Lovesusti
The Worst Film Ever
Afouotos
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Siflutter
It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
Anoushka Slater
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
Nocgirl72
I just watched this movie and had a hard time keeping a dry eye. The sad truth is there are cases similar to this going on in family court everyday..maybe not as extreme as this one (most kids are less than 6 years old) but fights between bio parents, foster parents and adoptive parents go on every day. This is an adoptive parents nightmare. I thought the performances by all were solid and very believable. The kid that played Joey is so cute and a good little actor. I really do not understand how people can bash this movie. They must not be adults, or parents for that matter. The subject matter is very surreal and let me tell you, I would have done the EXACT same thing as the adoptive parents did in this movie.
drpakmanrains
I never heard of this film until it came to my attention on Netflix and I watched it. It was an amazingly well balanced film, similar to some stories that were in the news a few years back, where an adopted child is sought by his biological parents years after an adoption was assumed permanent, due to the father not having given legal consent. Reading the credits, I learned it was based on a novel by Karen Kingsbury, and after reading the other reviews here, learned it was released by a Christian company, which I was totally unaware of while watching the film. I am an agnostic, and lean toward atheism, but have loved some Christian films, like Treasures of the Snow, Fireproof, and To Save A Life. And while this barely touched on Faith, (Thankfully in my non-religious opinion), those who decried the changes from the book, (which I haven't read, nor probably never will), struck me as not liking the film for the very reasons that made it so good. That is, not portraying the parties in obvious colors, not making the biological parents totally unfit, at least at first, after Pepper's release from prison, and not portraying the adoptive parents as beyond fault, which raised this above the typical lifetime movie, in my opinion. In fact, when Barry Pepper reverts to some of his abusive behaviors late in the film, I was a little disappointed, because I didn't want the film to take the easy way out. And in some real cases in Ohio, the children were returned to the biological parents, which I think is very unfortunate when the child has lived happily for many years with the couple he or she knows as Mom and Dad. I wanted a happy ending, which I got, but I didn't want it to look so one-sided that the deck looked stacked. And as a non-believer, if a lot of Faith preaching is added, for me, it only detracts from the drama, and risks becoming corny and trite. If the film were a little livelier or faster paced, I would have given it a 10, but if it were like those who described the book as being, I would have given it a 5 at best.
Nat Williams
After watching this powerful movie, I asked aloud why it wasn't nominated for any awards. It was only after I checked further that I discovered why: It is the product of a Christian movie production company and had limited distribution. The fact that I didn't know that, in itself, is a testament to the greatness of this movie. I'm a grown man who is usually not very emotional, but this movie had my tear ducts working overtime. I can't say enough about the cast, the script, the direction, the music and everything else. The story, about two sets of parents on the opposite ends of society, successfully avoids clichés and provides a realistic and painfully emotional story. This is a tour de force that came in completely under the radar. I highly recommend it.
Lynn Sunflower
When I heard that they were making "Like Dandelion Dust" into a film, I was excited. But then I watched the film, and was sorely disappointed and mad. Why do movie producers/screenwriters think they have to change a book in order to make it into a film? If fans love the book, then why mess with success? The film is nothing like the book. If you like the book, save yourself the sorrow and skip this film.The movie gives humanity to Rip's character, a humanity that is not found in the book. Instead of making Rip out to be the jerk that he is in the book, you actually feel sorry for him here. I realize that people can change, but that's not what Karen Kingsbury intended to write about.Jack and Molly's characters are nowhere near as good as those Kingsbury wrote about. They aren't portrayed as the loving couple she makes them out to be. The complete second half of the film is all screenwriters' ideas, with only a few nods to Kingsbury. All the Christianity, faith, and prayer from the book have been scrapped. The book had such potential and would have made a great movie, if it hadn't been rewritten. I understand that due to time constraints some changes had to be made to the original book, but they didn't make some changes, they changed the whole film. If you're thinking about renting the movie, save yourself the money, and go to the library. The book is amazing and you won't regret reading it!