Love Takes Wing (2009) starring Sarah Jones, Haylie Duff, Jordan Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Patrick Duffy, Erin Cottrell, Annalise Basso directed by Lou Diamond Phillips Movie Review

Love Takes Wing (2009)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Sarah Jones as Belinda in Love Takes Wing (2009)

Angels With Wings

I've come to accept something about the "Love Comes Softly" movie series, technically they are not good movies but that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that the storylines are sometimes cliches, that the religious elements are occasionally a little too forced and the acting can seem so wrong for the characters. And why it doesn't matter is because these movies are all about innocent charm giving you wholesome simple entertainment for those who enjoyed the innocent charms of "Little House on the Prairie" and "The Waltons".

That brings me to "Love Takes Wing" the 7th movie in this series which just seems to keep on going and going. Now as it comes to the story we have the continuation of the series which means we pick up the story a year after Drew died and Belinda is heading to Sikestown (Sarah Jones) for a new start as a doctor. This continuation also means that we have Belinda meeting certain people such as the kind blacksmith Lee Owen (Jordan Bridges) who takes a shine to her as well as Lillian (Annalise Basso) an orphan who grows fond on Belinda and she of her.

Jordan Bridges as Lee Owens in Love Takes Wing (2009)

But we also get the main story which is where "Love Takes Wing" is a bit unoriginal because we have town which is sick and those who want to see Sikestown prosper blame the local orphanage where most of the sickness is. That means we have Belinda, with a bit of help from her friend Annie (Haylie Duff - A Nanny's Secret), discovering that the illness is Cholera, trying to find a way to cure it whilst also dealing with the anger of certain residents who want to boot the orphans out in the daft idea it would save the town. All of which is predictable and you can work out how this story will unfold right through to the actual cause of the Cholera long before we get there. But it works, it's simple to follow and with Belinda having lost her faith when Drew died we have her rediscovering it although the various religious references are so unsubtle this time that it is a bit painful.

But unsubtle is a word which can be used a lot when it comes to "Love Takes Wing" because moments of anger by the residents are over emphasized as is the Mayor's ignorance when it comes to the town's water supplies. It leads to the next issue because some of the acting is simply wrong in fact some of the characters feel just wrong especially when it comes to Patrick Duffy as the town mayor who seems like he wouldn't be able to manage a small shop let alone a town.

The daft thing is that as a movie "Love Takes Wing" just doesn't work yet it is entertaining for the simple reason that it is wholesome. People are nice, bad guys get their comeuppance, their is no swearing and people live happily ever after and it is a nice change to gritty realism. Yes you have the fact that people die and some people are just okay with it but when a movie ends up making you feel good you don't mind.

What this all boils down to is that "Love Takes Wing" doesn't have the greatest of storylines or the best acting or even believable characters. But what it does have is innocent, simple charm and it is that, the wholesomeness which makes it entertaining and another fine movie in this on going series of "Love Comes Softly" movies.


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