The Lost & Found Family (2009) User Reviews

Touching, but Not Fantastic

[sjabraham83 · 7/10 · 1 April 2013]

Pretty good (but not great) for a Christian movie. Nonetheless, I would still recommend it, largely in part because of its message. It had many of the ups-and-downs of your typical Christian movie -- clean, family- friendly, Christian message, sub-par acting, and the feel of a Lifetime movie.

While I may be a little down on the acting job (better than I have seen in some other Christian movies, but still sub-par), the story is very inspiring. And ultimately, THAT'S what this movie (and the vast majority of other Christian movies) means to emphasize. It serves to shed light on the issue of foster care, and the need for people (especially Christians?) to step up and perhaps help take care of these kids.

I used to spend my summers working at a camp for kids who were in the foster system because they had been abused or neglected by their own parents. Also, my wife and I have discussed the possibility of adopting children, or (if not adopting) fostering children. So needless to say, this film was certainly moving and touching. I know that not everyone is called to adopt or take on foster children, but I still recommend this movie to any Christian out there.

Nice little movie with a good message on family and friendship.

[TxMike · 6 November 2009]

The only reason I even heard about this movie is the trailer we saw on the DVD of a different movie a few weeks back. It is a curious movie, none of the actors are names that any of us would recognize, and many of the actors have no prior experience. The writers and the director are all "first timers". When all that is considered, it comes across relatively nicely.

Ellen Bry, very experienced in TV work, is the main character Ester Hobbes. She lives a life of luxury in Chicago. Her husband is apparently a wealthy businessman, as we see him going somewhere in his personal limo. But as he starts to squirm a bit in the back seat and loosen his shirt collar, my wife announces "He is having a heat attack." This scene quickly dissolves into a funeral ceremony.

All this happens at the very beginning and serves to set up the real story here. The Hobbes personal lawyer informs Ester that she is broke, her husband had make some investments that went bad, she would have to sell the estate and its contents to pay debts, and the only thing she could keep is a home in Georgia that her husband had purchased for her, in her name, in a small community in Georgia.

After the initial shock she diligently went to Georgia, she had no option, and found the residence leased to a couple who took in foster kids, each with a serious medical or interpersonal issue. The movie is the story of her transition from spoiled wealthy woman in the city to one who decided to devote her life to helping youngsters in need and building more facilities for foster homes.

This is not a great movie, the acting is variable, and many times the dialog doesn't ring true. But it is a good story built on good family and friendship values. And it helps that everyone comes out happy, when the movie ends 15 years afterwards.

This film should get lost and never be found

[thewrite01 · 4/10 · 19 October 2017]

Read the plot synopsis and imagine what you think is going to happen based on that set-up. Unless you have never watched an inspirational movie before, what you are imagining is exactly what happens and I just saved you an hour and half of your life. You're welcome. Don't get me wrong, I love a good inspirational movie, even if it's a little predictable, because let's face it, a lot of times they have to be, because the writers often get themselves into a corner where there is literally only one way to have the feel-good happy ending that the genre requires. However, this particular film went a little too heavy on the sugar and a little too skimpy on the sense. The rich woman was the only character with any depth, but she lacked a strong character arc. One moment she was the snobby lady who wasn't happy about moving into this rundown house, the next, she's trying to bond with everybody like they're her long-lost relatives. The point of the movie, as far as I could tell, was supposed to be about that journey, and how these people helped her to grow and change; but that just was not portrayed in a cohesive manner. The film also set up quite a bit of conflict between the foster mom and dad that was never resolved. Plus, when we meet him, he's set up as this no-good lazy bum type of dad, then you turn around and he's suddenly spouting scripture and being a good, Christian guy, then he was burping, goofball dad; and it was just like the writers couldn't make up their mind about what his character should be.

As for the other characters, they were as flat as paint on the wall. The teen that came from juvie turned out to be a big softy. The other teen had a drug problem, because it was a family film, so they didn't want her getting pregnant. The sick kid had an episode and got better. The kid that didn't talk decided to talk by the end of the film. The other kid didn't really have any issues, and was just there for exposition. I know it may seem like I'm being a little too hard on this movie, but if I am, it's only because I feel like it had so much potential. I love the idea behind the film, and I am all for what they were trying to do, which is why I hate the fact that it failed so miserably at being a good film. If you haven't already guessed, I do not plan to watch this movie ever again.