Away and Back (2015 TV Movie) User Reviews (12)

Hallmark Channel Romcom Writ Large

[boblipton · 6/10 · 1 February 2015]

This Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation is about an ornithologist (Minka Kelly), a farmer and his three children, who clash over swan's eggs and then bond over the swans. Ms. Kelly starts out as a variant of the Hallmark romcom heroine; she brittlely concentrates on bird to the the exclusion of dealing with human beings, is a vegetarian who initially refuses a bonding moment over sloppy joes. When, however, she starts to scream at Jason Lee because he is having work done on his farm, work that might disturbs her swans, she is won over because he is having power lines buried so the swans won't kill themselves on high wires. She even relaxes to the extent of eating a corn dog at a county fair.

However, when the swans migrate, so does she and it is up to Mr. Lee's swan-crazy daughter, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, to bring them back together.

So far it sounds like a typical Hallmark romcom. Looking at it, however, one is struck by the greater production values, the better camera-work and the superior acting of Jason Lee. These serve to make this a very watchable variation on the genre.

There's still the intrusive score, insisting on how you should feel about each shot.

A Hallmark Film with Star Power

[alancmiller · 7/10 · 8 June 2018]

Like a lot of fellows, I became a fan of Minka Kelly when she played a high school cheer leader on the TV series Friday Night Lights. The good news is that she is just as convincing and attractive in this film, and the story line is something that the whole family will enjoy. In fact, the quality of the acting, and the great production values combine to make this one of Hallmark's best productions. Jason Lee plays the widowed father of three with just the right blend of manly resolve tempered by personal loss, and the knowledge that his children really need a mother. His youngest child, "Frankie" is played to perfection by ten-year-old Maggie Elizabeth Jones, and his son "Kyle" played by Jaren Lewison is very good in a lesser role. My only quibble with this film is its confusing geography, which traces an established migratory bird flyway south from Cheney, Washington to Wallowa Lake in north-eastern Oregon, but was mostly filmed in Alberta, Canada.

Decent Movie

[athompsonblue · 6/10 · 11 January 2021]

Cool to see the trumpeter swans mentioned in Fly Away Home. This is a good, clean movie. But we're never told what Minka Kelly's problem was at the start. No focus is given to her bonding with the sons. And we're never told what the oldest son's problem is, or how it's resolved.

Fly Away Home

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 5 May 2023]

2015 did see some good Hallmark films, as well as some bad ones and plenty in between. Had a good feeling that 'Away and Back' would work, with it having one of the most appealing premises of 2015's Hallmark batch and have always admired it when Hallmark tackle mature family themes (even when they don't always work). It was also interesting seeing Jason Lee against type, being someone who is more familiar with him in comedic roles and growing up watching and loving him in 'My Name is Earl'.

'Away and Back' is a lovely, sweet and well meaning film on the whole and a worthy Hallmark Hall of Fame entry (better than most films that are in that category). It is not perfect and feels somewhat underdeveloped at times, especially with Minka Kelly's character, but there is also a lot to like in 'Away and Back' and it does a nice job with its premise and relatable family themes. Seeing Lee excel in the gentler dramatic role he is in here was also a good surprise and would like to see this side more.

Beginning with what didn't quite come off, the film to me did go too far in making Kelly's character difficult to like or identify with. Her coldness was taken to extremes and it would have been nice if the film provided some kind of reason for her to act this way and how she came to be this way, but that didn't happen and it made it difficult for the viewer to understand her attitude. Or connect with her chemistry with Lee, which to begin with wasn't really there.

It is agreed that not doing much with everything with the oldest son was a missed opportunity, really liked the sound of that but it is agreed that his grievances are not gone into enough detail and are incredibly vague. As is whether there was any resolution, that felt very open ended and up in the air, maybe the film was trying to avoid ending a subplot too conveniently and patly but leaving it incomplete was not the right way to go about it.

That sounds as if this viewer disliked 'Away and Back'. Have already indicated that that is not the case, actually found a lot to admire. It is beautifully filmed and the scenery is stunning to look at. The music is not intrusive, and didn't feel too melodramatically loud, repetitive or too constant (all of which being common with Hallmark's music). The direction lets the drama breathe while not allowing it to drag. It is very well acted, Kelly starts off too cold but warms and relaxes into her role and does well making the character grow. Lee is charming and amiable while not playing his role too seriously.

The chemistry does become warmer the more the film goes on, but relationships wise the film works better in the heartfelt chemistry between Kelly and adorable yet sincere Maggie Elizabeth Jones. On the whole, the characters are written well and rootable, the most honestly written one being Jones'. The script is sincere and mature without being too melodramatic or too serious, while not sugar coating. The same goes for the gentle, charming and moving story, which is not always as fleshed out as it could have been but the good intentions and sincerity were to be admired all the way through as was the relatability of the themes. The swans are just adorable.

Overall, lovely film. 7/10.

functional but not enough

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 26 March 2019]

Animal lover Jennie Newsom (Minka Kelly) runs a wildlife station. Widower farmer Jack Peterson (Jason Lee) has three kids; Frankie, Kyle, and Stretch. Frankie is sadden upon finding a dead swan until the kids find the nest. Jack is not happy and Frankie calls Jennie from the yellow pages. It turns out the dead swan was tagged by Jennie and is part of a research project. She has to reintroduce the three chicks into the wild on the Peterson farm.

It's a functional family film for Hallmark but oddly, it's not much as a romance. They try to spice it up by making Jennie initially cold and bitter. Her relationship with the little girl is more compelling. I was expecting a little girl with little chicks following her like Fly Away Home. This is not that which does limit the cuteness factor. There isn't much in terms of drama and the only action is little Maggie Elizabeth Jones driving an ATV. Is that legal? Are there no union rules? I am still uncertain about the acting prowess of cheerleader Minka and Jason in more serious roles. The little girl is cute but it's not enough.

Lovely story, lovely actors, very lovely SWANS

[inkblot11 · 9/10 · 9 December 2018]

In Oregon State, Jack (Jason Lee) is a struggling widower of three kids. The youngest, a girl Frankie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), misses her mother every day and the bedtime reading of her favorite book, The Trumpet of the Swans. Dad, most times, only has time for a chapter. Also, Papa tries to keep his kids busy, making their own lunches and doing household chores, as he operates his door making carpentry business. Meanwhile, a bird-biologist, Jennie (Minka Kelly) nurses a swan back to health from a gun shot wound. All too soon, the kids favorite pair of Trumpeter swans come back to the pond near their home and lay eggs. Frankie and her middle brother row out to take a look but get too close. The swans, very protective and fierce, break her brother's arm. Then, tragedy happens. A power line kills the mother bird and Frankie takes the eggs to incubate at home. Realizing she is over her head, she eventually gets Jennie on the phone. Seemingly very disturbed, Jennie comes and confiscates the eggs, lecturing the children about the endangered species and her job to protect it. However, after this initially gruff meeting, Jennie does let the children come see the three hatched cygnets. Plus, the children are thrilled when Jennie comes to place them back in "their" pond, as father swan is still there. Its not a simple task and stretches into weeks. As Jennie lives in a trailer close to the family, romance and a new beginning may be in the offing. Then, Frankie comes up missing just as the swans are migrating. Will she be found? This lovely film has it all, lovely cast, scenery, script, direction, and gloriously lovely SWANS. Go away to the store and bring it BACK NOW.

loved it.

[jewelch · 9/10 · 16 March 2021]

My wife and I enjoy movies that relate to life, have some serious content and some humor. This movie has all three. The characters don't blow up anything and there are no shoot outs, state of the art weapons or robots set on death and destruction. In spite of this, the story is captivating, the characters very well done and the storyline realistic. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good movie. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 3/16/2021

Passion of the Trumpet Swans

[lwmtem · 8/10 · 10 September 2021]

A woman scientist studying Trumpeter Swan populations receives a call from a young girl trying to learn to care for eggs from a banded swan. Angry and highly protective of the birds she has been tracking, she arrives at the girl's home and takes the eggs for scientific incubation to her wildlife sanctuary.

Months later the girl, Frankie and her family take a trip to visit the birds if she can. After some convincing the children are allowed to see where the hatchlings are kept and the excitement Frankie has being near them convinces the scientist that a visit to Frankie's and the nesting ground that is within their land is a great idea and gets her out of her rigid routine..

Together they build an enclosure and watch daily until the young swans take their first flights to prepare for migration. As the season passes Frankie's favorite swan is missing from the migration and she strikes out on her own to rescue the bird where ever it is which causes a stir as Frankie is reported missing. Father, scientist, rangers and volunteers search for her. Finally with the living, but injured swan in tow, Frankie emerges from the forest to safety.

Did I mention there may be some romance?

A nice family movie

[rjfromtoronto · 8/10 · 18 November 2022]

Bought it for Minka Kelly and wasn't surprised, she hit it out of the park again, she's always so nice and wholesome and likeable, been a fan of hers for a little minute, watched most of her movies and FNL in the last few months, and am a fan of hers now, there's not much she can't do, Searching For Sonny as the protagonist, The Roommate as the victim, Papa Hemingway as the quiet put upon girlfriend. She's great along with the whole cast of Friday Night Lights in her tv debut, hope Hallmark does a few more with her, I think she's looked over a little which is a shame, who doesn't like her? Have The Beach House with her and Andy McDowell to watch in the coming days, Hallmark is a nice surprise to enjoy as opposed to my usual thriller, drama, crime and film noir tastes.

Jason Lee did a decent job, every time I see him I think of Enemy of the State, Dreamcatcher, IT, he annoys me from time to time but does well here playing the father and widower, it doesn't get too deep or depressed, the story is pretty lightly done, simple and kept you interested for the most part, a nice family or safe bet for kids to watch on a quiet day and a nice happy ending as usual for Hallmark.

Nothing Wrong with this Film and a Whole Lot is Right

[jasontheterrible · 10/10 · 3 April 2020]

This is not the kind of movie I would normally take time for because I find made for TV movies to be heavy on message, slanted and cliche ridden. The acting is usually hit and miss. But being a Jason Lee fan and slowly becoming a Minka Kelly fan I wanted to give it a try. This one was none of those things I feared, even though a film about a motherly woman temporarily joining a motherless family would usually be filled with lines like "you can't bond with kids for awhile and then leave them." Minka Kelly does just that but without the same cliche-ridden drama. A big reason to watch this is a love of nature and many people understand human devotion to birds that fill the world with song and color and endless fascinating behaviors. The fact that they came from dinosaurs is incredible to think about. The director uses real film so the colors and photography are endlessly gorgeous. The locales really lend themselves to film. Even though the inevitable romance was a no-brainer, it was realistic and engaging. Both characters are strong and independent, but they blend out of necessity and natural moments of commonality. The tension-filled drama toward the end was believable and easy to handle. The ending was great and I felt like the score added a lot to all of the scenes.

Sweet nature story

[Jackbv123 · 8/10 · 27 August 2023]

This is not the usual Hallmark Saturday Night romance. It seems to be a Hall of Fame movie so that's not surprising. There is some romance, but as is often the case with a cute precocious kid, the female lead and the kid are the real relationship focus. And add the swans.

Jennie was a real witch to everyone at first but quickly softened. Minka Kelly worked well with both Jason Lee as Jack and Maggie Elizabeth Jones as Frankie. The kids lost their mom a couple years ago to cancer so Jack wants to protect them from further losses in real life and nature, despite seeming to fall for Jennie.

There's some drama towards the end. I didn't expect it to play out this way, so that's another plus in the fresh story column.

Nice story for the whole family. Kids will probably like this because of the Swans.

Minka Kelly shines

[allmoviesfan · 8/10 · 29 December 2023]

2015's entry into the Hallmark Hall of Fame catalogue and it shows: 'Away and Back' benefitted from a much bigger budget and a much better cast than usual - Jason Lee co-stars with Minka Kelly of Friday Night Lights fame - and the result is a strong and unique movie that mixes romance and trumpet swans. Yes, you read that right. Kelly plays Jennie, an ornithologist, who comes into the life of single dad Jack (Lee) and his three children when trumpet swans make a home on their Washington state property.

Whilst Away and Back has a fairly predictable plot line, it works because of Lee and Kelly, whose chemistry comes bubbling to the fore once their characters get through an early thorny patch. The actors playing Jack's three kids (Jaren Lewison, Conor Paton and especially the bubbly Maggie Elizabeth Jones, who is perhaps the real star of this movie) are very good in their roles. No over-acting or under-acting. Believable emotion. A tight script, some great visuals (with the occasional obvious CGI moment) and the sort of happy ending that we all want from a Hallmark movie.

Everything Minka Kelly is in that I've seen, she knocks out of the park. 'Away and Back' is no exception.