Love's Abiding Joy

I got to go to a pre-release screening of "Love's Abiding Joy." I've read all of the books in the series and I have seen the other three movies, so I was excited when I was invited to go see it.

The story was really, really different from the book. I was expecting it to follow the book, but that was disappointing. There were a bunch of stories intermixed about Missy, Willy and their adopted son Jeff.

The acting was pretty good. Personally I liked January Jones better as Missy than the girl that plays her in this one and in Love's Long Journey. I was really glad that Logan Bartholomew returned as Willy- I know that a lot of people were worried that he wouldn't come back.

The music was a little better. A lot of the same themes as the other three movies, but there was a new theme that I liked a lot.

I hope that the next four movies (if they make them) follow the story better than this one did.

Overall this was okay. I did get kind of bored, and it was really sad.

I'm concerned that the morality of the film series is gradually slipping away. In Love Comes Softly, the wedding ring was frequently displayed, and there was an incredible sweetness to the presentation of sound values. In this movie, when the evil Doros takes a neighbor for everything he has, the victim replies that he used to be a good preacher, but he isn't anymore. As in, he's gonna deal with Doros violently if necessary. And there's the overwhelming sense that we're supposed to cheer at that. We're supposed to cheer that he's not the good preacher. And that he plans on using violence to solve his problems. Moreoever, the young unmarried couple (Sonny's younger brother and Doros's daughter) take off into the darkness together. That kind of thing wasn't in the first movie. The low-cut dresses on her. This movie uses the fact that the father was evil to encourage us to cheer when his daughter defies him and tells her young forbidden lover that she's been driving her father nuts since she was old enough to tell him what dress she wanted to wear. And it's the *evil* father that wants to send his daughter to a Christian boarding school. The context of his character is supposed to make us ashamed for thinking that's wise. So here, Christian values are couched in an incredibly evil man, and so by association we're against the conservative side of him and we're supposed to think it's okay when she wears low-cut dresses and takes off into the night with the neighbor boy. And of course, there's never any implication that we're supposed to be concerned about any of this. I hope this isn't another subtle, gradual departure from values by throwing us a moral bone in the first movie, and then after gaining our trust, leading us where Hollywood wants the Christian community to go. Unless there's a serious return to Christian values in the next movie, I'm done.

:Spoilers:

I was very disappointed in Love's Abiding Joy. I had been waiting a really long time to see it and I finally got the chance when it re-aired Thursday night on Hallmark. I love the first three "Love" movies but this one was nothing like I thought it was going to be. The whole movie was sad and depressing, there were way to many goofs, and the editing was very poor - to many scenes out of context. I also think the death of baby Kathy happened way to soon and Clarks appearance in the movie just didn't seem to fit. It seemed like none of the actors really wanted to be there - they were all lacking emotion. There seemed to be no interaction between Missie and Willie at all.

I think the script writers should have went more by the book. It seems like every movie that's been made so far just slips further and further away from Janette Oke's writings. I mean in the movie they never mentioned a thing about the mine and the two boys or Clark getting hurt because of it. And I think Missie and Willies reactions to Kathy's death could have been shown and heard rather than just heard.

Out of the four movies that have been made so far I'd have to say that Love's Abiding Joy is my least favorite. I hope with the next four movies that more of the book is followed and if Clarks character is in them I hope he's got a bigger part and I hope his part isn't so bland. I also hope there is more of Scottie and Cookie and maybe even Marty but who knows what the script writers will have in store next.

This movie didn't have much in common with the story in the book. That does it make it less of a touching story, but it doesn't seem right to keep the same title.

The Christian message was a little less intense in this one. There was a great message of charity to others.

The conflict was a little contrived especially at the end.

I have read all of the Love Come Softly books. Knowing full well that movies can not use all aspects of the book,but generally they at least have the main point of the book. I was highly disappointed in this movie. The only thing that they have in this movie that is in the book is that Missy's father comes to visit,(although in the book both parents come). That is all. The story line was so twisted and far fetch and yes, sad, from the book, that I just couldn't enjoy it. Even if I didn't read the book it was too sad. I do know that Pioneer life was rough,but the whole movie was a downer. The rating is for having the same family orientation of the film that makes them great.