''A Step Toward Tomorrow'' is a 1996 drama film directed by Deborah Reinisch and starring

Judith Light Judith Ellen Light (born February 9, 1949) is an American actress. She made her professional stage debut in 1970, before making her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of ''A Doll's House''. Her breakthrough role was in the ABC daytime soap oper ...

as a divorcee mother of paralyzed son. The film also starred Tom Irwin as neurosurgeon to help get him an experimental spinal-cord operation. The film also had special appearance by

Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard (; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards (tying the record for the most acting Emmys won by an African-American performer, along with Regina King) ...

and a brief cameo by

Christopher Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, best known for playing the title character in the film ''Superman (1978 film), Superman'' (1978) and three sequels. Born in New York City and raised in P ...

Cast

as Anna Lerner * Tom Irwin as Dr. David Decker * Kendall Cunningham as Georgie Lerner * Tim Redwine as Ben Lerner *

as Denny Gabriel *

as Dr. Sandlin *

Brad Dourif Bradford Claude Dourif (; born March 18, 1950) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Oscar, and won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for his film debut role as Billy Bibbit in ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975). He is also k ...

as Kirby *

Nick Searcy Nicholas Alan Searcy (born March 7, 1959) is an American character actor best known for portraying Chief Deputy United States Marshal Art Mullen on FX's '' Justified''. He also had a major role in the Tom Hanks–produced miniseries ''From the ...

as Jim *

Lee Norris Lee Michael Norris (born September 25, 1981) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Stuart Minkus on ''Boy Meets World'' and its spin-off '' Girl Meets World'', as well as Marvin "Mouth" McFadden on ''One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may ...

as Perry

Reception

Judith Light's performance drew critical praise. John Voorhees from ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington s ...

'' "Judith Light is wholly believable as a fiercely loving divorced mother trying desperately to find help for her younger son, paralyzed after a diving accident. She tracks down a doctor and a clinic she feels holds out hope - only to find her health insurance doesn't cover the expensive operation that is needed. But that description is only the bare bones of "A Step Toward Tomorrow," which also has romance, humor and some mystery, as well, thanks to Tom Nursall and Harris Goldberg's solid script and Deborah Reinisch's sensitive direction. In addition to Light, who has never been better, there's a terrific performance by Tim Redwine, as the injured boy's older, caring brother, and by Tom Irwin, who seems an unlikely hero but is all the more convincing because of it. Kendall Cunningham is fine as the injured boy and Brad Dourif and Alfre Woodard score points in smaller roles." The film received two nominations at the 18th Youth in Film Awards.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Step Toward Tomorrow, A 1996 drama films Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes CBS network films 1996 films 1990s English-language films Films shot in North Carolina