"Field of Vision" is the 6th in the Family Movie Night films initiative, sponsored by P & G and Walmart.
Lucy, a young book-o-phile, is given a magical "old" videocamera that shows her the future (and makes ME feel old. Another scene to make me feel ancient: a dusty "old" 1992 high school yearbook). Lucy's brother, Tyler, is a star quarterback at the local high school, and also a righteous dude who sticks up for Corey, a newcomer, book-o-phile, football player and foster system teen. (We don't see this too often: the experience of the foster teen!)
Bullying is the theme of "Field." Tyler's teammates won't leave Corey alone, and Tyler must choose whether or not to rectify the situation at a crucial time in football season. Faith Ford plays Lucy and Tyler's Mom, and she also happens to be the high school principal.
"Field" plays out like a Hallmark special, and follows a similar pattern as "Truth Be Told," http://hellburns.blogspot.com/2011/04/tv-truth-be-told.html another Family Movie from P & G/Walmart.
Families are loving and reasonable, the dialogue sometimes obvious and pedestrian, the pace: very slow. If the cuts had been quicker, the banter sharper, and the humor multiplied, "Field" could have been more of a touchdown!
I'm not sure teens would buy some of the words/actions of the teens in "Field," but younger kids would learn lessons of how to be/not be a teen!
The bonding and fraternizing of Lucy and Corey over their love of books is a bit of a stretch as well. But all in all, it's good to have wholesome stories the whole family can watch together without trepidation.
Hey Sr. Helena! I watched the film today - I'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue of product placement in films. It seems to be becoming very prevalent these days and it really stood out to me in this film. Not to say I didn't enjoy the film, but at one point I had a "Truman Show" moment watching this!
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa! Might you be talking about a can of "MIST" that "doesn't have caffeine" so it's OK for teens to drink? And little sis sez: "You sound like a commercial?" Uh-huh. Were there other products?
ReplyDeleteI mean, these movies need $ to get made, BUT if the initiative of Family Movies is FROM the business side (the tradeoff being giving families what they want: good values)--of two of the largest companies in the world: P & G / Walmart, hmmmmm.
We must remember that TV has always been about selling soap, from its inception. "Brought to you BUY..." The audience is the product being sold to the advertisers (eyeballs), but can there be good stories/art/entertainment/inspiration in the mix? Yes. But kids (and adults) need Media Literacy training to know how media works....
Nailed it - that line was just too much - and then the product showed up again atop the scoreboard at the football game. I understand the need for financing absolutely, but that particular line went a bit too far for me for some reason. Thanks for sharing your review and your perspective!
ReplyDeleteWhere can I purchase a DVD copy of Field of Vision? I enjoyed it very much!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: I don't know--try Googling it! :]
ReplyDeleteYou can purchase it at Walmart
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