On the 4th of July, the Hallmark Channel showed a series of movies that I had been wanting to watch, so I recorded them. They were about a frontier family surviving in the 1880’s and beyond. I’m pretty sure they’re based on books, and they all had the word Love in the title. Anyway, that’s not important.
I had been watching a movie here and there when I’ve had time. Last night I finished the series with the movie “Love finds a Home.” This movie made me, as someone who struggled with IF for two years, SOOOOOOOO INCREDIBLY ANGRY! I mean, I guess it was what I should have expected, but I was really hoping it would be handled differently.
The movie is set in a small town in Missouri. A woman (Belinda) is the town’s doctor, and her very pregnant friend (Annie), also a doctor, comes to visit during the last stages of her pregnancy. Belinda is very excited to see her friend, but is conflicted at the same time. Belinda and her husband have been trying for an unspecified amount of time to get pregnant, and haven’t had any luck.
The actress who played Belinda did a really good job in portraying the conflicting feelings that often accompanies IF. The movie did a really good job in handling the issue. There is even a scene where Belinda is telling Annie how hard it is for her to be around people who are pregnant, and how she almost resents a lot of people she knows who have lots of kids and have never really tried. I could really identify with this part of the story.
Later on in the movie, Annie is having complications, and Belinda thinks that it would be best for Annie to stay until after the baby is born. They telegraph Annie’s husband and mother in law to tell them of the recent events, and Annie’s Mother in Law (played by the always fabulous Patty Duke), who is a midwife, decides that she needs to be there. The Doctor (Belinda) and the midwife don’t see eye to eye… blah, blah, blah plot stuff.
Eventually, the mother in law ( I really can’t remember the character’s name) finds out that Belinda is barren. Because she’s a midwife, and knows this stuff, she gives Belinda some unsolicited advice. Can you guess what it was? I bet you can…..
The advice: Relax. Read a book before bed. This is the magical cure for infertility.
At this point, I screamed at the television.
Belinda, being the doctor, thought it was a bunch of crap. (YAY BELINDA) More plot stuff happened, and Belinda and the mother in law ended up learning from each other, in true Hallmark Movie fashion. At the end of the movie, guess what happened? (I bet you can guess this one, too.) That’s right, kids! Belinda decides that she’ll start reading a book before bed. And THEN guess what?! The movie ended with her getting pregnant. Surprise!
Look, if you know me in real life, you know that I am a sucker for cheesy movies with happy endings. I usually cry. This one, though, even though it was really good in parts, made me want to throw my TV through a wall.
Did anyone else in Bloggy Land see this movie? What did you think? Is there a movie or book you have read that gave you a reaction similar to mine?
13 comments:
I have not seen that movie and at first, reading your description, I wanted to watch it but now that I know it ends with her "relaxing" and getting pregnant... nope, I won't be watching that one! Ugh - that annoyed me just reading about it!
The comedy "Baby Mama" (I think that's what it's called...) is kind of the same deal. The movie was funny but the end annoyed me.
Oh wow...how disappointing! But I do love Hallmark movies :)
I did not watch the movie. A while ago they had another movie called "Waiting for a Miracle". My mum told me to watch it and again- they got pregnant by taking a vacation and relaxing. I was so irritated. I bit my tongue when my mum asked what I thought about it. Come on Hallmark Channel. I love you but make a REAL movie about IF. I will even write the script!
Stopping by for an ICLW visit...
No. 95: The Unfair Struggle (male-factor infertility, good friends, neighborhood rumblings)
Boy am I glad I didn't see that movie. I truly might have thrown something at the TV and I can't afford to replace my tv right now.
~ICLW
Hmmm, don't you wish life was all a Hallmark movie?
Yeah right.
Seriously, reading a book before bed can get you knocked up? I haven't even started trying to have kids but am scared to death of IF because of other health issues I have. I would have screamed at the TV too.
Did not see it (and probably better I didn't -hmmm I read all the time - didn't work for us back when...)
Glad I ignore Hallmark's existence.
I think what I've learned about IF is that not everyone gets the happy ending they want and that movie would piss me off although your recount is most fabulous
This makes me SO ANGRY. Most of all because I loved these books as a child, and Hallmark (or whoever made the movies) totally changed them. (The movies are based - very loosely - on the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke.) I didn't see this one, and I am so glad. I probably would have broken the tv.
Guess maybe I should dust off the series and start reading them before bed, so I can get pregnant like Belinda did? Arrrgh. I hate movies like this.
(end of rant, sorry!!)
Didn't see that one, happily. I don't normally watch those kinds of movies, but I saw one TV movie (based on a Danielle Steel book, of course), Mixed Blessings, that tried to depict IF in a balanced way but didn't quite succeed. Three couples dealing with IVF, adoption, surrogacy, etc., should have been better, but wasn't. It did involve Scott Baio as a likable family man, though, which was a hoot.
Happy ICLW!
I was actually kind of excited as I started reading your post, because I read the books years and years ago and loved them. I know now to avoid the movies for more than just the hollywood version of the books... why can't they ever get IF right?
So what about people like me whov'e been reading a book before bed for the past three years?
The "relax it will happen" mentality makes me angry and I've even heard doctors espouse it. I've gotten pregnant twice while under the usual IF stress. I lost both, but likely the third go around I'll be stressed then too. Sure I try to work on that sterss and I try to relax, but I dont think relaxation will give me a child.
I know I'm responding late, but I totally agree with this! Hollywood is in love with happy endings, and so am I, but only when they are based in reality. I had a really hard time with the movie Taken which came out not too long ago. It portrayed a girl who was kidnapped and sold into the sex trade but her daddy saved her before she was auctioned off as a concubine. After this crazy ordeal the girl goes on to leave a perfectly normal and happy life. Come on we are not simple creatures, the sex trade is dangerous and damaging and I just hate that Hollywood tries to lessen it's blow.
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