Change of Plans (2011) Reviews

• Wholesome family drama...

  paul_haakonsen2011-10-01

  Initially I thought this was a comedy, but it turned out to be more of a family drama. But that wasn't bad, because it was really quite a surprise of a movie. I was thoroughly entertained by it, and also touched by the story. The story is about Sally Danville (played by Brooke White) and Jason Danville (played by Joe Flanigan) who are having great careers and great prospects for the future, when they are trusted with the well-being and caring for the four children of Sally's friend and her husband, who died in an accident. And they have to adjust to family life, putting their own needs on hold and making big sacrifices. The acting in the movie was good, and there was good chemistry between Brooke White and Joe Flanigan. In the role of Dorothy, a social worker with child's care, was Phylicia Rashad. Now she looks like she haven't aged a bit since the Cosby Show, she looks great, and she did a good job in the movie, despite having a minor role only. The four kids were played by Jayme Lynn Evans (playing Jordan), Bobby Soto (playing Javier), Jakobe Dempsey (playing Kaleb) and Clarissa Suwoko (playing Sung-Lee). These youngsters also portrayed their roles quite nicely. Most memorable was the youngest, though, Clarissa Suwoko. Now, "Change of Plans" is very political correct and ethnically correct, as the children represents one from each racial group; white, Asian, African and Latino. It was a bit weird to have a family put together with this ingredient, but it worked out well for the movie, because everyone brought their own unique touch and culture to the bigger picture. "Change of Plans" has a very warm and caring story to tell, and I am sure that it will have some people in tears at certain points. However, once the movie ended, I somewhat sat with the sensation of that the movie was somehow lacking something, that it could have been something more than what it turned out to be. Mind you, I am not saying it is a bad movie, I honestly did like it quite a bit. This movie is a great movie to watch as a family or together with your loved one, because it is an emotional moving movie, and also good entertainment.

• Pleasant family movie

  vchimpanzee2011-01-13

  At the start of the movie, Sally is performing music that could be country, alternative rock or classic rock. Someone would have to tell me. Then she goes to pick up her husband Dan, a former Air Force pilot who now designs fighter planes, at the local Air Force base. As the couple prepares to go on a much-needed vacation in Tahiti, the phone rings. Sally's former best friend Teresa and her husband Frank have been killed. Teresa's will leaves their biological daughter Jordan and their three adopted children to Sally. Teresa and Frank were in Uganda serving in the Peace Corps. Kaleb is from Uganda, Javier is Latino and Sung-Lee is from China. Sally doesn't want to raise children. Her career is about to take off, and she has a chance to go on tour. And Frank gets an offer to resume his career as a test pilot, meaning a great deal of travel. The marriage is under a lot of stress due to the couple being separated already. Nevertheless, Sally and Frank take the children temporarily while Dorothy searches for homes for them. Not one home for all of them; this is very unlikely. And that fact bothers Sally and Frank as they get to know the children. The children are all basically good and mature. Jordan is about to turn sixteen and very responsible, even doing her share to take care of the other kids before even being asked. She's naturally beautiful, as opposed to American girls who wear lots of makeup. and Noah notices her when she shows interest in volunteer work. Javier is somewhat of a troublemaker, but more mature than a lot of American children. He enjoys soccer, and his ability to kick attracts the attention of the football coach at the high school. And he falls for a blue-haired girl named Christine who is actually quite nice. Kaleb is younger than the others and enjoys bongo drums. Sung-Lee is the youngest of all and quite adorable, though she doesn't yet realize her parents aren't coming back. The movie goes pretty much as one would expect. The children must adjust to a new culture and learn to make friends in a new environment. The temporary foster parents have to learn about responsibility and choices. There are plenty of struggles. Will it work out? Will other homes, or one home, be found for the children? Will the one home, in fact, be the one intended? The children are all very appealing. The three older ones all do a very good job. Clarissa Suwoko is more of a real child than an actress, but she gets the job done in her own way. The actors playing the parents are also very good. And of course Phylicia Rashad is talented as always. A little demanding, but she has the children's best interests at heart. The children are all positive role models, having been brought up right. They're not the bratty kids you see on TV. Well, not really. Javier has his issues. This is a family-friendly story, with a minimum of offensive content. A little blood results from "boys will be boys" behavior. I didn't care for the music, but it's what would appeal to the movie's target audience. Not particularly loud like so much of what teens like, but just not my taste. This seems like it would be the pilot for a TV series, and if it was, I would watch the series. I liked it that much.

• Sweet family drama

  Sjhm2013-02-06

  This is a genuinely charming family film which hits all the right spots. Starring Brooke White and Joe Flanigan as the free-wheeling career couple with no plans outside of their here and now. All that changes when Sally's (White) oldest friend dies and leaves Sally her four children. Suddenly the perfect, high octane lives of Sally, and her fighter-pilot engineer husband Jason (Flanigan) are turned upside down. It is all a little simplistic, and the perfect family comprising one child from each of four ethnic groups is perhaps a bit of a stretch, but this film is not about political correctness, more about the importance of letting go of the dream you thought you had to let something bigger into your life. Brooke White is a surprise, she plays Sally with a quirky warmth and conviction without going over the top, Joe Flanigan is solid and dependable as her all action husband (a role he seems born to play!), and the children all convince as the displaced souls learning to live in a different place. The story is heart-warming and well worth an evening's viewing.

• A truly wonderful movie to watch

  ilijajorgacevic2012-11-08

  It's a great and really nice movie, deserves better rate then it has right now, the acting ain't bad at all, actually the acting to me seems superb, the movie is touching and i really like it, the movie is about two people, Sally and Jason Danville who were recently given four kids into their custody cause their mom and dad were in an accident, it shows how they struggle to be their parents sense they never were parents before but at least they are trying, at first they thought about giving them away to another family but they changed their mind about it and on the end they adopted them, but you probably expected that, it is the kind of movie a lot of us already watched but some people haven't and may enjoy this kind of movie, you will definitely enjoy watching this movie.

• Finally, a 'Change' in the Line-up!

  moviebuff12-12011-01-24

  I cannot remember the last time I was able to sit down with the whole Family to watch something as enjoyable and viewer friendly as John Kent Harrison's 'Change of Plans'. The following was a story that was both touching, fun and tear-jerking without having to resort to petty violence or over-the-top scenarios. We begin with Sally and Jason Danville (Brooke White & Joe Flanigan), the seemingly perfect couple who are moving up in the world and off on their Anniversary trip when they suddenly receive a distressing phone call. Sally's friend Teresa and her husband have passed away leaving them with the duty to care for their four adoptive children. But this isn't a synopsis rather than a rundown of what worked, what didn't and what we can hope for the future of 'Change of Plans'. First of all, 'American Idol' contestant, Brooke White makes her acting debut and for the most part, she does an excellent job. Especially when she shares a tear filled story with the young, scene stealer, Clarissa Suwoko concerning a Zebra. And there are many moments like this that tug at your heartstrings. Even I found myself crying in many scenes that dealt with Jayme Lynn Evans, a new talent that is sure to go a long way. But it isn't all about the heavy scenes, Joe Flanigan has never been funnier. He does flex the dramatic muscle but he is better as the good-looking, comic relief. The supporting cast does a great job backing the story and letting us inside their little world. From Justin Kelly's wise-above-his-years portrayal of Jayme's love interest to the smarmy High school Quarterback, Craig Cornfield, we see these characters in our own lives and acknowledge them as such. Now I am a big fan of Phylicia Rashad but she seemed a bit too soft spoken in this first episode of what I hope becomes a series because as soon as the credits start to roll, you immediately wish for more. With catchy songs, a great story and even an appearance by Randy Jackson, 'Change of Plans' is a fun, Family friendly program that we have not seen in a long time and that is such a great change :)