User reviews

I got to go to a pre-release screening of "Love's Abiding Joy." I've read all of the books in the series and I have seen the other three movies, so I was excited when I was invited to go see it.

The story was really, really different from the book. I was expecting it to follow the book, but that was disappointing. There were a bunch of stories intermixed about Missy, Willy and their adopted son Jeff.

The acting was pretty good. Personally I liked January Jones better as Missy than the girl that plays her in this one and in Love's Long Journey. I was really glad that Logan Bartholomew returned as Willy- I know that a lot of people were worried that he wouldn't come back.

The music was a little better. A lot of the same themes as the other three movies, but there was a new theme that I liked a lot.

I hope that the next four movies (if they make them) follow the story better than this one did.

Overall this was okay. I did get kind of bored, and it was really sad.

This movie didn't have much in common with the story in the book. That does it make it less of a touching story, but it doesn't seem right to keep the same title.

The Christian message was a little less intense in this one. There was a great message of charity to others.

The conflict was a little contrived especially at the end.

Missie LaHaye is the school teacher and Willie LaHaye is offered the job of sheriff. Clark Davis arrives to visit his daughter Missie. Her daughter Kathy dies. Missie is lost and leaves her job. With the struggling ranch, Willie takes the sheriff job working for ruthless land baron Mayor Sam Doros. His daughter Colette Doros takes a liking to the LaHaye's adopted son Jeff despite her father's disapproval. The LaHayes struggle to overcome their grief. Doros holds a loan on LaHaye friends, the Klines (James Tupper, Brianna Brown) and threatens to evict them.

It's the fourth in the Love series. It's a fair continuation of this TV movie series. The lost offers this movie the opportunity for some great acting possibilities. However, it never elevates beyond its TV movie DNA. The young love of Graham Phillips and Mae Whitman is good. It's a fine foil to the somber tone of the LaHayes. Sam Doros is a good villain but it would be better to get a bigger actor. This works for the most part as a TV movie.

I loved the movie. It is a movie for the whole family to watch. As far as for religion, it was great and did not push one religion. All of these movies were wonderful. So don't listen to any negative comments. My family liked from the very first and looking for the writier to produce more for us to purchase. I would like to see more of the family in the movie get together, or for the parents to see their grandchildren. To also see the parents sons grow up and find their wives to marry and continue to make the family grow. The way the father Clark spoke to them and the way his gentle ways with the family was great. All I know I wanted to watch more.

The fourth movie in the Hallmark's 'Love Comes Softly' movie series. It continued a few years after where the previous one ended. LaHaye family comfortably settled down running a ranch in the wild west and Missie is now a full time teacher in a local school. This story apprises the struggles and introduces a proper villain for the first time in this series. Unlike the title, the story travels in the opposite direction. Time to test your faith in this series. If you manage to get through, you would continue or feel tediousness.

Hold on, I did not say the movie was good as the previous ones. Until now I had not seen a substandard in the series. Maybe the word 'substandard' is very rude. It can be explained in another way as well like the story considerably focuses on the misery side of the LaHaye family. Missie's father came a long way to spend time her and his grandchildren. But then the visit came at a wrong time, especially the entire region is suffering from the drought. The troubles only extends without a sign of ending. Some of the LaHaye's family friends living in their worst nightmare.

"The only thing we both want... We won't ever see again."

In a parallel layered narration, Jess is near the 20 or something and he tastes his first love. Not without the obstacles. Because the girl who is associated with him is from highly influenced family in the town. It was a pretty good romance track, deserved to be told as one side his family is grieving and other hand his (Jeff's) own struggle. Sad faces are seen everywhere and I'm happy it is not all about the happiness, though there are sad narrations as well in the series.

So, it was the story composition intensely created that way to display. But the viewers are not thinking about the possibilities of what a family could go through in a such situation. Rather, they are pointing out the movie as a downfall, not the story that talks about the downfall. That is why the whole film looks grim and depressing, only if you did not get it. Anyway, it is a long movie series and all kinds of mood, genre, theme of the tales are expected in the each film. I believe the next one would get better and that's what I'm thinking right now.

7/10

7.4 stars.

Unfortunately, these 'Love's' films just keep losing quality as they go, like going to a concert and by the 15th song everybody just wants to go home. I don't know what it is about how these continue to just get worse and worse, but something is missing, there is no heart in this one. The tragedy that happens just hits us like a slap in the face. I mean we could kinda see it coming, they set it up so we could. Again the lead male has no personality, even in his grieving there is nothing. She gets sorta cold and dark in her process of the loss, and that's common in people who can't handle tragedy of this magnitude. The movie is good quality, but it's hard not to compare with the first two.

This is the fourth film in Hallmark's Love Comes Softly pioneer series based on the Janette Oke book series of the same name and probably one of the most difficult to watch as it deals with mental illness.

Missy's father Clark comes to visit the LaHaye ranch for the first time and in the first 24 hours Missy and Willie's baby daughter passes away. This sends Missy in a downward spiral of depression that has her questioning her faith and worrying about her marriage with Willie, who takes a sheriff position to try to help make ends meet. The sheriff's job proves challenging as the town's mayor values money over people. Meanwhile the Mayor's daughter Collette, who is home on break from her finishing school, sets her sights on Missy and Willie's eldest, Jeff who shares her love of books.

This is a wonderful pioneering family drama that leans into the strong faith of it's characters. Times were tough and this story doesn't shy away from telling some of those tough stories.

Again this was one of the hardest to watch in the series and had a heavy message around usury. I think if you are a fan of the series you will enjoy this film, but be prepared for the difficult content.

I have read all of the Love Come Softly books. Knowing full well that movies can not use all aspects of the book,but generally they at least have the main point of the book. I was highly disappointed in this movie. The only thing that they have in this movie that is in the book is that Missy's father comes to visit,(although in the book both parents come). That is all. The story line was so twisted and far fetch and yes, sad, from the book, that I just couldn't enjoy it. Even if I didn't read the book it was too sad. I do know that Pioneer life was rough,but the whole movie was a downer. The rating is for having the same family orientation of the film that makes them great.

I read many commits when it was in the theaters and they were all bad....I think you have to be a certain type of person to enjoy these movies. If you are not a person that enjoyed the Waltons or Little House...U will not understand nor enjoy these movies...

Now about Loves Abiding Joy...I knew HE was bad news from the start of the movie....I wish it would have shown more of the end instead of letting you just think it. This movie has a lot to do with Jeff....it is 6 years later so you know he will be interested in Girls.

I want to say that I have enjoyed all 4 movies so far....Was not crazy about the books...Cant wait until the next movie. The way Clark talks will get you every time. I would love to see January Jones do an appearance...Maybe a family reunion or something.

:Spoilers:

I was very disappointed in Love's Abiding Joy. I had been waiting a really long time to see it and I finally got the chance when it re-aired Thursday night on Hallmark. I love the first three "Love" movies but this one was nothing like I thought it was going to be. The whole movie was sad and depressing, there were way to many goofs, and the editing was very poor - to many scenes out of context. I also think the death of baby Kathy happened way to soon and Clarks appearance in the movie just didn't seem to fit. It seemed like none of the actors really wanted to be there - they were all lacking emotion. There seemed to be no interaction between Missie and Willie at all.

I think the script writers should have went more by the book. It seems like every movie that's been made so far just slips further and further away from Janette Oke's writings. I mean in the movie they never mentioned a thing about the mine and the two boys or Clark getting hurt because of it. And I think Missie and Willies reactions to Kathy's death could have been shown and heard rather than just heard.

Out of the four movies that have been made so far I'd have to say that Love's Abiding Joy is my least favorite. I hope with the next four movies that more of the book is followed and if Clarks character is in them I hope he's got a bigger part and I hope his part isn't so bland. I also hope there is more of Scottie and Cookie and maybe even Marty but who knows what the script writers will have in store next.

I'm concerned that the morality of the film series is gradually slipping away. In Love Comes Softly, the wedding ring was frequently displayed, and there was an incredible sweetness to the presentation of sound values. In this movie, when the evil Doros takes a neighbor for everything he has, the victim replies that he used to be a good preacher, but he isn't anymore. As in, he's gonna deal with Doros violently if necessary. And there's the overwhelming sense that we're supposed to cheer at that. We're supposed to cheer that he's not the good preacher. And that he plans on using violence to solve his problems. Moreoever, the young unmarried couple (Sonny's younger brother and Doros's daughter) take off into the darkness together. That kind of thing wasn't in the first movie. The low-cut dresses on her. This movie uses the fact that the father was evil to encourage us to cheer when his daughter defies him and tells her young forbidden lover that she's been driving her father nuts since she was old enough to tell him what dress she wanted to wear. And it's the *evil* father that wants to send his daughter to a Christian boarding school. The context of his character is supposed to make us ashamed for thinking that's wise. So here, Christian values are couched in an incredibly evil man, and so by association we're against the conservative side of him and we're supposed to think it's okay when she wears low-cut dresses and takes off into the night with the neighbor boy. And of course, there's never any implication that we're supposed to be concerned about any of this. I hope this isn't another subtle, gradual departure from values by throwing us a moral bone in the first movie, and then after gaining our trust, leading us where Hollywood wants the Christian community to go. Unless there's a serious return to Christian values in the next movie, I'm done.

I would just like to say, that no matter how low budget the film is, it needs to be shown throughout this world the point to these movies. We don't read that much anymore, instead people want to see movies. Having this series out on DVD, has made me want to read the whole series, and want more. PLEASE MAKE ALL 8 MOVIES. Please don't change any of the characters either, it ruins the effect. Because I have grown to love the actors who have played the characters. PLEASE MAKE ALL 8 MOVIES. I want to see the message, and watch the message that these books and now movies are here to portray. We don't get that enough anymore. AWESOME JOB!!!

We loved the movie. I am a mother to two little men. I love having a movie I can watch with them where men have integrity and character. Moveis where money is not the most important thing. And family's are forever and love means more then words.

I do wish we saw more of the Davis family. But over all I loved it left me with the same feeling the others did "please don't be over". We both wish actors would not change.The new actors were good replacement tho.

My 9 year old son loved this movie too. asked me to go buy them all. He is a movie critic so for him to say this tells me something. Family should all see this move buy it for friends . Help bring back a time of values. We will be Reading the books now that we are hooked. really hope to see more. Be Blessed happy moving

Seldom seen such a boring, ragged movie. The actors mostly to young and not a bit convincing. The annoying music is way to much foreground. And the plot? Well, could have been interesting. Not this way. I was really disappointed. the only one main character in this entire movie that appeared convincing to me was John Laughlin. People aren't like liquid soap in real life. Especially in hard western times, as I suppose. They had a hard life full of hard work and there's nothing that turns the characters into believable farmers 200 years ago. I know, they focused on abiding joy of love. However, to make it the one dominating emotion, you must also show the opposite to work it out. And there's nothing like this here.

I very much looked forward to this movie. Its a good family movie; however, if Michael Landon Jr.'s editing team did a better job of editing, the movie would be much better. Too many scenes out of context. I do hope there is another movie from the series, they're all very good. But, if another one is made, I beg them to take better care at editing. This story was all over the place and didn't seem to have a center. Which is unfortunate because the other movies of the series were great. I enjoy the story of Willie and Missy; they're both great role models. Plus, the romantic side of the viewers always enjoy a good love story.

As a Southern Baptist, it pains me that I must give a below average rating to an overtly Christian movie. There certainly aren't so many that I want to discourage film-makers from a genre that's woefully under-exploited. Still, I must honestly say that "Love's Abiding Joy" is a typically low budget, low key, self-consciously Christian film. The plot is predictable, the acting mediocre (I'm being kind), and the editing atrocious. As a TV movie it might have been slightly above average, but as a feature film it leaves much to be desired. Keep trying guys. You've got to have a movie about about real Christians inside you somewhere. Might I suggest you turn to G. K. Chesterton or C. S. Lewis for some inspiration?

They never should have replaced the original missy. The original character is nothing like the lady playing Her now It would have been much better if they had left it alone I don't know what else to say you don't want way too much of a commenthis is ridiculoh my God am I ever going to finish this 300 more characters are you freaking kidding me how many do I have to say you should not have replaced the original missy... get a grip and fix your d*** program this is absolutely ridiculous OMG you should not have replaced missy you should not have replaced missy you should not have replaced missy you should not have a place missy.

The moral problems fair exploration, from the loss of child to the support of father and first love of adoptive son , from the conflict against maire to the financial difficulties - just few virtues of this new part of series , fair defining sensitive subjects .

Difficult to compare or to judge .

Indeed, the main actors are too young for the social roles but the message matters first.

The result of the honest story is more a good spoon of emotions and, I suppose, nobady expects, in essence, more.

I liked acting , I liked moral dilemmas and the sacrifice for friends. Not last, I was not so real convinced about option for the role of Colette Doros. But, it is a nice episode of series.