A Painted House (TV 2003)

A young boy, his family, and the migrant workers they hire to work their cotton farm struggle against difficult odds to raise and sell the crop. Meanwhile, the boy dreams of living in ... See full summary »

Director:

Alfonso Arau

Writers:

Patrick Sheane Duncan (teleplay), John Grisham (novel),

Stars:

Scott Glenn, Arija Bareikis, Robert Sean Leonard

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Glenn	...	Eli 'Pappy' Chandler
Arija Bareikis	...	Kathleen Chandler
Robert Sean Leonard	...	Jesse Chandler
Melinda Dillon	...	Gran Chandler
Logan Lerman	...	Luke Chandler
Audrey Marie Anderson	...	Tally Spruill
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Mr. Spruill
Pablo Schreiber	...	Hank Spruill
Michael Shamus Wiles	...	Stick Peters
Luis Garcia	...	Cowboy (as Luis Esteban Garcia)
Miguel Pérez	...	Miguel
Diane Delano	...	Mrs. Spruill
Lucas Elliot Eberl	...	Trot Spruill (as Luke Eberl)
Sean Jones	...	Bo Spruill
Richard Crowe	...	Mr. Latcher

Storyline

A young boy, his family, and the migrant workers they hire to work their cotton farm struggle against difficult odds to raise and sell the crop. Meanwhile, the boy dreams of living in better conditions. However, with this particularly tough farming season, the boy learns that his challenges guide him in discovering who he really is.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel

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Taglines:

Desperate Times, hard truths, unexpected dangers. One extraordinary summer will change a young boy and his family...forever.

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Details

Official Sites:

Official CBS Page

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 April 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hallmark Hall of Fame: A Painted House (#52.3)

Filming Locations:

Clarkedale, Arkansas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, McGee Street Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The house the crew used and the church are located about 40 miles apart. The actors and extras had to be shuttled to the proper locations for shooting. Both the house and the church as well as other locations used in Eastern Arkansas are still standing.

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Goofs

When the soda fountain worker give the customer a fountain drink, the seltzer from the spigot comes out brown. Seltzer is clear. All fountain drinks, including Coca Cola, required a squirt of flavored syrup then the cup was held under the fountain spigot. The clerk would push the handle back for a pressurized squirt to mix the clear seltzer and syrup then would pull the handle forward to fill the glass.

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Connections

Edited into Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951)

User Reviews

Where did this movie go?

I was very engaged with the movie (or story)...Up to a point. I was very upset with the fact that they spent a fair time setting up a growing problem (which you could sense), then introducing the problem (the murder), then abandoning it, and then finally restarting a new story that doesn't quite fit. WHY DO THAT?!

Like I said, I was totally engaged...Up to a point. And this is when everything went downhill!

On the plus side, there was good acting. But I believe even if you do have good acting-if your plot isn't convincing (or doesn't make sense), then the audience won't focus on that, and therefore your acting isn't as significant.

There are very few films that go off on a tangent (and that's a good thing), but when movies like, "A Painted House" and "Jeepers Creepers", do it (or I suppose any movie that does it), I can't help but lose interest, and become disappointed with it.