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Parents' Guide to

When We Last Spoke

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Grandparents raise girls who've lost parents; mature themes.

Movie NR 2019 120 minutes
When We Last Spoke Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 1 parent review

Cover Lover
Cover Lover Adult
July 27, 2021
age 5+

This sweet, nostalgic film will make you yearn to hug, call, or drive home to your loved ones.

Oh my. I’m feeling all the feels. I laughed, sighed, gasped, and cried (a lot) during the last hour and forty-seven minutes. When We Last Spoke overflows with love, family, friends, and the sweet spirit of forgiveness. I enjoyed every single character in this meaningful film. The unconventional family dynamic of Walt (Popo) Ruby (Mamaw) Juliet (Rabbit) and Evangeline (Squirrel) warmed my heart. It was fun being transported back to the music and atmosphere of the late 60s, and the southern culture and the stability of the North Star gave this story added depth and charm. I loved the actors, the acting, the humor, and the touching moments. I loved Cloris Leachman’s humorous and tender moments, Corbin Bernsen as an older, gentle soul, and Melissa Gilbert as the endearing family matriarch. But I especially enjoyed Darby Camp and Chandler Head (the young girls.) They are remarkable and lovable little actors! This sweet, nostalgic film will make you yearn to hug, call, or drive home to your loved ones. Disclosure: Many thanks to Last Spoke Partners for providing this product/product information for review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
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What's the Story?

Ruby (Melissa Gilbert) and Walt (Corbin Bernsen) live in rural Texas in 1967 when their son James (Donny Boaz) goes off to serve in Vietnam. Shortly after, his frazzled wife Marguerite (Julia Denton) arrives at the farm to dump their young girls, Juliet (Darby Camp) and Evangeline (Chandler Head). Almost without feeling, she's off to revive her New York singing career. Ruby and Walt don't hesitate to do the right thing -- they're loving, generous, understanding, and practical. The girls, missing their dad and now their mom, too, thrive under Ruby and Walt's care. Great-grandmother Itasca (Cloris Leachman), half lucid and half immersed in visions of her late husband, is also dumped on the couple, this time by Walt's impatient brother. She, too, is taken in and cared for. Cut to present-day (1996) Juliet (Lacy Camp), who never left town and has embraced small-town life. She's now the enthusiastic local radio host, and trying to bring younger sister Evangeline back to town to see the fading Walt one last time. The incident that ruptured the sisters' relationship and supposedly drove Evangeline (Alicia Fusting) away is revealed later, but it doesn't prevent a warm revival of their sisterly affection. Back and forth from the 1960s to the 1990s, dramas play out, deaths are revealed, lessons are learned, and small-town values are hailed.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Melissa Gilbert and Corbin Bernsen give warm, flawless performances that together stand When We Last Spoke on its admirably sturdy spine. The soundtrack tours 50 or so years of pop and other music, a score purposed to engender an audience's appreciation for times that may seem simpler but probably weren't. The movie isn't without its faults. A few scenes drag on a bit. It's hard to believe two little kids could, or would, take over a radio show without a hitch. And Evangeline's central complaint seems somewhat overblown and underexplained once it's revealed. But the overarching sentiments expressed and virtues recommended here -- the importance of love, forgiveness, and patience -- far outweigh the failings. As in another flawed but involving drama, Terms of Endearment, tears will be jerked, so have your hankies ready.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what keeps families together and what can tear them apart.

  • Evangeline doesn't speak to her sister for many years. Do you think she had good reason? Why or why not?

  • What is the movie's point of view on long marriages, fidelity, and taking on family responsibilities? How do the grandparents fit into that view?

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