'Locket' gets lost in two different stories
The latest installment of the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation is "The Locket," based on Richard Paul Evans' best-selling novel, doesn't live up to Hallmark's usual excellent standards.
The story seems unfocused and lacks emotion, perhaps because there is too much detail in the novel to translate easily to a two-hour movie.
Fortunately, "The Locket" does have Vanessa Redgrave. Academy and Emmy Award winner Redgrave turns in a stunning performance as the elderly Esther Huish. Redgrave disappears behind Esther's hunched shoulders, unsteady gait and shaking hands. She is the star of the film and dominates every scene she is in.
Esther is a lonely woman, who prefers to hide in her room rather than socialize with the other residents in the nursing home. She slowly comes out of her shell when a man named Michael accepts a job as a nurse's aide at the facility.
Michael (Chad Willett) recently lost his mother. He dropped out of college to nurse her and now needs to pay off the many debts that accumulated during her illness. Michael is a quiet and reserved man, who also happens to be a great listener.
"I sense something in Michael," says Esther. "A kind of melancholy."
Not only is Michael grieving for his mother, he is still suffering from the loss of his father. His father was an alcoholic who left the family years ago. Although he still lives nearby, Michael has had no contact with him. The lack of fatherly love haunts Michael and his desire to hate his father slowly tears him apart and affects his decisions about life.
The one good thing in Michael's life is his girlfriend, Faye (Marguerite Moreau). Michael has mixed emotions when Faye announces she will be leaving to attend medical school at UCLA. While he's happy for her, he dreads being apart from her. Faye's father is relieved she will be leaving. He sees this as a perfect time to get her away from the unprosperous Michael.
Esther and Michael develop a special friendship, almost like mother and son. She becomes his confidant and he becomes her bridge to the outside world.
Esther reveals her experience with losing a great love in the hopes that it will help Michael realize he cannot let Faye go. Her story does inspire Michael to try again with Faye. It also inspires him to hunt down the man whom Esther has been dreaming of for 50 years.
Just as the movie settles into a quest for love, "The Locket" suddenly takes a detour and becomes a small crime story. Michael is accused of beating another patient to death and being a drug addict. He is arrested and faces trial for homicide. During the trial, Michael attempts to re-establish ties with his father.
The whole tone of the movie changes with the addition of criminal charges. It's like watching two different stories. "The Locket" tries to reveal secrets of faith, love and loss, but it seems too scattered and too slow to really make a point.
This may be another example of how books do not translate well to television.
"The Locket" airs at 9 p.m. Sunday, CBS
