The Wishing Tree (1999)

After her mother's death, Clara, a middle-aged attorney, returns home to Savannah, where she begins to realize how much she misses her roots. Clara reminisces with old friends about her ... See full summary »

Director:

Ivan Passer

Writer:

Grant Scharbo

Stars:

Alfre Woodard, Helen Shaver, Mary Alice

7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alfre Woodard	...	Clara
Helen Shaver	...	Wallis
Mary Alice	...	Mattie (as Mary Alice Smith)
Blair Underwood	...	Magic Man / Thomas
Charles Weldon	...	Al 'Alfred' Brooks
Leslie Carlson	...	Professor
Peter Haworth	...	Will
Stephen Joffe	...	Jamie
Kaleigh Nevin	...	Alexa
Maria Ricossa	...	Philomena Parnell
Jackie Richardson	...	Marianne Brooks
Steve Cumyn	...	Kevin
Sergio Di Zio	...	Attorney
Barbara Mamabolo	...	Celia
John Stoneham Sr.	...	Slave Owner

Storyline

After her mother's death, Clara, a middle-aged attorney, returns home to Savannah, where she begins to realize how much she misses her roots. Clara reminisces with old friends about her mother who was a legendary storyteller, but when one of the stories begins to come true, the results are frightening.

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Plot Keywords:

independent film

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Genres:

Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Der Wunschbaum

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dufferin Gate Productions, Hallmark Entertainment, Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Maudlin and utterly forgettable

MAUDLIN AND UTTERLY FORGETTABLE

This is a Hallmark-made "family" movie which means that it's maudlin to the point of being almost nauseating.

Clara is a single, successful, black, female attorney living in Savannah, Georgia. When her mother dies Clara returns to her childhood home and searches for closure. Her mother was an uneducated woman with a talent was telling fantasy stories. Clara saw her mother as a poor, ignorant and superstitious black woman. The remainder of the movie is the journey whereby Clara comes to understand that even ignorant and superstitious mothers have value! (I'm being sarcastic!)

The movie is "uber" (overly) politically correct. Clara is black. Her mother lived with a white family who loved her. The victim in the film is a black man who is accused of attacking a young white boy but who, it turns out, actually saved the child's life, All this allows Clara to achieve closure and everyone else to live happily ever after.

It's a mindless way to spend 90 minutes.