Amanda Fein Movies
Directed by Mike Mitchell, Surviving Christmas finds Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) uneager to spend another lonely Christmas in his own home. Longing for holidays past, Drew travels to his childhood home intending to relive the experience of a family Christmas -- unfortunately, his family no longer lives there. This represents only a small snafu to Drew, who offers the Valco patriarch and his wife (Sopranos star James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara) a huge amount of money if they consent to pretend they are his parents and that he is a cherished member of the family. This entails participating in Latham family traditions, such as Christmas tree selection and crowded holiday shopping excursions. Though the Valcos reluctantly go along with Drew's requests, Alicia, their eldest daughter, arrives at home and refuses to comply with her "brother's" wishes. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, (more)
A woman gets a crash course in the realities of love and commitment when she gets some startling news about the child she's carrying in this made-for-TV adaptation of the novel by Luanne Rice. Dianne Parker (Kimberly Williams) is a lovely young woman who is engaged to marry Mark McCune (Eric Close), a successful and self-confident young businessman. Dianne isn't aware that Mark's brother, pediatrician David McCune (Campbell Scott), has also fallen in love with her, but David can't bring himself to break up his brother's relationship. After Dianne and Mark wed, she becomes pregnant, but routine tests reveal that the child will suffer severe genetic defects. Mark decides having an disabled child is not something he can bear and he leaves Dianne. Dianne decides to keep the baby and raise it on her own. She gets valuable help from her mother, Hannah (Blair Brown), but David also pitches in to help raise Dianne's child, and soon Dianne gets a greater appreciation of what love is truly all about as she struggles with David to care for her baby. Produced for the award-winning anthology series "The Hallmark Hall of Fame," Follow the Stars Home first aired on May 6, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2001
One family's dysfunctional nature begins to rise to the surface in this independent drama. The Sabistan family would appear to have it made; Earl (Robert Pine) and Jane (Janet Carroll) have had a long and seemingly happy marriage, and their three grown daughters -- Beth (Kellie Martin), Missy (Amy Raymond), and Faran (Kayren Ann Butler) -- have found success in their respective careers. But when they all gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving, Earl drops a bombshell on his family; he announces he's no longer happy with Jane and has decided to file for divorce. The surprise announcement forces Jane to reveal a secret of her own -- that she's developed a serious drinking problem. As Beth tries to make sense of all this, she discovers that her sisters have been keeping quiet about problems of their own; Missy's marriage to Todd (Jeff Robert Werner) is falling apart now that he's no longer attracted to her, and Faran has reason to believe that her spouse Roger (Chris Shea) is having an affair. All You Need was the first feature for director Randy Ser. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kellie Martin, Janet Carroll, (more)
