Night Ride Home (film)

*Night Ride Home*
Night Ride Home
	Video release artwork
Genre	Drama
Based on	Night Ride Home; by Barbara Esstman
Teleplay by	Ronald Parker; Darrah Cloud;
Directed by	Glenn Jordan
Starring	Rebecca De Mornay; Keith Carradine; Ellen Burstyn; Thora Birch;
Music by	Bruce Broughton
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Richard Welsh
Producer	Glenn Jordan
Cinematography	Neil Roach
Editor	David Simmons
Running time	94 minutes
Production company	Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	February 7, 1999

Night Ride Home is a 1999 American drama television film directed by Glenn Jordan and written by Ronald Parker and Darrah Cloud, based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Barbara Esstman. It stars Rebecca De Mornay, Keith Carradine, Ellen Burstyn, and Thora Birch. Its plot follows a family coping with the death of their son, which his sister inadvertently caused. It aired on CBS on February 7, 1999, as an episode of the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series.

Cast

Rebecca De Mornay as Nora Mahler
Keith Carradine as Neal Mahler
Ellen Burstyn as Maggie
Thora Birch as Clea Mahler
Lynne Thigpen as Fran
Ryan Merriman as Justin
Jordan Brower as Simon
Rosanna Huffman as Iris
Ramon De Ocampo as Luis

Production

Filming took place in Portland, Oregon.^[4]

Critical response

David Kronke of Variety praised the film as a "handsome, intelligent and well-burnished production," and a "thoughtful and sensitive examination of how a family copes with grief."^[4] Terry Kelleher of People compared the film negatively against the 1980 film Ordinary People.^[1] Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times criticized the film's screenplay, noting "the presentation of these issues is far too calculated, and their solutions far too quickly accomplished. The script’s simplistic method of resolving what in real life would be significant emotional trauma is to provide a cathartic scene that almost immediately prompts a change in characters."^[5] Ron Wertheimer of The New York Times praised the film, writing that "Night Ride Home has the courage to depict imperfect people who are walloped by a heartbreaking loss and emerge only slightly wiser and no more perfect than before. The centerpiece of the film... is the quietly disturbing performance of Rebecca De Mornay."^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b Kelleher, Terry (February 7, 1999). "Picks and Pans Review: Night Ride Home". People. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
^ "Night Ride Home". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Wertheimer, Ron (February 6, 1999). "TELEVISION REVIEW; On Surviving the Pain: Don't Try to Do It Alone". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Kronke, David (February 3, 1999). "Night Ride Home". Variety. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
^ Heckman, Don (February 6, 1999). "Hallmark's 'Home' Thin on Dramatic Impact". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.

External links

Night Ride Home at IMDb

[kelleher-1] Kelleher, Terry (February 7, 1999). "Picks and Pans Review: Night Ride Home". People. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.

[2] "Night Ride Home". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.

[wertheimer-3] Wertheimer, Ron (February 6, 1999). "TELEVISION REVIEW; On Surviving the Pain: Don't Try to Do It Alone". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.

[kronke-4] Kronke, David (February 3, 1999). "Night Ride Home". Variety. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.

[5] Heckman, Don (February 6, 1999). "Hallmark's 'Home' Thin on Dramatic Impact". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.

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