The Waltons: Homecoming (2021 TV Movie) User Reviews

The Walton's revised

[omgakeem · 5/10 · 29 November 2021]

I guess I am biased by the 1971 version which is classic and a yearly watch. To me the first thing I noticed is how clean and new everything looked, clothing to the furniture to the cars just to clean. The family going to church, not the church they attend but the black church had to be put in to be socially correct, many other things I could mention but will stop there.

I gave a 5 for the effort given CW good try but not there and did not like the end at all. I will stick to the original, a one time watch is all this version gets from me.

A strange watch for a big fan of the original

[pmtelefon · 5/10 · 1 December 2021]

The original "The Homecoming: A Christmas" is not only one of the best Christmas movies ever made it's also one of the best made-for-tv movies ever made. So "The Waltons: Homecoming" had very big shoes to fill. I have seen the original dozens of times. Watching this movie felt strange. Nothing really clicked. It certainly didn't feel like the 1930s. But still, I found "The Waltons: Homecoming" strangely fascinating. I can't wait to see it again.

Tried and failed

[blndentdumb · 4/10 · 4 December 2021]

At this time, we need the Waltons more than ever. I saw the ads and was so excited. I was more than disappointed. They omitted one of the children (Ben), the kids were rude, made comments about how MaryEllen is wanting breasts for Christmas and that is why she is so grumpy, the kids hit each other, Olivia was too tolerant of the "Recipe" and Olivia was loud! If you are going to remake a beloved movie, please keep it as close to the original screenplay as possible. I get things can be different, but this was so far off the mark, I was saddened by it. I understand this was a CW movie, but that doesn't mean they had to pander to that audience.

Wantin' the Waltons

[jrbrowzer · 2/10 · 30 November 2021]

I wanted to like this update, but it was lacking in soul. There was a desperation to the original given the depression, the financial straits the family was in and the fear the father might be... This version was too sunny and you felt nothing of a family living in angst. Someone didn't do their homework in the language - way too contemporary references and the swearing didn't fit. I would have been open to a new holiday tradition, but alas, even the original John Boy couldn't save this half-baked turkey.

Scratching my head..

[brian-2557 · 2/10 · 30 November 2021]

This is not a review. I'm just befuddled... Grandpa Walton goes out to cut down a Christmas tree, with John Boy and Mary Ellen tagging along. On the way they stop at the family cemetery. Did I hear this correctly?? John Boy says he has only been to the cemetery once in his life?? And Mary Ellen has never seen it?? And this was while they were WALKING to get a tree off of their land??

Later, Erin looks into a tiny mirror and quips, "Dahling, I'm ready for my closeup.." '30s era setting quoting from Sunset Boulevard from 1950?

Please tell me, what inspires such oddball screen writing?

Get the Details Right

[joewhalen7 · 3 December 2021]

In 1933 Virginia blacks would have been seated at the back of the bus while whites were at the front. If a black and a white sat down on the same seat, the bus would have stopped and there was a good chance that both would have been put off the bus. While this is no longer the case, trying to act like segregation never happened only gives a false view of that era and leaves young people wondering what all the civil rights fuss was about.

In 1951, as a child of twelve, I know. I sat down beside a black friend on a public bus. It came to a stop and I was told to get where I belonged or get off the bus.

It's always hard to recapture the heart of an original.

[f234589 · 6/10 · 29 November 2021]

It was a nice effort of updating a Christmas, as well television Classic which fell a bit short. The production doesn't convey the desperation of the depression era. Everything and everyone appears too refined and polished. The updates to the story may work for some but it came across as a sanitizing of the era. I wonder why they chose not to have the grandparents live in a multigenerational household. I also wonder why they chose not to use Big Chief Tablets. Was it done so no one was offend? In the end I'll revisit the original The Homecoming this Christmas season.

Two Positives

[thave-31768 · 2/10 · 29 November 2021]

I give this remake one star for playing the Waltons' theme and one star for having Richard Thomas do the narration. Everything else was off for the time and I hated the swearing. Earl Hammer would be disappointed.

Exactly what we need right now

[Loribinoc-16-335478 · 10/10 · 29 November 2021]

To hear the original John Boy narrate this sweet story brought me back to my childhood. This version was just as wonderful as the show was. The end made me cry. I hope they make this into a show. We would watch every week. Excellent cast. Bellamy Young was fantastic. If you get a chance to watch this it will warm your heart.

Not awful, but could have been better.

[fentress · 6/10 · 10 December 2021]

As a fan of the original series, I concur with most fans in that I was not too impressed with this re-make. However, I didn't think it was all bad. In fact, I think there are a few things it did well.

There is one aspect which I think was an improvement over the original series. A few characters didn't have the accent or dialect that would have been appropriate for the time and place. But of the characters who did, it was an improvement over the original show. I who was born and reared in rural central Kentucky, and I have often traveled to the Appalachian area. And I'm not young. The accent in this movie sounded authentically rural to me. As much as I like the original Waltons series, I never really felt that they had gotten the accent quite right.

The very final scene, which I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't seen this yet, was a newly added scene and quite poignant. I also liked the Grandma and Grandpa characters. In the original series, I liked Will Geer but I always thought his portrayal was overacting just a bit. This more reserved Grandpa was refreshing.

Sheriff Ep Bridges in this version was, in contrast to the gentle Ep of the original, a little heavy handed. He was a bit of a jerk, but not a monster. I could believe him as a rural sheriff.

Some reviewers criticized the fact that the house appeared to be pretty big and rather nice for a poor family. They may be forgetting that wood was the primary occupation of the Walton men. They had all the wood they could ever need for free, and they knew how to build.

That being said, I do agree with those who say the whole production looked too clean and neat. In the original series, everything looked a bit worn down and rough. It had more authenticity. This version looked more like a Currier and Ives print.

Some would defend this movie by saying that since the original Homecoming is ingrained in people's minds as such a classic, there's no way a remake could have the same magic. That's probably true. But even allowing for that, this version missed the mark. It did not have much dramatic power.

The Waltons updated for 2021. Very disappointing.

[jinxieb · 3/10 · 8 December 2021]

I remember watching the original Homecoming in 1970s, and the series when it ran and in reruns. This was a modernized, diversified, and sanitized version of the classic movie that I love. I was looking forward to seeing it, and sadly I was disappointed. It didn't have the feel of the original that showed the struggles of a large family during the depression in 1933. A time when money and jobs were hard to find, and most were living hand to mouth.

Everything from the clothing, to the house appeared too perfect, and new. That left me asking, did the production team do any research into what a family and home really look like in 1933 rural Virginia?

The characters were a bit too modern in the way they spoke and actions for 1933. Especially Mary Ellen, who should have been wearing a NOW button. Also, where was Ben???

I did enjoy Richard Thomas' narration.

CAN WE GO "HOME" AGAIN?

[heidi-95382 · 8/10 · 29 November 2021]

When the CW announced recently that the beloved TV series, The Waltons would be receiving a reboot on their network, old people throughout the world rejoiced, and every young person went, "Huh?"

Never mind that. So, after trumpeting the news of this Christmas miracle, I feel obligated to providing my thoughts on the movie special that aired on December 28 on the CW Network - a holiday special featuring a family that dealt with everyday life in the era following the 1929 stock-market crash and the hard times that followed.

Never watch a movie reboot with two sisters who remember every detail of the original adaptation and can't get past the fact that every adaptation comes with new edits and dialogue. I understand their passion for tradition, but we are not the CW Network's desired demographic. While I am sad that Mary Ellen no longer calls Elizabeth a piss ant (seriously, this is the best line in the original, and the mother's reaction is priceless), I can only hope that this reboot brings a new crop of quotes to today's younger generation. As a viewer who visited with the original Walton kids weekly, I have to say I was charmed by the new cast, with familiar faces filling these iconic roles (Hang on while I Google John Boy in Waltons Reboot. Oh yeah, 17-year-old Kevin from This is Us).

My only criticism is the needless Hallmark touch added to a show that attempts to depict life in an era that was darker and dirtier than what is shown in this sterilized version. But I am thankful and appreciate to be revisiting with this family on Walton's Mountain. I can't fathom this wholesome TV series surviving on a network full of shows overflowing with angst and superheroes, but something tells me that's what they said the first time around.

Walton's Homecoming revisited.

[rpahlow-13708 · 7/10 · 29 November 2021]

It's 2021 so perspective is a little different than 1972. The story is still warm and family and that's the point. This should be accepted as the modern retelling that it is. I enjoyed their efforts and the casting was good too. For a new generation of Walton fans this was good.

Why?

[akurschybee · 1/10 · 30 April 2022]

These shows are mostly watched by those of us who watched the Waltons growing up. This is NOT the Waltons. They didn't even try. Remember all the red-heads? They couldn't even find a wig. They need to leave the classics alone. Hollywood - JUST SAY NO (oh, wait, that was the 80's).

I knew The Waltons, this sir, is not The Waltons

[rerunwatcher · 2/10 · 29 November 2021]

I am old enough to have watched The Waltons in original run and many times in reruns. This was an abomination. The mother was too young and pretty for a depression era woman. The house was too nice. The cursing was very out of place especially the kids saying it in front of the mother and grandfather. On top of that the mother did not correct them for cursing (in a religious 1930s family!!!) And this is a minor point, but a good friend of mine is an old car expert and said the car John-Boy drove headlights were too bright. Headlights were not that bright at the time.

Absolute disaster

[wings-24366 · 1/10 · 29 November 2021]

Acting was terrible, clothes looked to new, to much cursing, the part of Elizabeth was way to old for five-year old part. Where was Ben? All the characters were to old for ot didn't fit the part, Nad acting in general, nothing flowed. Grandma wasn't feisty enough. Changed the channel 25 minutes in, when it became unbearable.

Really missed the mark on this one. Terrible!

Clueless

[wsguardian2 · 1 December 2021]

Nothing about this movie felt genuine to 1930s, those are the nicest clothes I've ever seen for a poor family during the depression. I am a fan of the show and never really liked the movie even though I have to watch it every year I would now gladly watch it over this one any day. The acting and dialogue is on par for CW, so not very good. This sorta feels like it was put together by people who were fired from Hallmark and Lifetime channels. I am actually suprised that the people at CW gave the go ahead for a movie that spoke of God and churches, especially nowadays.

It's ok. Better than other stuff on TV.

[bgohan · 7/10 · 12 December 2021]

Austin Powers ruined The original Walton's for me. I can't watch without focusing on John Boys mole. Glad they didn't put use makeup on John Boy for old time's sake in this rendition.

Poor Acting

[markfromhudson · 3/10 · 29 November 2021]

The original, 50 years ago, I watched at least a dozen or more times, over the years. Here is the problem comparing the two. First, the house in this episode looked like a mansion for 1933. The original movie they lived poorer, like the real 1933, and lived in a cabin. Secondly, the original version showed the strain of possibly losing the husband and bread winner, on the face of the wife, Libby. She would be forced to raise them children without much. This new movie did not capture the worry on the face of the wife or children when John Sr was missing. Lastly, the beautiful house was well furnished with nice paintings. Sure didn't remind me of a depression era. The actors did their part without much feelings. They should never have done a remake. Let the original live on.

Touching and genuine.

[dellaqoh · 10/10 · 29 November 2021]

The Waltons homecoming 2021 is the perfect Christmas movie to touch your heart. The casting was beautiful , I love the message Mary Ellen gets across in the way she shows girls can do anything. This will definitely be a movie we watch every year and more than once.

Not quite, needs a few tweets.

[rossfrc · 3/10 · 30 November 2021]

Definitely not as good as the original.

No one spoke with the right accent, too much swearing by the kids, seemed to be more concerned about being politically correct than portraying authenticity of the time and place. Mama and daddy Walton looked or acted too young. Where was Ben?

I liked that God, Christmas and faith was portrayed. I liked the young man who played John Boy. I liked that it is a family show and that it is about a loving family.

I don't think I would watch it if this was a series. I watched and loved The Walton's from the very beginning 50 years ago, the original cast members really are the Walton family as far as I am concerned. I would always compare the two shows, and the new version would come up short. But I do think a new show for a new audience would be wonderful - as long as it stays true to the same values that was so important to the original. I would also hope that it would have the power to touch the hearts of a new audience, like it did for me 50 years ago and still does to this day.

Really puts you in a holiday mood

[christineswartz · 10/10 · 9 December 2021]

I honestly love it! It really brings the joy of Christmas right to your house. I would definitely start watching this every Christmas. I was not disappointed by this film. I love The Waltons and movie was just AMAZING!!!

Some things don't need a remake

[jdorego · 1/10 · 12 December 2021]

Anyone thinking of a series redo with this cast should be "tossed in the hoosegow". Now there's some 1930's speak unlike the modernized speaking in this remake.

Luckily I watched it recorded to skip the hour of commercials. That is likely the real reason for making it.

It was ok

[ikata-49417 · 3/10 · 30 November 2021]

But not great. They missed a lot of details and it lacked the charm of the original. As is typical of shows on this network it was mostly mediocre acting and bad writing.

Should be called "Where's Ben?"

[t-kirby-1 · 3/10 · 5 December 2021]

The Walton's Homecoming Christmas TV film, which aired 50 years ago this month, is my all-time favorite Holiday movie. Patricia Neal plays Olivia, all original SEVEN children are there, and Ellen Corby originates her role as Grandma Walton. It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once thanks to the brilliance of Neal and Richard Thomas as Johnboy. We are taken back to an era when life was tough, but you got through it. This new film doesn't hold a candle to the original. Please just watch the 1971 version and skip this one all together.