. Jack and Noelle almost run into each other twice not realizing Grace has Maya's lost letter. Eventually the coincidence connections are realized. Noelle does not believe in coincidence. The letter transforms Grace's life and soon Jack and Noelle grow fond of each other. The story goes deeper and deeper into their relationship as they all are still healing the loss of Maya and Jack's wife too, who also died some years ago. It's a very touching movie mainly about recovering from pain and sadness on losing a loved one. Noelle's ex-husband is still having a hard time getting over the loss of their daughter, and coincidentally meets Jack in another city, and there are too many coincidences in this film. I recommend it. Great acting and heartwarming scenes make this a must see tearful and 'Unexpected Grace'.

Wonderful movie. The story was fantasic, the acting was fantastic. Pretty much a constant tearjerker combined with laughter. Wonderful story about two families who have been devastated by grief but try to move on and find happiness and friends. Nice story of a girl who has lost her mother and is trying to make friends due to her move in the middle of the school year. She finds a balloon from someone also looking for a friend. She ends up making friends with the mother and finds a family. Realistic.plot, no great surprises, but beautiful and moving. So glad to see Michael Rady back in a Hallmark movie.

This is the story of a grieving mom who lost her daughter almost two years ago and a lonely girl her daughter's age who lost her mom and is new to town. They connect over the exchange of letters and together they help each other heal. It was a decent film if you are prepared for the sad storyline. It did end up being a pretty healthy story about healing and helping one another. The Dad, Jack, was fantastic and very understanding. It's tough being a single dad to a teenage girl. There is a lot that girls go through and it is tough when your parental unit only consists of a dad...who you think can't possibly understand or relate. I think this film was sweet and managed to straddle a sweet moment and connection. If only real life worked out so neatly. If you are in the mood for it...and want to see a sweet relationship between a lonely girl and grieving mom this might be the film for you.

Hallmark's Movies and Mysteries network often goes beyond the rom/com formula and this is a good example. There is a romance story squeezed in, but the movie is more a story of recovery from tragic loss. I find it interesting that one of my most memorable movies with Michael Rady is Two Turtle Doves which has some similarities to this one. The approach taken here to the grief theme seems to me that it is a pretty sure way to grab the heartstrings. Two teenage girls dealing with loneliness are at the center of the story. Tragedy and grief are prominent in both of the central families. There is sadness in the story yet hope outweighs the sadness. I think all of the 3 main actors did a fine job with their parts. (I started to say 4 main actors and realized the Toni's character was ever present despite only the briefest snippet of screen time.) I don't think I need to say that they captured the emotions felt by their characters. Side observation - in today's world of antagonism and blame everywhere you look, it was nice to see a father be open minded and not jump too quickly to accuse Noelle of impropriety in the early stages and dismiss her. I think there is probably much to absorb in a repeated viewing that I missed the first time through.

I watch a lot of Hallmark movies, but I don't write many reviews; however, this movie is extremely special. This script was layered, authentic, beautiful, moving, and understated in the best way possible. With this type of script, the casting was very important. Luckily, they were able to get Michael Rady, Erica Durance, and David Attar, who all poured their hearts into their performances. Unlike most Hallmark movies, this wasn't a straight forward romance story, this was a human connection story. This movie was filled with mature and thoughtful conversations. Characters listened to understand, instead of simply listening to react. There were a lot of ways that this script could have gone off the rails, but it didn't. Each decision, while making this film, was obviously done with a lot of care and concern for the audience.

Wasn't sure whether I would like this one but gave it a shot and glad I did! After the wedding veil second trilogy, the new year movies have been such a disappointment with bad plots and bad acting. This one broke the streak and was heartwarming with great acting. There's lots of gaps in the story and it really is a mystery of what will happen next. Adults and kids with grief, finding a glimmer of hope, only for it to be taken away, and then left to decide what will be the next step. All the characters saw "signs" from loved ones no longer here and then needed to make their own path, take control of their future, and decide what they want to do and how they would make their lives and the world better. I loved this message and how it wasn't all about fate or destiny telling you what to do but it brought everyone to a crossroad and they made the choice of moving forward and celebrating their loved ones rather than be burdened by their loss. Other than the one jealous bratty teen, there were no "villains" and this was very refreshing. It was a bit slow and the first 20 min felt like an hour and you want to scream just tell them the whole truth! But would you actually do that in that situation? Probably not. It was realistic, beautifully told, and I hope more movies are just as heartwarming!