''A Father's Choice'' is a 2000 American

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

starring

Peter Strauss Peter Lawrence Strauss (born February 20, 1947) is an American television and film actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s. He is an Emmy winner and five-time Golden Globe Awards nominee. Early life S ...

Mary McDonnell Mary Eileen McDonnell (born April 28, 1952) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received Academy Awards, Academy Award nominations for her roles as Stands With A Fist in ''Dances With Wolves'' and May-Alice Culhane in ''Pas ...

Michelle Trachtenberg Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (October 11, 1985 – February 26, 2025) was an American actress. After beginning her career in television commercials at age three, she made her television debut in her first credited role on the Nickelodeon ser ...

Yvonne Zima Yvonne Zima (born January 16, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Daisy Carter on ''The Young and the Restless''. Early life Zima was born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, the daughter of Dennis and Marie. Her surname means ...

and Susan Hogan. It was directed by

Christopher Cain Christopher Cain (born October 29, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Cain was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 1969, he married Sharon Thomas, and adopted her two sons, Roger and Dean Cain, Dean. The couple's daug ...

and written by Richard Leder. The film aired on January 12, 2000 on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

Plot

Two sisters accustomed with the fast-paced life in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

are forced to live with their father in the country when their mother is killed.

Cast

as Charlie "Mac" McClain *

as Susan Shaw *

as Kelly McClain *

as Chris McClain * Susan Hogan as Gayle Miller

Production

''A Father's Choice'' was based on a true story and was mostly filmed at the cities of Airdrie and

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Reception

''A Father's Choice'' gathered some good reviews from critics. ''The Movie Scene'' gave the movie a good review, stating: "Director Christopher Cain not only does a nice job of framing some beautiful scenes but he also keeps the drama moving and evolving at a pleasant pace. Plus the acting is alright with Peter Strauss certainly looking at home as a cowboy whilst Mary McDonnell has this soft radiance and warmth going on which makes those romantic moments charming. Then there is a young Yvonne Zima and Michelle Trachtenberg as Chris and Kelly with Trachtenberg bring attitude to the role as the daughter who resents her father and living in his tiny shack on a ranch".

References

External links

* *
The Movie Scene
{{DEFAULTSORT:Father's Choice, A 2000 television films 2000 films 2000 drama films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films American drama television films American films based on actual events CBS films Drama films based on actual events Films about father–daughter relationships Films about sisters Films directed by Christopher Cain Films scored by Steve Dorff Films set in Los Angeles Films set on farms Films shot in Calgary Television films based on actual events