Truly moving and beautifully acted

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2017)

A truly enjoyable and extremely moving film that I would definitely watch again.
From start to finish I was hooked, every character was wonderfully portrayed, the script was excellent and it could be one of the most heart-warming films I have ever seen.
Sandra Bullock displays a wonderful performance, starring as a wealthy 'redneck' type, who befriends a mysterious teenager from a troubled background and invites him into her family home. Along side her family she tries to 'unpeel the onion' and discover 'Big Mikes' roots and the reason for his behaviour.
The entire cast are wonderful, even the kids are amazing actors and really brought the characters to life. So much so that you feel almost as if you are a member of that very family.
Several times throughout this film I was brought to tears, "Big Mike" is one of the most tragic yet lovable characters I have ever seen in a film and seeing him bonding with a mother figure for the first time was captured in a very beautiful way. Kudos to the filmmakers for making something so truly special.
Their were a couple of scenes that went on for a little too long, but I think without them it wouldn't have portrayed the emotions of the scenes correctly. Everything happened for a reason, which many filmmakers forget these days!
I've read some reviews on here that accuse this movie of being racist, but look at what I wrote above, doesn't that sound beautiful to you? Race is not relevant in such a moving tale. (Plus in the end she ditches her racist friends...) Other reviews stated this was just a made-for-TV movie that made it to cinema. Well if that's the case TV-movies are my favourite thing!