In this day and age of noisy family/children movies starring flatulent Ogres and whatnot, comes this quiet little family film about love, loyalty, honest, and family. It is a wonderful movie with wonderful performances by all. Not hokie and over the top like many other animal movies. This movie has all the elegance and grace of the best British pastoral movies of our time. Lassie and her boy are from a poor family living in a town in the English country-side. Sarah is from a rich, royal family. The families rarely intermingle and the glaring differences in their surroundings startle and add to the movie. Neither the poor nor the rich are stereotyped, but instead, treated like the multifaceted real people that these kinds of people truly are. Peter O'Toole is nominated this year for an academy award for his role in Venus, but just as well could have been nominated for his excellent portrayal of the Duke in this movie. I cannot say enough about this children's movie that has real emotions and real people instead of CGI characters and little heart. Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good CGI movie (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, etc...), but a children's movie with a heart and soul is hard to find. Go rent it. Make your kids watch it and talk to them about what they learned. If they don't learn anything from this movie, then it may be time to slow them down, ween them off the mindless drivel, and start filling their hearts and souls rather than their merely their funny bones.
