''Come Away Home'' is a 2005 American family

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Doug McKeon Doug McKeon (born June 10, 1966) is an American actor who first attracted attention as a child actor. Early life and career McKeon was born on June 10, 1966, in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, and raised in Oakland, New Jersey, where he attended ...

, and written by Stephen Zakman, and later the inspiration for the novel of the same name by Robert D. Slane. The film stars Jordan-Claire Green as Annie Lamm,

Lea Thompson Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961) is an American actress, singer, dancer and director. She is best known for her roles as Lorraine Baines-McFly in the ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy (1985–1990), Beverly Switzler in ''Howard t ...

and

Thomas Gibson Thomas Ellis Gibson (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and director best known for his roles as Aaron Hotchner on ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–16), Greg Montgomery on '' Dharma & Greg'' (1997–2002) and Daniel Nyland on '' Chicago Hope'' ...

as her parents, and

Paul Dooley Paul Dooley (born Paul Brown; February 22, 1928) is an American character actor. He is known for his roles in '' Breaking Away'', ''Popeye'', '' Strange Brew'', '' Sixteen Candles'' and various Christopher Guest mockumentaries. He co-created the ...

as her grandfather. The film had theatrical release April 29, 2005, and was released to

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

February 5, 2008.

Plot

While she had planned to spend her summer in New York, Annie Lamm's ( Jordan-Claire Green) parents Carol (

) and Gary (

) force her to spend the summer with her grandfather Donald (

) in

Hilton Head, South Carolina Hilton Head Island, often referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia (as the crow flies), and southwest of Charles ...

. She hates being forced and thinks her summer is ruined, but after her effort to sneak back to New York was stymied, and after nearly drowning in his rickety old boat and then being rescued, she develops a greater appreciation for both her grandfather and the island where he lives. When summer comes to the end, she learns her parents intend placing her grandfather in a retirement home, and she has to convince them otherwise.

Cast

Reception

Pittsburgh City Paper The ''Pittsburgh City Paper'' is Pittsburgh's leading alternative weekly newspaper which focuses on local news, opinion, and arts and entertainment. It bought out ''In Pittsburgh Weekly'' in 2001. As of April 2015, ''City Paper'' is the 14th ...

'' noted that the film "never probes its dysfunctional family roots very deep, preferring instead to present a winsome if not entirely realistic portrait of a simple summer that can change a dozen lives for the better," and concluded the film's "lessons about sharing, family and resolving life's woes are well intended, if a little well worn." ''

Savannah Morning News The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its Savannah metropolitan area, metropolitan ...

'' generally praised the project, writing it was "a remarkably well made film that underscores the importance of family and should make Hilton Head residents proud of their hometown". ''

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...

'' also praised, writing “Some of the acting was unprofessional but

t is T, or t, is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is d ...

otherwise a great family movie to watch with your kids.”

Accolades

* 2006, won 'Best Motion Picture - Drama' by International Family Film Festival * 2006, won 'Best Feature Film - Drama' by International Family Film Festival * 2006, received

Young Artist Awards The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

nomination for 'Best Performance in a Feature Film (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actress' for Jordan-Claire Green

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Come Away Home 2005 films 2000s teen drama films American coming-of-age drama films American teen drama films American independent films 2005 drama films 2005 independent films Films about grandparent–grandchild relationships 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language independent films