***MILD SPOILERS*** Lydia Blessing is an elderly lady living on a farm which used to have horses and still has apple trees. At the start of the movie, after a flashback to a tragedy in her past which is explained later, Lydia fires an employee who has not been doing a very good job, at least in her opinion. She drives herself into town in a 1965 Cadillac that has seen better days, and when she needs a jump-start, Skip is there to help. Lydia hires him on the spot, refusing to call him by a nickname once she finds out his given name is Charles. However, she does not know he has just gotten out of jail. Lydia's feisty and cynical Korean maid Jennifer realizes who Skip is and knows about his past. But Jennifer won't tell, and even when Lydia does find out, she doesn't care.
A couple leaves a baby outside the room where Skip is staying. skip, having been sent to live with a foster family as a child, refuses to let the same thing happen to this baby. He won't even tell Lydia, though Lydia eventually finds out and reluctantly agrees to help.
There are several flashbacks to Lydia's past, with good music and a mix of happy times and tragedy. The first half of the movie is enjoyable as a whole, but certain events make the second half harder to enjoy, though things do get better. It's not all happy, but neither is real life.
I thought Mary Tyler Moore made a wonderful old lady. This is a role unlike any that I have ever seen her in (though I haven't seen 'The Gin Game'), and she came across as kindly but quirky. And she really did look like she was in her 80s. Liam Waite was great as Skip, who did a great job with the baby despite having no idea what he was doing. I liked the chemistry between Skip and Lydia. Janaya Stephens was also good as young Lydia, and I liked the cop as well.
Overall, this was good.
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