Starring: Sam Page, Sarah Drew, Amanda Schull
Released: 2021
Summary: After recovering from an illness, a husband and father returns to his late wife's beachside hometown, with his children, to spend summer in her childhood home.
Sarah Drew and Sam Page Image: Crown Media
Finally, Some Wonderful Acting!
In Hallmark's quest for new talent, they have repeatedly disappointed fans by slapping couples together who don't belong and hiring based on affirmative action rather than acting ability.
One Summer is a welcome relief. Sam Page, Sarah Drew, and Amanda Schull nail their roles in this movie and take viewers on a very emotional journey through the pain of loss.
One reason this movie stands out among the status quo is because it's based on a novel of the same name by David Baldacci. You may remember Baldacci from his book, The Christmas Train, being made into a Hallmark film back in 2018.
After miraculously recovering from an unexplainable sickness, Jack Armstrong (Page) is quickly thrust into a single parent role when his beloved wife is in a fatal car crash on her way to pick up his medication. He senses his children blame him for the loss. Although his wife, Lizzie, always made parenting look effortless, he struggles to connect with his kids like she did. With his own heart filled with grief, it's even more challenging to meet his kids' emotional needs.
Jack and the kids leave Ohio and head for his in-laws' beach house where Lizzie planned to take them, had he succumbed to the illness that afflicted him since his return from Iraq.
How would you like to call this home-sweet-home? Image: Crown Media
Mikki is a stereotypical teen with constant mood swings. Madeline Grace Popovich is excellent in her portrayal of Mikki. On the surface, she appears overly dramatic and difficult. She hates being in the beach town because she doesn't fit in, so she demands to go home. She's withdrawn, miserable, and often lashes out at her little brother, Tyler. Just when you might feel like smashing her, she opens her heart to Liam and Jenna, revealing the fears that make her act out the way she does. She's worried her dad will get sick again and die, leaving them parentless. She's saddened that life keeps moving along without her mom, and she worries it will cause her memories to dim. Since his parents are divorced, Liam is sympathetic to her plight, and Mikki finds an ally in him, especially since they both share a passion for music. Mikki is an average teen with internal struggles she simply hasn't learned how to voice.
Tyler, played by Gavin Borders, is much younger, so he handles grief differently. His little heart hurts from missing his mom too, but he's open to new adventures. He loves his dad, and he just wants his sister to act nicer--typical for his age.
Jack's mother-in-law, Bonnie, crosses the line by demanding Jack give her custody of the children. This outrages the viewer, but right before you write her off, you see she's not the witch she appears to be. She grieves the loss of her daughter so acutely, she doesn't want to lose the grandkids, too--her only remaining connection to Lizzie. In the end, she makes things right, and her family stays intact.
Bonnie is over-protective, but she can't handle another loss. Image: Crown Media
Amanda Schull, who plays Lizzie, appears to Jack multiple times to encourage him. She shows him that even though they will always love each other, she wants him to find someone else so he can enjoy life and not be alone. Jack's conversations with Lizzie give the viewers an inside look at the things he's feeling and thinking, even when he doesn't say it out loud to anyone else.
Lizzie's appearance is very powerful, but at the same time, I have issues with this type of storytelling. Although Lizzie references heaven, and her dad says the "Big Guy" is the One responsible for Sam's miraculous recovery, once a person dies, they do not return as some type of ghost. That is not scriptural. Regardless, because we understand the movie is fiction, we can reconcile the discrepancy.
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, but hey, it's Hallmark. Image: Crown Media
Sarah Drew, or "Jenna," is a delightful Hallmark star who shines brightly. Although she is attracted to Jack, she gives him the space he needs and makes no demands. She showers him and his children with kindness and grace from a sincere heart, not so she can gain his favor and affection.
Some fans expressed disappointment this movie did not feature romance between Jenna and Jack when they expected to see love bloom. With this plot, however, a fast romance would be disingenuous to the story. You might say the seeds of romance are planted for Jenna and Jack, but the movie doesn't quite take us to the budding stage. Even when the movie ends without so much as a kiss or hand hold between the two, it's easy to imagine they will fall in love further down the road once Jack's heart has healed and he's ready to let in someone new.
My Favorite Statement In The Movie
Jenna's husband was unfaithful to her, which led to their divorce, so she is all too familiar with the shocking and unexpected turns life can take.
Jack marvels at Jenna's ability to read what is going on inside of him. Jenna tells him, "Disappointment hits you so hard you think it will kill you, but it doesn't. You become sadder, but wiser."
Can't we all relate to that statement? No one gets through life unscathed, but we will survive and grow stronger from the experience.
So, how many times did you dissolve into tears while watching this movie? I lost track!
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