Charles Officer Movies
- 2008
- PG
A young boy draws on the power of magic in order to unite a noble healer and a wounded warrior in Toronto filmmaker Charles Officer's poetic feature directorial debut. Jude (Karen LeBlanc) is a City Hospital nurse afflicted with sickle-cell anemia. Her twelve year old son Ciel (Daniel J. Gordon) longs for her to get well, and begins casing a series of healing spells in hopes that they will ease her suffering. Into Jude and Ciel's life stumbles Silence (Clark Johnson), an underground fighter who has just taken a pummeling. Silence was in need of stitches, and Jude was the nurse on duty at the time he was admitted. An imposing figure who's just as taciturn as his name suggests, Silence is still shaken by the recent death of his trainer - a man who was as much a father figure as he was a coach. Not only has the loss shaken Silence emotionally, but it's also forced him to take on some heavy new responsibilities. Perhaps if Ciel could bring this pair together, Silence could find the emotional support he so desperately needs, Jude could have a companion to keep her company during those dark days of illness, and a young boy will finally have a protector for himself and his ailing mother. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clark Johnson, Karen LeBlanc, (more)
- 2005
Based on a true story, this "Hallmark Hall of Fame" TV movie was produced by Rosie O'Donnell, who also stars as the profoundly mentally challenged Beth Simon. When Beth's father dies, her sister, Rachel (Andie MacDowell), a brittle, self-absorbed fashion photographer, takes charge of Beth -- who, having been allowed to grow up without learning anything of self-discipline and social propriety, is no prize herself. Though she loves her sister, Rachel is embarrassed by Beth's obnoxious, obstreperous behavior, especially when riding the bus, which she does religiously and obsessively every day, much to the dismay of the other passengers. (Be warned: this is not one of those lachrymose "lovable handicapped adult" movies so common to network television.) Also, Beth has been allowed by her overindulgent father to neglect her health and hygiene in a deplorable fashion. Gradually, the two sisters connect and manage to profoundly change one another. Those viewers and critics who condemned Rosie O'Donnell for her abrasive, over-the-top portrayal of Beth were generally those who had had little contact with genuine handicapped people; conversely, those who had such people in their own families, or who had worked extensively with them professionally, applauded O'Donnell for her disturbingly accurate performance. Adapted from the book by the real-life Rachel Simon (actually an English professor and not a photographer), Riding the Bus with My Sister was telecast by CBS on May 1, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosie O'Donnell, Andie MacDowell, (more)
