 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Love's Abiding Joy
- Review Date: May 18, 2007
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2007
Common Sense Media says
Slow, sappy, Christian-themed TV adaptation.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this story deals with the death of a family member, depression, and hard financial times. After the death, Missie and Willie grow apart, not speaking. One character, upset at having his ranch taken from him, gets drunk and starts shooting his gun around town. Another character, the villain, lies and manipulates his daughter with the hope of killing her paramour.
What's the story?
In the fourth television adaptation of Janette Oke's series of books on life on the frontier, Love's Abiding Joy finds Missie (Erin Cottrell) and Willie (Logan Bartholomew) LaHaye enjoying a visit from Missie's father Abel (Kevin Gage). But no sooner has Abel arrived than the family is visited by the death of one of their own. The loss tears the family apart and breaks everyone's heart. Reacting to the death, Missie quits her job as a schoolteacher and Willie takes a job as the town's sheriff, where he must do work that challenges his morals. Can the family survive the loss with their love and faith intact? And can they do so while that devilish Mayor Doros (the delightfully menacing John Laughlin) is working to take over the prairie?
Is it any good?
Co-written and directed by Michael Landon, Jr., Love's Abiding Joy combines the heart of both without the pacing or plot that made his father's work a success. The irony, of course, is that there's very little joy to be found. There are some heartwarming scenes in which the family reaffirms what's most important to them -- God and family -- but mostly, the story is disjointed with little character or plot development. This is not a story meant to be seen without being familiar with the rest of the series. On its own, it's boring and saccharine.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about how you honor the life of those in your family who have passed. How do you feel when you lose someone you love? Families can also talk about what this family decides is important. Do they express their faith the same way your family does? In what ways are they different?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Kid, 12 years old
June 22, 2009
AGE
Someone dies! Lots of sexual content! The Word HELL and lots of drinking! and a lot of good and bed role models.
What other families should know:
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| Topics: | book characters |
| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Michael Landon Jr. |
| Cast: | Drew Tyler Bell, Erin Cottrell, Logan Bartholomew |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 87 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 2, 2007 |
| DVD release date: | January 2, 2007 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | mild thematic elements |
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