Hallmark is known the world over for their sweet, heartwarming and sometimes syrupy products. From greeting cards to gifts to music to movies, the Hallmark company sure knows how to tug at one’s heart strings.Beverly Lewis’ The Shunning, a made-for-Hallmark TV movie continues this trend of stirring up emotions and entertaining the masses however the results are somewhat lackluster.
Katie Lapp (Danielle Panabaker) is a young woman living in an Amish community in Pennsylvania. She leads a very conservative life however she has a secret passion for “English” music. One day, her simple world is rocked when she discovers evidence that suggests that her origins are different from what she believes them to be. The truth that has been kept from Katie all her life is slowly revealed through the course of this cinematic soap opera. Is Katie really who she thinks she is or has her entire life been a lie covered up by the very people she loves.
Beverly Lewis’ The Shunning is a pretty average TV movie. The subject matter feels tired and recycled and the film’s depiction of the Amish is a bit on the negative side. The dialogue is cheesy but the Pennsylvanian setting is pleasing to the eye. Danielle Panabaker (the Friday the 13thremake) gives a delightful performance as Katie Lapp, the girl whose life is turned upside down after a series of mysterious events. Her acting coupled with the film’s scenic backdrop are the only redeeming qualities of this predictably cliché made-for-TV movie.
DVD Bonus Features
There are four deleted scenes and a bunch of trailers for other melodramatic films.
"The Shunning" is on sale September 13, 2011 and is not rated. Christian, Drama, Television. Directed by Michael Landon Jr. Written by Beverly Lewis, Chris Easterly. Starring Bill Oberst Jr, Danielle Panabaker, Sandra Van Natta, Sherry Stringfield.
