MOVIE REVIEW
Movie: At Home in Mitford
Network: Hallmark Channel
Original Air Date: August 20, 2017 (Sunday, at 10pm EST)
*This movie is based on the Jan Karon book series At Home in Mitford.
CAST:
Andie MacDowell ... Cynthia Coppersmith
Cameron Mathison ... Tim Kavanaugh
Ken Tremblett ... Jack Emery
Nicholas Holmes ... Dooley
Peter Hanlon ... Russel Jacks
David Lewis ... Hal
Sarah Edmondson ... Marge
Chris Cope ... Guy
Kehli O'Byrne ... Sally
Andrew Beha ... BBQ Guy
PLOT:
Storyline via Hallmark: A divorced writer goes to a picture-perfect small town to get over her writer’s block, and ends up falling in love … with the town of Mitford, its inhabitants, and its most eligible bachelor, the handsome Episcopal priest who lives next door.
Movie Review:
Coming...
See or Skip:
Coming...
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*Photo Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman
Can't wait to see it. Looks really good!
ReplyDeleteWhat?! I did not know about this! I remember loving this series! Looking forward to seeing it for sure. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the Mitford series- wonderful books! I look forward to watching it but it sounds like they totally rewrote the story! Why do they feel the need to revamp a perfectly charming book?
ReplyDeleteOh no, no, NO!!!!! This is all WRONG!!!!! Listen, I like these actors and the Mitford books, but the combination of the two is not right, NOT RIGHT at all!!!!!
ReplyDeleteRight??? When I read the Mitford series I always picture Fr. Tim as more of a Father Brown (Fr. Brown Mysteries on PBS). Love McDowell and Mathison, but they's just tooo purty! And I miss the deep south dialect of the Mitfordites.
DeleteFather Tom was not tall, thin, and young. Why did they change the story line? I love Andie McDowell, but she doesn't fit the image of Cynthia Coppersmith either!
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteAgree! Wont watch, can't..
DeleteI can't imagine why Jan Karon would allow them to gut a book so full of deep sorrow and soaring joy and turn it into just another insipid bowl of mush.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Hallmark did Jan Karon no favours. The books, especially the first one, is wonderful. This movie is a joke.
DeleteAlmost ruins the entire series. I love the books, not this movie.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I'm not watching. I'm sorry I saw preview. It stinks
DeleteI'm in agreement with the Anonymous commenter above, why would Jan Karon let them do this to her books. It's going to be hard to not think of the movie when I'm reading further books following this, if I read further Mitford books.
ReplyDeleteThis was nothing like the books! Characters all wrong. Terrible!!!
ReplyDeleteI missed it. Will it air again?
ReplyDeleteYes, "At Home in Mitford" will repeat on the Hallmark Channel - Friday September 8 at 2pm/1c. That is the only repeat showing Hallmark is currently showing on their web-site.
DeleteSCHEDULE UPDATE!!! The repeat encore showing of "At Home in Mitford" is no longer scheduled on Hallmark's web-site.
DeleteI'm sorry to have to share this news for those of you who were hoping to catch it then.
I bet they just want to forget about it after all the negative feedback. Maybe they'll put it on that new channel that no one has yet.
DeleteWell I think it's pretty obvious why Jan Karon refused to promote this disaster. What a mess. Just a real slap in the face to fans of this lovely Christian series.
ReplyDeleteIt was painful to watch. The main character in the
ReplyDeletebook is Father Tim. Not Cynthia. Both are miscast.
If I am so saddened by this travesty...think how
Jan Karon must feel.
It was a mess. Shame on those who changed the story. Too bad.
Watching Mitford was so bad I started reading the wondetful first book again. And listening to Focus on Family's Radio Theatre of it. It's wonderful! Hallmark writers should get 5 years to life for what they did to it. Sort of joking.
ReplyDeleteThis was the all-time worst adaptation of a book ever! The casting was completely wrong; the setting was not at all Mitford - where was the hedge (almost it's own character in the books!); where was the little yellow house? Where was The Main Street Grill and all of the colorful characters that make it so interesting? Whoever thought it would be a good idea to take a series of books as popular as Mitford and write a screenplay that completely ignores those books should be fired! I'm sorry Hallmark - you really, really missed it big time on this one!
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people who loved the book are disappointed. I've never read the book and this comment might be unpopular considering so many negativity already. However, as a Hallmark film, I actually thought this was nice and lovely. I really like Cameron Mathison and Andie McDowell in this movie. Enjoyed it a lot!
ReplyDeleteI think that is the main problem. If you didn't know anything about the books, it was a perfectly fine cookie-cutter Hallmark movie. But for diehard fans of the book who have dreamed of the books turned into a heartfelt Christian series with the characters that they have loved over the years, the disappointment in what Hallmark decided to do to the source material is rather shocking.
DeleteI'd taped the movie, but after reading the comments I have to say I'll delete it without watching. I'd already thought I might do that when I saw the pictures of the two main characters - now I'm convinced it's not worth watching. I've been re-reading the series again and it looks as if they've taken a wonderful book about two older average looking people and, as usual, made them younger and gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI never read the books but I did not like this movie. I barely made it to the end. Kept thinking it would get better. Not! Andie just wasn't into the character, seemed detached. Cameron did a better job of what he was given to work with. Not much chemistry between the two. Like someone has already commented, it was just another rom-com. I was expecting Cedar Cove greatness. Loved that show! Andie was so good in that! Cameron is one of my favorites...just not as Father Tim!
ReplyDeleteI am a die hard fan of the books. Like thousands of others, I really looked forward to a film adaptation of the Mitford series. This is not it. I managed to watch it, but I had to do so in 3 sessions as it was so boring and so unlike the books. The actors for Father Tim and Cynthia were totally wrong. Father Tim turned 60 in this book, was a little overweight, and had diabetes. Cynthia was a petite blonde. Violet the cat was a white cat. This film was totally lacking in all the wondrous things that made Mitford so magical. There are no examples of the grace of God working in people's lives. There is no mention of Miss Sadie, Fernbank, Louella, Uncle Billy, Miss Rose, Emma, Lace, or Esther Bolick and her Orange Marmalade Cake. There are no church functions, and no mention of the Main Street Grill. I would not have thought it possible, but the producers of this movie managed to take a richly woven tapestry and reduce it to a sheet of plastic wrap. I can't believe any of them actually read Jan Karon's novels. It is a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteI started out reading my mother's copies of Jan Karon's books not expecting to love them as much as I did. Her ability to see inside someone's heart is a beautiful thing. Even though I judge Hallmark as cheesiness personified with the exception of Murder She Wrote reruns and Jesse Stone movies, I was willing to give this movie a chance. My mother and I were so excited, we always wanted to see her books as movies someday. That being said, with any book turned into a movie, there's an understanding that they can't cover everything and some characters may get dropped. But this was a sin and Hallmark needs to repent. Everything was wrong, even Violet, man y'all couldn't borrow the Paper Mate cat for a few days? There needs to be a do over but Jan Karon is probably never letting anyone touch any of her books ever again after this. The upside is that I'm rediscovering the books again, so there's a plus.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed it! I hope there is a sequel!
ReplyDeleteI am a #1 fan of Jan Karon & Mitford and was glad to finally see a book put to film, but – Cameron Mathison as Father Tim??? And opposite Andie MacDowell??? Bruce Boxleitner would have been a much better choice. I have no problem with the older woman/younger man concept, but that is not part of the charm of these stories, and what a betrayal to the Mitford fans. But of course networks must target the 20-40 age range. Heaven forbid we give them encouragement that there is still life after 60! I haven’t even been able to watch the program yet – have just skimmed thru it. And how wonderful it would have been if they could have worked in some narration by the wonderful John McDonough who narrates the audio books. Would have added sort of a “Waltons” flavor (another extremely beloved series).
ReplyDeleteThis movie should be remade! These actors are so wrong for the movie.
ReplyDeleteNow I want to see a movie done the right way!
I’m wondering if the writer and producer even read the books?
ReplyDelete