Something of a prequel ahead of the 2014 Hallmark series of the same name - though, other than Lori Laughlin, none of the cast of this 90-minute movie return for the series - When Calls the Heart tells the twin stories of impressionable young Elizabeth Thatcher (played by the lovely Poppy Drayton, which is the main reason I watched this, to be honest) who is sheltered, but when she decides to become a teacher, is assigned to a frontier town. She is given inspiration by the journals of her Auntie Elizabeth (played by Maggie Grace) who has similar experiences and, after some initial confusion as to his situation, develops feelings for RCMP officer Wynn Delaney.
The narrative switches back from one timeline to the next, though most of what happens to Grace's Elizabeth Thatcher is presented as a diary narration by Drayton's Elizabeth Thatcher, who has her own Mountie in tow en route to Coal Valley. That kind of sucked the fun out of the events. The movie ends in a cliffhanger...which by all accounts isn't resolved in the series, where Erin Krakow takes over from Drayton and a new Mountie is introduced, played there by Australia's Daniel Lissing.
Family-friendly, though a little flat and boring at times.
When Calls the Heart
2013
Action / Animation / Comedy / Drama / Family / Romance
When Calls the Heart
2013
Action / Animation / Comedy / Drama / Family / Romance
Plot summary
Elizabeth Thatcher, a cultured young teacher in 1910, fears leaving her comfortable world in the city. But when she accepts a teaching position in a frontier town, she finds new purpose and love with a handsome Royal Canadian Mountie.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
March 21, 2021 at 09:42 AM
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When Calls the Heart
Totally Misses the Mark
First of all, the Janette Oke book series is faith-based. The stories revolve around the characters and their relationship with God. This is sadly lacking in this movie. The characters and romance of Aunt Elizabeth and Wynn are pushed so far into the background, they are barely relevant to the story. So, the acting skill and chops of Maggie Grace and Stephen Amell are not utilized which means their talents are really wasted because they are both fine actors. How good would this movie have been if we had seen more of Elizabeth and Wynn? If we had been allowed to see their relationship develop? Instead, we are left unsatisfied with a giant question mark when it comes to them. Too bad Hallmark doesn't have the backbone to use Janette Oke's stories to their full potential instead of telling watered down, extremely altered stories that barely resemble the source material. I know this movie was created to introduce the television series, but it is badly executed. I really wanted to like this but instead I was just very disappointed.
Too many missed opportunities
This is obviously supposed to be a guilty pleasure kind of movie, so why did they have to take the pleasure out of it??? Yes, there were a lot of nice and funny moments but they seem to have happened by chance because the story (or two-story) pace is absolutely off; there constantly is a build-up to some scene that never happens and we only hear Elisabeth read about it in the journal! I understand it was important to show how a person chooses their path and recognizes what's closest to their heart - okay, we got it the first couple of times. But still - the least you could do is show the actual moments that helped the characters realize this. I don't know about the others, it appears the movie appealed to many and this is great, but for me this kind of movie needs some actual romance (and an actual ball!!!), before using love as a variable in the choice that is supposed to affirm the thematic message.