Fantastic!

An action-packed slog

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Perhaps this sequel to Sarah, Plain and Tall does not have the inherent drama of the original. But it is still wonderful, well-done family entertainment.One of my favorite things about this movie is how it lingers on moments. For example, when Sarah receives a birthday gift of a Victrola and hears music again for the first time in years, the camera lingers on not only her face but those of Jacob and her friends and neighbors. Then slowly she melts as we see her remembering how much she loved and missed music. As the Italian aria continues to play, her husband takes her by the hand and they dance together. It is a small moment but one to treasure along with Sarah and her family.Another example is when Jacob first arrives in Maine and sees the ocean for the first time. His eyes register wonder and awe that makes us realize how similar the ocean is to the prairie that he loves (a theme that runs throughout the film).The script is good. The dialogue is believable and generally not trite or predictable. When the drought is starting to get really bad, Sarah tells Jacob she is not leaving. She doesn't want him to worry; she repeats the phrase over and over, and finally getting through, Jacob grabs her hand, they circle one another and laugh and kiss. His daughter watches form the window. It's another precious, original moment in the script.I also have to mention that I love Glenn Close and Chris Walken in this film. Both are extremely well-cast. Glenn glows, and Walken is sweet and dashingly handsome, especially when he dons "town clothes" to travel to Maine.Overall, a wonderful family film. I also remember how my father, who was born in the decade portrayed by the Sarah, Plain and Tall films, loved them, perhaps because he remembered how hard life could be in earlier times. A great series of films. I recommend all three.

The original film, which I call "Sarah Big & Ugly" wasn't bad, even though I wanted to clout the two whiny little rug rats in it about every ten minutes. This one, however, like most sequels, was dreck.Five second recap: Sarah and Jacob are watching the weather in Kansas get drier and drier while all their neighbors pack up and leave the prairie because their wells have dried up. The barn burns down and Sarah has an unintentionally hilarious Prozac-on-the-prairie moment when Jacob tries to shoot a coyote that's drinking from their scarce water supply. Probably thinking "I've got to get this crazy b**** out of my hair!" Jacob sends Sarah and the two whiny rug rats to stay with her relatives in Maine.Did I mention these relatives? Man, were they weird. I could see where Sarah got it from, and also why they must have been so anxious to pack her skinny ass off to Kansas the first chance they got.Through her patented Weird Old Lady telepathy abilities, Aunt Lou (who must be some sort of prehistoric bulldyke in her overalls, working at the veterinary clinic to boot) declares that Sarah's got a bun in the oven. Then Jacob shows up in a sissy city-boy ensemble to pack her and the kids home since, in fact, it has actually rained back in Kansas thanks to his skillful deployment of sitting on the porch listening to Sarah's victrola and looking mournful. And he's absolutely THRILLED to learn that the wife is knocked up. Gee, I can hardly wait for installment 3. Not.

A Short Synopsis: Jacob and Sarah Whitting (Christopher Walken and Glenn Close) and their children are struggling through a drought on their farm in Kansas in 1912. Their friends are all giving up on the land and packing up their families. The Whittings struggle to save the home they love, though Sarah doesn't believe she truly loves it. Throughout this hard time, Sarah selfishly wishes to have a child. A series of fires destroy crops and property, and as their water supply runs down, Jacob sends Sarah and the children, Caleb and Anna, to visit Sarah's relatives in Maine. After the long train ride, Sarah is reunited with old friends and relatives. Aunt Lou recognizes that Sarah is expecting, though she hasn't told anyone, and the children enjoy their first view of the sea that Sarah had so vividly described. Time passes, and both Jacob and Sarah suffer in their separation, longing for each other. Finally, the drought ends and Jacob comes to Maine. Sarah finally tells Jacob that they will soon be parents, and upon returning to Kansas, Sarah realizes her love of the land.A Short Commentary: The first shot is of the dog, and the dog is really the only character who has not been drastically and horribly changed between the first and second movies. The writing was clichéd and the plot especially was childishly conceived and lacked complexity and sophistication. Both Christopher Walken and Glenn Close were one-dimensional, which is to be expected from Christopher and was very effective for his character in the first movie, but Glenn was equally unrealistic and unemotional. Considering that she was able to play a convincingly real Cruella DeVil, this must be chalked up to truly bad direction. Cinematographically, the film was quite poorly made: Scenes were repeatedly begun with a badly focused tracking shot, and the camera angles were less imaginative and more juvenile than the worst amateur filmmakers. The lighting, especially in the fire scenes, was atrocious. In short, it is quite bad.

I thought Skylark was a nice follow up to the great movie, Sarah Plain and Tall. I enjoyed "meeting" Sarah's brother, sister-in-law, and especially the three aunts. The strong love between Jacob and Sarah was very heartwarming, and it was like reading the next chapter in a beloved book.