Finding Normal

source: Finding Normal

source: Finding Normal

My daughter had me watch this movie. I have always liked Candace's movies and this one is no exception. I know that when I watch anything she is in, it will be wholesome, family oriented and inspiring all at the same time. She shows things in her movies that uplift the heart but, at the same time, shows us how to really pay attention to our surroundings and the good in people. It is a good family movie that shows that what we have in our lives doesn't always have to be there and sometimes finding something else will make our lives more rich and fulfilling. Thank you for such a good, wholesome movie that shows how we can find things, that other people have, we really need in our lives. Again, thank you.

(Minor spoilers ahead) On one hand, Finding Normal treads very familiar ground: woman city slicker doctor lands like a fish out of water in a ridiculously good-natured burg in the middle of nowhere and has to rethink her priorities while first sparring with--then falling for--the good-looking bachelor town mechanic. The characters are likable, the filming and acting are fine, and the whole enterprise is nice, but a little forgettable. But then, something amazing happens which is eye-opening in that that you come to realize that something so ordinary is basically never seen in this genre of movie. The characters of this middle-America town are revealed to contain large numbers of practicing Christians who seem to actually take their faith seriously as a part of their life, and are nevertheless portrayed as, well, normal folks. They go to church on Sunday, they attend pancake breakfasts where they actually socialize like normal folks, and they seem like genuinely nice people. They're not a secret glassy-eyed cult; they're not simpletons or hateful bigots who treat outsiders with disgust; they're not covert hypocrites living out endless perversions in private while breathing fire and brimstone at the pulpit... or any of the countless tropes that have been beaten into the ground for decades by Hollywood. Perhaps most shocking, they also don't express the sort of lukewarm, formalistic faith which is the only sort that Hollywood seems to allow Christians to possess on film--the kind that makes mealy-mouthed reference to "some greater power" while never actually saying the "G" word. Instead, the characters in this town are regular folks who believe in God, and are just fine with that. They're open, non-self-conscious, and frankly, a lot like the actual people of faith in the real world. That this sort of character is _never_ seen in a romantic comedy--or for that matter, almost any movie outside of the "Christian Movie" ghetto, is what was most surprising to me as I watched this film. If the female lead had expressed a deep interest in the healing power of crystals, it would have simply marked her as a "free spirit" and it would have fit comfortably in with the genre; if the characters had been seen bowing to Mecca at some point, it would have been "edgy". But perhaps the most subversive thing that Finding Normal manages is to actually incorporate Christians into a romantic comedy without turning it into a religious film. As such, this initially has the effect of shocking you out of the "rom-com" zone somewhat as a viewer--and that itself speaks volumes for the way Hollywood has formalized its suspicion of (primarily Christian) religion into the way stories are presented on film.

Candace Cameron Bure plays a doctor traveling from Los Angeles to her wedding in the Hamptons when she's pulled over for speeding in the town of Normal, North Carolina. Because she has a lot of unpaid tickets, she's taken before a country judge who sentences her to serve as the town's doctor for three days to pay off her fine. While there she starts to fall for the small town and one local man (Trevor St. John) in particular. What a pleasant surprise this was. I think it's impossible to dislike Candace Cameron Bure unless you have some serious personality issues. She's likable, pretty, and endearing. The supporting cast is good, too. A lot of times in these types of TV movies, you have a couple of recognizable leads and then a bunch of bland Canadians (I kid, I kid) filling out the rest of the cast. But here the cast is full of personable actors. Lou Beatty, Jr. is a standout and nearly steals the movie. The sheriff's deputy and the little girl are also very nice. My only real problem with the cast is Trevor St. John playing the small town guy Candace's big city doctor is inevitably supposed to fall for. For starters, his accent is a bit much. Everybody in the town has a Southern accent but this guy is full-on Gomer with it. Also, his character is kind of a jerk from the moment we first meet him. Throughout most of the movie, there's this condescending air about him that I didn't quite like. Nice kiss at the end with Candace, though. Pretty hot for this type of movie, I gotta admit. As others have pointed out, the story is similar to the Michael J. Fox movie Doc Hollywood. Although Candace does very little doctoring, really. There are some plot gremlins, as well. For one thing, she has to stay in the town to serve out her sentence because they don't accept credit or debit cards (really?) and the town's only ATM is broken. Also, she apparently has no checks because "where I come from we don't use those." Well this is all just contrived silliness. She could probably call her bank and have the money transferred or any other of a half-dozen solutions that would end the movie's plot before it really begins. Also, the outstanding tickets that she has are not local so I'm sure Los Angeles would not be thrilled to know that instead of getting its money, this lady worked a few days as a doctor in Mayberry. But this is all just hole-poking and perhaps a bit unfair so I would advise just shutting your brain off and enjoying it for what it is. Some of the critiques I've read come from reviewers with obvious axes to grind and personal agendas to pursue. This movie has no pretense about being what it is nor does it try to be sneaky or subversive. I watched it on a channel that primarily shows Christian-themed programming. I knew it was going to be a movie of a certain type. If I (or anybody else) was uncomfortable with that, why watch it? Yet some people apparently did watch it, all the while with their fists clenched over the perceived outrage being perpetrated on them. Takes all kinds I guess. Things do go off the rails a little bit when they bring the ACLU into the plot. It just seems pretty unbelievable that so much is happening in this small town during Candace's brief stay. But, again, suspension of disbelief is our friend here. So, final result is that it's a very nice TV movie despite its flaws. Charming turns from Candace Cameron Bure and Lou Beatty, Jr. go a long way to making it work. Speaking of Mr. Beatty, I would like to address a comment by another reviewer. The reviewer said that this movie was a "poor remake of Doc Hollywood but with less black people." What an asinine statement. I didn't realize there was a set number of people of any kind that every movie had to have. But since the reviewer saw fit to go there, I would just like to point out that Lou Beatty's character is more important to the plot of this film than any black character in Doc Hollywood was.

The first two reviews tell you all you need to know about the plot, but this is a story that will warm your heart and you will want to watch it several times. I just watched for the third time tonight. Candace does her usual good job as Lisa, a surgeon headed to Long Island, to make a fortune with her boyfriend Steve, also a doctor, by making house calls for the rich at $2500 a visit. In Normal she finds a lot of very nice people, who are just happy being who they are and caring enough about one another, to help each other survive whatever problem they seem to be having. A far cry from her former existence in Southern California or the existence she would experience in Long Island where she is headed. You see her falling for this place and the people, little by little. The ending scene is really memorable, and I have watched, just it, many times. The performances are outstanding, especially Lisa, Doc, the little girl and her mother, and Lucas the local love interest.

In what could have been an average celebratory film of the American small town turned political when they named what was the villain, that organization in league with the dark forces of the universe, the American Civil Liberties Union. Dr. Candace Cameron Bure for reasons I'm still not clear on decides to drive cross country to the Hamptons to marry another pricey society doctor Andrew Bongiorno. But warrants for her unpaid tickets catch up to her in Normal, Louisiana and she's given a choice by the Grand Poobah of the place Lou Beatty, 3 days community service or some jail time. Actually Bure gets the jail time anyway as they fix up lodging for her in one of the cells. The way Otis Campbell was lodged after a night's toot. It really does look like Mayberry. Beatty is judge, doctor, coroner and a few other things and he's also black. Now that's most unMaybery like in many ways. He's thinking that Bure is a heaven sent someone to take over his practice as he is terminal as well. And pretty soon Bure is in step with the slow pace of life. But this film went from being average fodder for the Hallmark Channel when the guy who Bure is falling for Trevor St.John is representing the town in a suit filed by the ACLU. Someone from Massachusetts passing through their fair city objects to the neon cross on public land. As if anyone from the homogenized town of Normal would ever object. I would hate to be a Jew, a Moslem, a Sikh, a Latino migrant worker or worst of all gay in that place. And an organization that champions these outsiders, must be from the dark side. I'll bet there weren't 3 votes for Hillary from this place. Finding Normal's message is that this is the only way to live just be like the Stepford like population of Normal. God help you if you are not.

Great premise for a film with an emphasis on faith and family, but was completely overshadowed by the significant plot holes that anyone could spot. Someone miserably failed a geography lesson coming up with this garbage. It was filmed in Louisiana and they even mention the name of a parish and speak of Louisiana on several occasions, but it is set in NC and the characters in one scene travel to Buncombe County (Asheville) to the courthouse. That's in NC, people! Hollywood, as a NC resident, let me give you a brief lesson: Louisiana and NC are not one in the same, nor are they a short drive from each other. And speaking of a drive, what doctor would drive cross country in a Beamer?? LA to Louisiana or NC would be several days drive and for someone to be that put together but not change clothing is highly unlikely. Trust me, my family moved cross country from Georgia to California and it took 4 days; not an afternoon. Also, throughout the film, the main character fails to mention that she's engaged which is the whole reason for the cross country excursion! Just no attention to detail with this movie at all, and this is coming from a big Candace fan!

Puke! this movie would be the winner of the upchuck awards! I found this movie nauseating! Movie was entertaining enough. But it was just too corny. The female doctor would be miserable if she left her high paying job for a dumb & boring little town she hates. Corny and unrealistic that she falls in love with a HIC town boy she hates after a few dates and leaves a rich boyfriend. Corny and predictable. Also stupid was the fact that she was supposed to be doing community service work but they showed very little of that. That could have been good for the movie.

28 July 2014. This predictable, but enjoyable gender twist on Doc Hollywood (1991) starring Michael J. Fox as the urbanized male doctor instead of Candace Cameron Bure who doesn't get top billing even though she has the lead role makes for an entertaining city slicker who begins to appreciate the simple ways of country life. Unlike Doc Hollywood, there are not as many short clips of doctor visits to fascinating patients and the dramatic older doctor scene is not as pronounced which makes for a more monotone storyline. The old doc in Finding Normal though is a much more fascinating, if less irascible character. Overall, Finding Normal while it has its charms, some nice photography, and a more prominent religion tone, doesn't quite have the charm and comic finesse as Doc Hollywood.