The Hired Heart

Penelope Ann Miller is excellent in the part of a small town country doctor. I just loved the storyline and also the guy who fell in love with her. They were so well matched. I particularly liked this movie because it did not contain violence. It was about love between two people and also the funny parts of their relationship. The movie held my interest to the very end. I don't want to say much more because I may give the story away, especially the ending, which I found very touching and heart warming. I cannot say enough about Penelope Ann Miller whom I consider a superb actress. She was absolutely delightful to watch in this movie which I thought was made just for her.

I think Brett Cullen has so much going for him. He should be in more leading man roles. He was also great in Something Borrowed Something Blue. He has played in many great films, but I wish he had bigger parts. He could carry the lead with no problem. Romantic comedies are my favorite and he is so good at them.

You should have seen this script before the director messed it up. It was originally under option at 20th Century Fox for a feature film. The director had no sense of humor and was completely oblivious to small town western life and it still turned out pretty good. Grahm Green's part as "Keith" was hysterical and much larger in the script. Most of his part got edited out by the director and that was after he agreed to do the part for much less money than he usually gets. If David Lestor, the original producer scheduled would have filmed the work, it would have been 1997's "Sleepless in Seattle". As it was, it did the best numbers Lifetime had seen for an original movie to that point. It could have been so much more with another director!

Relationships as depicted in cinema are so "perfect". Well, reality is different, very different. The plot of this movie forces us to stretch our imagination. But stretch it we do, as we watch the characters "bang up" against each other. The unlikely relationship strokes our curiosity and keeps us tuned in. This is not a classic. But it is a very enjoyable low budget Romance-Comedy that is very typical of LMN. I have seen it three times and still enjoy it. That it telling.

You can find lots of play-by-play reviews of this made-for-tv movie. You don't need another. Basically, this is a sweet Hallmark Channel style movie. Albeit, an after-hours/late-night, adult Hallmark movie. Still, it is a nice, sweet, hero-tale which shouldn't make the teeth ache. And has a few good smile causing scenes.