DVD REVIEW

'The Note' Shows Power of Forgiveness

By Belinda Elliott
CBN.com Senior Producer

CBN.com - “What would you say to a loved one if you only had a few seconds to impart a last message?” That’s one of the questions pondered by the main character in The Note, a charming Christmas story that families are sure to love.

Based on the best-selling novel by Angela Hunt, The Note began last year as a drama on the Hallmark Channel and instantly became a hit with audiences. Now, it is available on DVD just in time for the holidays.

General Hospital's Genie Francis stars as Peyton MacGruder, a journalist whose column, “The Heart Healer,” is struggling. Her boss informs her that she needs to come up with a winning idea that will improve her readership, or she will no longer have a job. The same day, Peyton learns that a plane has crashed off the nearby North Carolina coast. All the passengers were killed.

Peyton’s friend and co-worker, King Danville (Dancing with the Stars’ Ted McGinley), had a friend on the flight. As he and Peyton console each other at a local sports bar, Peyton wonders if the plane’s passengers knew they were about to die. Did they have any time to prepare for it?

King suggests that her sentimental brooding sounds like an idea for one of her columns. She discounts the idea not wanting to prey on grieving family members, but later she becomes pulled into the story anyway.

As she is walking along the coast one day, she finds a plastic bag containing a note. The note is addressed to someone named “T” and is simply signed, “Dad.” Believing that the note washed up from the plane wreckage, Peyton sets out to discover the story behind it. The adventure also provides new fodder for her column, and she decides to take readers along with her as she attempts to solve the mystery of the note’s author and deliver its final message to the intended recipient.

Peyton’s readers follow her progress as she interviews family members of passengers that fit the description on the note. The story also piques the interest of a nationally known TV news host who cares more about scooping the newspaper and breaking the story than he does about the grieving family members involved. Peyton must work to stay one step ahead of him while she pursues the story.

One thing is clear, it seems that the note has a powerful effect on all who come in contact with it. Along the way, Peyton herself will also be touched by its message as she comes to grips with painful events from her past.

The rest of the film plays out as one would expect for a Hallmark Channel production, complete with a budding romance and poignant moments that tug at the heartstrings. There are several subtle references to Christianity, and the film includes powerful themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. It is also very family-friendly making it a nice choice for family holiday movie nights.

The film’s ending seems to wrap things up a little too nicely, but that’s not unusual for feel-good family movies like this one. Perhaps viewers can suspend disbelief though, if they view the movie’s “coincidences” as a series of divine events orchestrated by a loving God, as the film seems to subtly hint.

Whether the story’s plausibility is an issue for you or not, The Note is still a heartwarming account of the power of forgiveness, making it a great flick to share with your family this holiday season.

Purchase your copy today.

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