Unanswered Prayers (2010 TV Movie) User Reviews (5)

You can't go home

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 23 October 2017]

Unanswered Prayers has both Eric Close and Samantha Mathis as both a married couple and partners in the family construction business. The business is at a low point, it's having a cash flow problem while the owners are sitting and sweating out signing of a new contract for a really big project.

At the same time Madchen Amick comes back to town. She's an old flame of Close's, in fact she was the femme fatale back in high school. She left and led a glamorous life with three different husbands around the world. But her mom has died and she's in town to wrap up the family estate.

Much as she would like to Amick finds what many have found in the past, you just can't go home. She'd really like to take things up again with Close who was the high school football hero back in the day. But Close is concentrating on son Tony Oller following in his footsteps.

There's a subplot involving young Oller torn between football and a passion for writing. You have to watch to see both how that goes and how it intersects with the main story line.

Acting honors go to Mathis as the allegedly wronged wife. A little jealousy going on here because back in the day Amick used to steal all their boyfriends. She comes over well as the hurt party.

This was a Lifetime movie film which means it has the sex a Hallmark movie doesn't. Not bad for a made for TV film.

Loved it :)

[meganclouser · 10/10 · 22 July 2012]

I absolutely loved this movie! I am a huge Garth Brooks fan, and I found out that this song was made into a movie. I knew I had to see it. :) I was very happy to find out that Garth was actually very involved with the filming and writing and producing and all. I think that Lifetime did a great job of keeping true to the song, but also of course adding on some ( if they didn't the film would be less that five minutes long :P ) I heard an interview with Garth that said he had quite a few people talk to him about turning the song into a film, bit everyone wanted to change it up too much. Then this Lifetime lady came along and said "hey this song is great and we don't want to change a thing"

I think that the acting was all very good, and the script and story line and all were also very good. :) This is definitely one that I would like to buy, as I enjoyed it very much, and also a little cause I'm a huge Garth fan. :) I loved that they kept the storyline as close as possible to the actual song, and again it's great that Garth was involved with the film as much as he was. :)

I would recommend this film to anyone, especially the ladies who, love drama and some sappy romance. :P

Unanswered Prayers is Soul Searching ***

[edwagreen · 8/10 · 30 November 2010]

Patty Duke seems to be making a thing of looking older and older in each of the films she is making for Lifetime and Hallmark. The Oscar winning actress is only 64 and in some scenes in this film she looks like Granny Clampett from the Beverly Hill Billies. At the beginning of the film, I thought I was actually looking at the late Irene Ryan.

That being said, we have an interesting story here of a guy who basically married on the rebound, raised a family and works hard in a struggling construction business.

When his old flame returns to town, following the death of her mother, a drunken meeting leads to questionable conduct on the part of both of them and this deeply hurts his wife and son-the latter he had repeatedly lectured about getting his girlfriend pregnant and pushing for the son to gain a football scholarship.

This is basically a story of maturity, disappointments and achievements in life. It's a story of trying to briefly relive the lost moments of life, but this can really hurt you. Finally, we see ultimate redemption here.

Some of the dialogue is very obvious and you can literally guess what a person is going to say in response to another.

Liked this one, but feel it should have been an hour longer.

[CranberriAppl · 4 January 2011]

Would have preferred three hours of 'Unanswered Prayers' over that 'Maneater' miniseries. I think this movie would have used the time better. I enjoyed this film. Lifetime is hit or miss for me, but this one was a winner. It had good acting, good characters (mostly), and a simple story. I thought the beginning set up the movie very well w/the family sitting around watching the old tape with dad during his football days, mom in her cheer outfit, and the ex who at the time was w/dad. From the beginning, it's clear that something made Dad hold on to the memories of 'Ava,' and Mom is still a tad insecure about it, even 20 years later. Well, Ava's back in town to bury her mother, and tensions begin.

I thought this movie was pretty good. One super plus that I have for it was that *******SPOILER********* Ben did not sleep with Ava. That would have been terrible. Granted, his actions were stupid, but I wouldn't have been as hopeful for him to reunite w/Lorrie if he had. As a character, Ava was up to no good. She really didn't care about anyone's feelings but her own. She seemed like she only still wanted Ben bc she couldn't have him. Lorrie was a good character as Ben's wife, without being a Mary Sue. I was glad she didn't end up cheating on him. The actor who played the son did a good job as a kid who was torn between his dreams for himself and the dreams his parents had for him. DID NOT like his girlfriend. She just rubbed me wrong.

As I said in my title. I feel this movie could have been longer. I'd be interested in knowing what got cut out. It seemed like there was a lot of build up, but the actual betrayal and breakdown of the family happened in the last 30-40 minutes. I did like the ending though w/Ben at Thanksgiving. I got the impression that things would eventually work out.

nice

[Kirpianuscus · 15 June 2016]

warm atmosphere. small town. the shadow of past as tool for consolidate the links who defines a family. a Hallmark movie genre, nice to lovely, comfortable, well acting and far to surprise. moral lesson about image and errors - not too serious -, teenagers and the taste of paste memories, Eric Close as the perfect choice for the good guy who has a gray side and few scenes who reminds aspects from every day ordinary life , source to love the film and appreciate the script who not gives revelations but has the role of soup for soul. a film from many others of same genre. and that is the good point. for expectation of viewer. for a comfortable afternoon.