Change of Plans–Family Movie Night (January 8th 2011)

I recently had the opportunity of pre-screening a new family movie night feature titled CHANGE OF PLANS via an online link.   This movie will premiere on FOX on Saturday January 8th 2011 at 7pm CST!

This studio behind this movie works to reach and encourage families to show their support for better family TV.   In this 21st century often you have movie that are not geared toward family time because of the violence,profanity and other such things.   Unfortunately, many parents don’t care about it and would let their kids watch them.  

WHAT IS FAMILY NIGHT MOVIE?

Walmart and P&G have partnered to create the Family Moments initiative to help moms and families better connect with each other. Family Movie Night is a part of that movement to provide meaningful entertainment for the entire family.

During Family Movie Night, you can be confident that the programming on their screens will be fun and action-packed, without the worry of having to dive for the remote to change the channel when inappropriate ads or other content comes on. Soundtracks for the films also feature top producers and artists. The day after airing,a special 2-disc DVD/CD bonus pack will be available for purchase exclusively through Walmart.

By providing this block of time, Walmart and P&G are striving to reconnect families across the country that are bombarded by busy schedules and the lack of programming that's appealing to everyone. Tune in and see what the buzz is about.

CHANGE OF PLANS SYNOPSIS

Up to this point, Sally Danville's life has played out just as she hoped it would. A beautiful and free-spirited musician, she and her fighter-pilot husband, Jason, live life on the go, free of domestic responsibilities. But with a single phone call from Child & Family Services case worker, Dorothy (Phylicia Rashad, The Cosby Show), she learns that things don't always go according to plan. Sally (Brooke White, American Idol) is met with the news that her best friend from college has died in a tragic accident on a Peace Corps mission and has named Sally the legal guardian of her four kids - 3 of them adopted from third-world countries. Now Sally and Jason (Joe Flanigan, Stargate Atlantis) must quickly learn to parent this instant family and help the kids deal with the culture clash of life in America. The story is both humorous and heartwarming, revealing how fulfilling life can be when you look beyond your own and invest in the lives of others.

MY THOUGHTS

First I must tell my readers that I had to watch this movie via an online connection and unfortunately I had some issues with it.   We have realized the past few months that whenever more people are on the internet in our area, somehow it slows down our connection.    After trying numerous times on our PVR without success (the image would froze within seconds but the sounds was perfect…) I decided to try it on my laptop and it was working. 

I decided to watch Change of Plans on early morning during the Christmas holidays.   This movie is a good family movie and will bring you the reality of adopting children who have lost their parents.

Problem is the couple approached to adopt these children have plans of their own with career and travel.   But they agreed to take them for a period of time.    While caring for these children, they realize that they want to care for them permanently.   Various events and situations will stretch their new parenting skills.

I’ve found that there was a few awkward moments in the movie.   When Sally and Jason first meet the kids, it doesn’t seem natural to me.    But I guess in a similar situation, I don’t know how I would react either.    Another thing that bugs me if that the older sister would talk to her siblings in the language of Uganda to tell them to behave when they arrive in the house.    Fortunately, translation is provided on the screen but I can just sense how Sally and Jason might feel when this happens.

There are also touching moments in the movie.   These moments brought tears in my eyes as I watched them.  My favourite ones would be the scene when Sally is putting the youngest child to bed and tell her a story of her mom before bedtime.    They other moments that touched me more were when Jordan, the older sister, would remember her parents and what she would do with them.

I was stunned by the different happening between the integration of the kids in the primary school versus the high school.   I should have known that it would be different but still seeing it on screen was an eye opener.  

Jordan feels responsible for her younger siblings and she is a strong young lady.   She even stands up ask to say grace at the table which is fantastic.   But she also has a tendency to want to keep control on how the kids should behave.   At one point Sally stood up and took the control.   Sally has doubts about her skills of being a parent but throughout the movie she demonstrates over and over again that she does have the parenting gene as she calls it.   

The movie will also demonstrate how to deal with responsibility and opportunities.    Sometimes when opportunities knock at your door, you have to consider what is good for the family.   And Sally and Jason will be faced with such decisions.  

In the end, the family goes through another event which could devastate them or unite them.  

I enjoyed seeing Change of Plans and I would not hesitate to let my own kids ages 3, 5, 6 3/4 and 9 1/2 watch it if we had cable.  I hope that one day this movie will come out on DVD so that they can watch a good family movie.

Visit Family Movie Night website for more information of the movies released for a special night with your family or go on their Facebook page.

If you want to see more of the movie before the release of the movie, check out the following trailer.

Mark down the date (January 8th) on your 2011 calendar and prepare some popcorn.   It is a very touching movie and it is good for the whole family!  

Disclaimer: Thanks to Propeller for granting me access to the online pre-view of the movie for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way.  All opinions expressed here are only my own.