Civil Love (Video 2012) Poster

(2012 Video)

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5/10
Civil War romance
bkoganbing23 October 2016
Civil Love probably is a bad title for this story about a Union widow and a Confederate prisoner on the run. In those days it might indicate living together without benefit of clergy and in those days people did marry in the church for the most part.

Elise Groves whose husband was killed in the war is doing her level best to keep the family farm running and raising her daughter and son. One day Paul Hunt comes into their lives and he's wounded and running from a pair of bounty hunters who say they are US Marshals.

At first reluctant to take in one of the enemy Hunt does prove useful around the place and the inevitable happens. There's also Marshal Bellows around for a rival and he's both the brother of Groves late husband and the local sheriff. He has some feelings himself for Groves and that kind of interferes with his judgment.

The film was shot on a dental floss budget, but the acting is decent enough from a bunch of players you never heard of. The rural area is suggestive of 19th century America.

We never know exactly where this takes place. Hunt mentions escaping from a northern prison in New York. That would be Elmira which was a Union prison. Conditions there were little better than the infamous Andersonville and Libby Prisons in the South. That fact does kind of ground the film historically so to speak.

Civil Love despite its title is a decent enough film for family viewing.
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5/10
Average romance story - low budget
michellelcalvert6 March 2014
I stumbled across this and the plot seemed interesting enough as a romantic storyline. The basic plot played out fairly well, but there were a number of reminders throughout the movie that this was very low budget. I don't think there was a wardrobe artist, as there were all sorts of outfits that just didn't fit in to the time era. One lawman wore a traditional floppy hat of the era, while his partner wore a hat that looked like a gangster's hat from the 1920's. The daughter in the story wore her hair wild and loose and wore boy's outfits. The daughter's appearance just didn't seem plausible, given the time period and how strict the mom was with the son. The mother in the story acted stiffly and forced and her acting didn't blend well with how the others acted.

I also was pretty surprised to find that this was a civil war movie that dealt with numerous debates about who was right or wrong, but never once mentioned any issues involving slavery? A good part of the movie was spent trying to understand the southern prisoner and the family was trying to decide if he was good and moral, but never once asked about his opinions of slavery. Yes, he knew the bible, but there were plenty of people in the south who knew the bible but were still racist.

Overall, the movie was a typical historic chick flick that could have been based on any number of romance novels.

One more comment - there is very limited IMDb background info on this, and even the credits are incomplete. I guess this was so low budget that no one even took the time to complete the IMDb details? The hero of this story is a mystery man since his name is not in the credits at all. The movie was probably PG and is appropriate for families - nothing to object to. Was this a book to TV movie? Was it Not sure.
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5/10
The Remake?
becaangel26 January 2023
As soon as I started watching this movie,instantly I recognized the plot. This is a christian,PG version of a tv classic movie "The Outsider" 2002.... Without the sex scenes and with two kids instead of one.

I don't agree with other reviews,it was good enough,nothing stellar but good enough for tv.

I agree that the discrepancies un the wardrope was terrible,they shouldve consult some books on the era they were going to recreate. Same with the buildings been so new,unrealistic.

The male lead acting was good and he is handsome. The female lead was good for what it is,not terrible in my opinion.
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4/10
The acting is causing me grief
ringsindiamonds23 October 2018
I can understand the storyline and am 1/2 the way through watching this. But the poor quality acting is making it difficult to get to the end. I don't think I can finish this, as I stare at the pause half way through the film. Yes, it's that bad. I'm sorry - not usually this harsh on a movie. The story is predictable and it would be endurable if not for the lack in quality acting.
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1/10
Watch paint dry, instead. Seriously.
dbh85021 October 2019
Simply everything about this film is terrible. The acting, the directing, the camerawork - even the sets and costumes are terrible. The costumes are bizarrely perfect and clean. The roads are flat. The makeup is clearly modern with a shocking lack of the kinds of dirty hair and faces, rough hands, and dirty fingernails you would expect to see in those people.Even the buildings are astoundingly pristine with fresh-cut wood, perfectly square walls, doorways, etc., fresh paint - with VERY few exceptions. Even the tack and saddle blankets for the horses are nice and new - perfect.

Life was rough at that time/place and almost NOTHING was clean and pristine. I understand not blacking and staining teeth for authenticity. In modern times, that would distract us and look ridiculous. But the perfect and spotless costumes? And EVERYONE having very clean hair in the winter in those days? Do the filmmakers have ANY clue how much work it was to bathe in those conditions? C'mon!

As for the acting, what can I say? It's... it's ghastly. The actors' lines are recited like they are being read by the actors for the second time. Ever. The acting is absolutely terrible and it's painful to watch. I really wanted to like this. I watched it with my 87 y.o. dad, and even HE had these observations. "Don't these filmmakers know the people were dirty, the clothes were worn and stained, and the roads were full of ruts and holes? He's 98 and he observed that. Astounding.

The story was weak, but I'll say this - it was the least terrible thing about this absolutely ghastly film.

The film is awful, awful, awful. Watch that paint dry. Or count the loops in your carpet. Either one would be much more rewarding.
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2/10
Thank you other reviewers!
nidalloyd1 August 2020
I found this by searching for Jeannette Oaks movies. Hallmark did such a good job with the Love Comes Softly series, but you are right this one's a dud. I gave it a good 16 minutes, though. Couldn't take a second more.
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3/10
The cabin had less wood than the acting
zelda-8199431 July 2020
It is possible to make a good film on a shoestring budget. It is not possible to make a good film on a shoestring budget when the actress playing the heroine has less acting ability than one of my cats and the scriptwriter patently has not progressed beyond the 'write about your holiday' stage of the craft.

I think that says it all. Aside from the costume designer needing to complete his/her GCSE in textile design; that would also have helped.

Seriously, it's a terrible film. Avoid.
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10/10
A good wholesome movie.
Ortiz200023 June 2022
A good story and reasonable credible performance. Frankly, I am tired of slow and unnecessary explicit sexuality. This is a movie that you are able to enjoy with your family.
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3/10
Kinda meh, issues with the horses, VERY bad wardobe
sarakmiles-6818420 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The general feeling of the film was that of a high school play. Much of the acting was sub-par, from just about every character, and the storyline was predictable and slow. Most of the costuming looked like it was made by somebody's mom. The casting of Rachel is questionable, as she looked much too young to be the mother of her two children. The scene where Daniel fell into the river was clearly filmed in two different locations, as there were two different logs, and his slip didn't look natural. The "love scene" dialogue, near the end, I had to fast-forward through it, because I was rolling my eyes. A lot of the dialogue in the film was cringeworthy.

Something that really bothered me was the interaction with the horses. For one thing, horses don't generally have bits in their mouths all day. A bridle and a harness are not the same thing. Whoever was in charge of the horses should have known that. Also, the two main characters apparently had no experience with the animals, which either they had no desire or were afraid, or more likely the filming company didn't want to bother with teaching them. They didn't know how to brush them, and almost every riding scene was from a distance and seemed to require a stunt double. Rachel couldn't even stage an actual dismount. The worst was the scene where Rachel and Daniel were both on horseback... it was the most unnatural-looking "riding" I've ever seen. They bobbed up-and-down in an uneven way and it was clear they weren't actually going anywhere. Huge blow to any attempt at realism. It really wouldn't have been difficult just to ride at a walk. Instead they looked like they were on some kind of bizarre teeter-totter. Maybe simple horseback riding lessons for the main actors just weren't in the budget.

I think what irritated me the most was Rachel's wardrobe... absolutely everything she wore was hideous. Ill-fitting, poorly matched, and completely unflattering. She seemed to have several layers of collars around her neck, and several sets of sleeves. It didn't look right at all and really made no sense whatsoever. I'm not sure what look they were going for, but they failed miserably. I can't imagine anyone would actually dress like that.
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2/10
It's is a bad as others say watch cars rust
shermie-6653527 May 2023
I gave this movie a 2 because of the beautiful Utah mountain scenery in the background. The plot is supposed to take place on the east coast during the Civil War. The costumes are done so poorly, it's some college student's version of what someone would wear in the 1860s. The costumes look like left overs from other LDS movies. I had to laugh at the use of the "This is the Place" park for town scenes. The street lights in the background are electrified lanterns sitting on poles.

The lead actress Elise Groves seems to be only a few years older than the girl playing the daughter Abigail. The movie is full of such inconsistencies.

The acting is stiff except for the kids.
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5/10
Could have been better.
jeannieb6224 October 2023
I liked the story idea but the writing needed work, along with wardrobe, settings and the performances. It felt like an early rehearsal and the director was providing instructions. When the daughter walked over to her brother and sat behind him and protectively put her arms around him, I could hear "now go behind your brother and put your arms around him" "like this?" "Okay good". The dishes, cutlery, food and everything else handled by the actors were screaming props. I wasn't brought into that world. Always reminded that it's a stage and lines are bring read. Sorry for this review, just sad that it was like this. I think it had potential and I wanted to like it.
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8/10
Awesome movie
jewelch9 June 2021
This is a very sweet, wholesome movie with a great happy ending. The acting was a little bit robotic, but overall well worth the time to see how everything works out. James Welch Henderson Arkansas 6/5/21.
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