Away and Back (2015)

Hostility turns into something else between a widowed farmer and a pushy ornithologist who came to his farm to save a family of swans.

Director:

Jeff Bleckner

Writers:

Jonah Lisa Dyer, Stephen Dyer

Stars:

Jason Lee, Minka Kelly, Maggie Elizabeth Jones

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Lee	...	Jack Peterson
Minka Kelly	...	Jennie Newsom
Maggie Elizabeth Jones	...	Frankie Peterson
Jaren Lewison	...	Kyle Peterson
Connor Paton	...	Stretch Peterson
Stephen Miller	...	Box Elder
David Haysom	...	Lars Hensel
Jarod Joseph	...	Tim McMurray
Michaela Gilchrist	...	Amanda Nethercott
Ryan Northcott	...	Dr. John Betts
Chris Shields	...	Ranger Lester Biggs
David LeReaney	...	Sheriff
Bernard Starlight	...	Concession Worker
Colton Short	...	Backhoe Driver
Roger LeBlanc	...	Man at Swan Centre

Storyline

When a rare swan lands on his farm, a widower and his 3 children must contend with the large large birds and the ambitious ornithologist who arrives to study them, a willful woman who is more interested in the avian family than the human one.

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Plot Keywords:

ornithologist | swan | tough girl | widower | wildlife sanctuary | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The swans, at times, are computer generated imagery (as realized with a beautiful moon shot).

User Reviews

functional but not enough

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 January 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Away and Back

Filming Locations:

Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Cheney, Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, Nomadic Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD