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Published on Thursday, Jan 24, 2008
Although they were long considered among the highest-quality films to air on television, Hallmark Hall of Fame movies have in recent years tended to be far less inspiring.
The Russell Girl, premiering at 9 p.m. Sunday on CBS, is a rebound of sorts, a touching and soft-spoken movie with a couple of fine performances.
Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) stars as Sarah Russell, a young woman who, as the movie begins, learns that she has leukemia. Seeking solace, she leaves Chicago for her small Illinois town and what she hopes will be the comfort of her family.
But her home is not entirely a place of comfort. Years before, there was a tragic mishap that has affected Sarah's view of life ever since. (The movie is coy at first about that mishap, so I won't reveal it here. You'll figure it out soon enough.)
Nor has that incident only affected Sarah. The Russells' neighbors across the street, the Morrisseys, are also suffering. Indeed, the mother in that family, Lorraine (Jennifer Ehle), has trouble getting through day-to-day tasks.
Sarah's return is a catalyst for Lorraine, though not a good one at first. And her dealings with Lorraine push Sarah into dealing with her own emotional turmoil, including how she will tell her family about her illness. After all, she has been keeping pain inside for a long time, and this is just one more pain to endure.
Written by Jill Blotevogel (Love Is a Four Letter Word) and directed by Jeff Bleckner (Boston Legal), The Russell Girl at times strains the audience's belief. Sarah's ability to keep her symptoms hidden is a little implausible, especially when she is overwhelmed on a street. In a town this small, you would expect someone other than Lorraine to recognize Sarah and to offer her help.
But in dealing with the emotions of guilt and grief, the movie does quite well. It is not afraid to use silence as well as words. The cast — which also includes Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Sarah's mother, and Henry Czerny as Lorraine's husband — is expressive. Tamblyn does quite well with the confusion in Sarah, and Tony Award- winner Ehle is extremely good. The Russell Girl touches the heart.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in a blog at http://www.ohio.com. Contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Although they were long considered among the highest-quality films to air on television, Hallmark Hall of Fame movies have in recent years tended to be far less inspiring.
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