I was so pulling for this to be a good movie. The concept of a young girl coming to grips with such an unimaginable revelation is compelling and intriguing. Handled correctly, it could be a beautiful, multi-dimensional story that could override any pre-conceived political or morals leanings. There are some genuinely touching moments sprinkled throughout the movie, but, unfortunately, it’s really poorly executed. Which is a shame.
The acting’s not bad, the production quality isn’t either, but the screenplay is a mess. First of all, the reason Hannah finds out about her birth is because she collapses during a school play, and her doctor and parents (John Schneider and Shari Rigby) finally decide to explain the reason for the litany of health issues that have plagued her all her life: she was severely premature.
This seems like basic information they could have shared with her long ago, but okay, proceed. While sitting rigidly apart from their daughter in a sterile doctor’s office, her parents also blurt out that she was adopted. And, oh yeah – your birth mother tried to abort you. Call me crazy, but this seemed totally unnecessary and cruel from a parental point of view. The adoption part probably should have been broken to her in the comfort of their home, in a tender and loving way. And the abortion part probably could’ve been left out. Oh my gosh, what possible reason could you have for telling your child this? I’ll tell you why, because the screenwriters were too lazy to come up with a more creative way for her to find out.
Another odd little element in this scene occurred when the doctor was leading up to the big revelation. He tells her that this terrible truth is the common denominator for all her illnesses and the emotional distress that led her to write about self-hatred and borderline suicidal thoughts in her journal.
Wait, what? Were they saying she suffered emotional scars from the failed abortion? I chose natural childbirth, which wound up leading to a very traumatic labor and delivery for my son – are they saying the circumstances of a child’s birth could damage them psychologically for life? Good grief, I’d like to see the research on this. Actually, no I wouldn’t. But thanks for planting that troubling concept in my head, and for distracting me from the central message of the movie.
As Hannah sets off on her journey to find her birth mother, there are some glaringly silly distractions along the way. Like when, on two occasions, they get into serious trouble with the law, but are let completely off the hook by police officers who melt like butter when Hannah blurts out her story. A little too convenient and unlikely. I mean, points for setting out stumbling blocks for our protagonist to overcome, but deductions for the lame resolutions, or lack thereof. Oh, and did I mention that the same girl who was in constant contact with her inhaler for the first ten minutes of the film, and who was just released from an overnight stay in the hospital, is miraculously healthy and strong throughout the rather grueling trip?
Like I said, there were some genuinely touching moments in the movie, and it had some real potential. Hendrix did a good job of conveying Hannah’s agony. At times, I sort of bought the father-daughter connection (which is more than I can say for mother-daughter one). The relationship between Hannah and Jason is quite sweet, and Jasmine Guy certainly turns in a strong performance in her brief but pivotal role. But, overall, it felt like a sloppy after school special. It wasn’t overly preachy or political, but it didn’t feel authentic -- like the writers took too many shortcuts.
I’m all for a movie with a positive message, but how about take the time to finesse a plausible and well-structured screenplay to support that message? It will probably play well to a limited audience (mainly teen girls, and maybe some parents), but I think they wasted the opportunity to appeal to a wider audience. Which is a shame.
October Baby opens at AMC Elmwood Palace in Harahan on Friday, March 23.
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