Christy - A Change of Seasons Review
I am a long-time fan of the original Christy series starring Kellie Martin in the title role. I wasn't impressed by the follow-up to the series, "Christy: The Return to Cutter Gap", especially with the startling changes in casting - Lauren Lee Smith as Christy had none of the earnestness and wide-eyed sincerity that was embodied by Kellie Martin. But, after that disappointing and lacklustre episode, I decided to give the second episode in the series a try, and was pleasantly surprised by the improved quality in acting.
In "Change of Seasons", a typhoid epidemic threatens the already fragile community of Cutter Gap, and Christy [Lauren Lee Smith] loses a beloved friend. This gives rise to a crisis of faith in Christy - she rails at God and wonders how a benevolent God could take away someone who was so good. In this particular episode, we witness Lauren Lee Smith coming into her acting - she is more convincing in her role here than she was in "Return to Cutter Gap", though by no means on par with Kellie Martin in terms of acting skills. The actor who replaces Randall Batinkoff as minister and preacher David, James Waterston, is also much more credible in his role here and there is genuine chemistry between him and Christy. David here is also much more convincing in his role as the staunch minister who firmly believes in his faith in God and helps Christy overcome her anger and temporary loss of faith.
I am still rather disappointed by Diane Ladd's performance as Ms Alice, and feel that her role will always be overshadowed by the superior acting of Tyne Daly in the original Christy. Dr MacNeill as played by Stewart Finlay-McLennan [the original actor] doesn't get much time in this particular episode but his acting is still as assured as ever in the role of the cynical mountain doctor who still has issues with God.
All in all, I liked this episode and felt it was not only entertaining, but ably handled the crisis of faith issue. I am now looking forward to viewing the last episode 'A New Beginning".
Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 05/20/2003 Run time: 88 minutes
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Customer Reviews
Christy - Eric E. Fendler -
Good, wholesome material. It's also some history of our culture that we don't often hear about.
Great Series - K. Hogan - USA
I loved the series, and this movie helps to end the series. A must see!
Jun 27, 2010 16:45:10
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