Themes: Down on Their Luck, Single Parents, Death of a Partner
Main Cast: Kathy Bates, Edward Furlong, Tony Campisi, Clarissa Lassig
Release Year: 1993
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Oscar-winner Kathy Bates stars in this tearjerker about a strong-willed widow determined to make it on her own. Bates is Frances Lacey, mother of six, left alone to provide for the family after her husband dies. Hoping to steer the kids away from the hazards on the streets of Los Angeles, she packs the brood up in the family car and heads out to find a new place to plant some roots. When Frances spots the unfinished frame of a house owned by a lonely Japanese man (Soon Tek-Oh), she cuts a deal with him to get the house in exchange for chores done by the family. Despite the trappings of poverty and the miseries that accompany financial uncertainty, Frances refuses to allow herself or her children to wallow in self-pity and instead forges ahead teaching them valuable life lessons. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
Sarah Schaub - Faye Lacey; Miles Feulner - Murray Lacey; Amy Sakasitz - Annie Lacey; T.J. Lowther - Craig Lacey; Frank Gerrish - Mr. Whitman; Dave Jensen - Mr. Hilliard; Frank Kanig - Cop #1; John Rixey Moore - Cop #2; Soon-Teck Oh - Mr. Munimura; Jeff Olson - Bowling Alley Patron; H.E.D. Redford - Mr. King; DonRe Sampson - Gas Station Attendant; George Sullivan - Dave Pollock; Paul Ventura; Michael Flynn - Mr. Wolters; April Webster; Cate Praggastis; Micaela Nelligan - School Bus Driver
Credit
Helen Buck Bartlett - Associate Producer, Lynn Bernay - Costume Designer, Tony Bill - Director, Axel Hubert - Editor, Michael Convertino - Composer (Music Score), James L. Schoppe - Production Designer, Margaret Hilliard - Production Designer, Jean Lepine - Cinematographer, Bill Borden - Producer, Patrick Sheane Duncan - Producer, Dale Pollock - Producer, Steven A. Lee - Set Designer, Patrick Sheane Duncan - Screenwriter
