All Roads Lead Home

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Choppy, conflicting story of a grieving animal lover.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the heroine's mother is killed (off screen) in a bad car accident in which the girl is a passenger. The girl becomes withdrawn and is sent to live with an apparently alcoholic grandfather because she can no longer stand her well-meaning, kind father. The movie confronts the idea of animal euthanasia repeatedly, with subplots of tainted animal feed, puppies consigned to drowning due to bad bloodlines, and a surreptitious no-kill animal shelter. A child releases all the dogs in a shelter, and as a consequence one is hit by a car while another inflicts a bite on a human.

  • Messages both against animal euthanasia and for merciful human euthanasia; conflicting discussions of the role of farm animals. A girl and her grandpa, both suffering the loss of the girl's mother, come together to comfort each other, boxing out the girl's father in the process (though, to be fair, he doesn't seem to mind.)
  • None shown graphically, but allusions to car crashes, dog autopsies, a dog attack, and drowning unwanted puppies.
  • Long-term flirtation between two adult characters obviously meant to be together culminates only in handholding and a sweet kiss or two.

What's the story?

ALL ROADS LEAD TO HOME, a film inspired by a true story, seems like it will be a formulaic coming-of-age story for a child whose mother suffers a sudden and tragic death. Belle (Vivien Cardone) is an animal lover who becomes withdrawn from her family after the car crash that kills her mother, repelling repeated attempts by her father (Jason London) to reach her. He eventually sends her to live with her gruff maternal grandfather Hock (Peter Coyote) on his horse farm, where he too is coping with his sorrows. Belle's opposition to animal euthanasia cause her to tangle both with her father, the town dog catcher; his love interest, the town vet (Vanessa Branch,) and her grandfather and his cowboy staff. Untangling complicated plot threads gives Belle plenty of opportunity to emerge from her shell.


Is it any good?

 

Even for a movie originally made for television, the editing in All Roads Lead Home is choppy and distracts from the story. So many subplots emerge – the vet's efforts to identify the mysterious cause of death for her patients, the dog catcher's attempts to save his charges from the inevitable end at the shelter, Belle's stop-and-start friendship with farmworker Basham (Evan Parke,) that it seems like the story will never wrap up in two hours. Weird dialogue doesn't help – when a hotel owner says "It rained like God was wetting his pants" and Basham cautions that a risky maneuver will have a character "crossing the Jordan on a Jetski" the folksy vibe just goes off the rails.

Perhaps more confusing is the movie's message – is it for or against animal euthanasia? Belle is an animal lover, but when a dog appears to have attacked another character for no reason and must be put down, it is Belle who makes the noble decision to end its life. In the next scene, the characters are celebrating the opening of a no-kill animal shelter. Similar contradictions make a movie that could be wholesome family fare a little dark and confusing instead.


Explore, discuss, enjoy

Families can talk about the message of this movie. Is it pro-animal rights or anti? What are the different ways to value a domestic pet vs. a farm animal? If you haven't read "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, this movie's many references to the story gives you a good reason to open it.


This review of All Roads Lead Home was written by
Adult
April 10, 2011
 
Standing by your convictions
This is a must see movie for all. The central issue of "Right to Life" rises above situational ethics, government policies, no funding and short staffing. It showcases having few solid convictions and standing by them through all difficulties and situations. Positive convictions this large cannot be isolated to the singular concept of killing off too many pets. The Right to Life issue overflows to treating all people with dignity and even the issue of using animals as food,
What other families should know:

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Adult
October 27, 2010
 
This movie can be very confusing for kids, there are mixed messages about euthanasia....but other than that this is a heartwarming movie! The plot really isn't anything new...rebellious child sent off to live with a relative to work on her 'attitude.' Kids will enjoy all the adorable animals.

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Kid, 12 years old
March 17, 2010
 
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What other families should know:

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Kid, 12 years old
June 21, 2011
 
SO DEPRESSING!!!
the most depressing story i have ever heard of!!!!! It scarred me and my friends eternally. THE ENDING ISNT EVEN HAPPY!!!! We're just eleven and twelve years old!! Give us a break!!

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This review of All Roads Lead Home was written by
Topics:horses and farm animals
Studio:Anchor Bay Entertainment
Cast:Jason London, Peter Boyle, Peter Coyote
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:112 minutes
Theatrical release date:February 1, 2008
DVD release date:January 13, 2009
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:thematic material and brief language.

This review of All Roads Lead Home was written by
 

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