Rating: 
Summary: Lots of action, not much depth
Review: The two stars are for the returning CBS actors and Ozias Holt. Everything else about this movie is pretty disappointing; it's the worst written of the three PAX movies. Lauren Lee Smith's Christy is beautiful and bland, believing in progress for progress' sake. She's feuding with the stereotypical hillbillies, bumbling idiots who resist all the young woman's plans to improve their lives. There's none of the respect for the mountain people and their unique culture that the book and the show had. Christy has many, many problems in this movie, some that were already better dealt with in the tv series-the ambitious student (A Man's Reach), vigilante justice (Both Your Houses), and the clash with Dr. Ferrand (Judgment Day) to name a few.A lot of what these characters do is disappointing. Christy pushes a timid student into pursuing a medical education; you get the idea it's her dream not his. Now free to marry, Doctor MacNeill inexplicably fails to pursue a deeper relationship with Christy, but wastes no time chasing the first good looking woman who crashes into their lives. The respected mentor Miss Alice stoops to eavesdropping, and David is important only as the hopeful boyfriend, not as the community's spiritual leader. Instead of being Christy's best friend, Fairlight is no more than a trusted servant. I recommend seeing this movie if you're a curious Christy fan; newcomers should read Catherine Marshall's novel or watch the Kellie Martin/Tyne Daly series.
Rating: 
Summary: A new Christy video for your family
Review: This movie is a continuation of the Christy series that was on television several years ago. It is based on the wonderful novel, "Christy," by Catherine Marshall. In this new movie, young Christy travels to a poverty striken mountain village to become the new schoolteacher. In the tv series, the children looked truly poor and, in some cases, dirty. In this movie, everyone is cleaned up. The children are perfect little models and the cove residents are well dressed, with lots of make-up. You and your family might still enjoy this movie if you are die-hard Christy fans. Everyone else should invest in the original Christy videos, some of which are available on amazon.com.
Rating:
Summary: A new Christy video for your family
Review: This movie is a continuation of the Christy series that was on television several years ago. It is based on the wonderful novel, "Christy," by Catherine Marshall. In this new movie, young Christy travels to a poverty striken mountain village to become the new schoolteacher. In the tv series, the children looked truly poor and, in some cases, dirty. In this movie, everyone is cleaned up. The children are perfect little models and the cove residents are well dressed, with lots of make-up. You and your family might still enjoy this movie if you are die-hard Christy fans. Everyone else should invest in the original Christy videos, some of which are available on amazon.com.
Rating: 
Summary: New Christy
Review: This new casting for Christy is good, and includes some old favorites as well. Lauren Lee Smith does a wonderful job as Christy, and the story isn't as choppy as the original Christy movie.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been so much better
Review: This uneven first entry in the "new" Christy movies has some good points, but falls down in character consistency. Lauren Lee Smith displays the necessary perkiness and innocence as Christy. The story is believable: Cutter Gap families resenting Christy's promotion of "progress," an attractive aviatrix making a forced landing in Cutter Gap and attracting male attention, thieves stealing the little that the Cutter Gap families had. Harriet Quimby was a real person, and I'd love to find out if she ever actually landed in the real Cutter Gap. The big problem in this movie is characters acting in ways inconsistent with their established personas. Miss Alice blasts Christy when she is asked for advice (and frankly, Diane Ladd does not project the combination of earthy realism and spiritual concern that made Tyne Daly's performance so believable). David is obsessed with building a road to the exclusion of his pastoral duties. Neil spouts off lines like "I'm not a monk and I'm tired of living like one." None of these mis-characterizations were essential to the plot lines, so they just seemed sloppy. This movie would be a good gift for confirmed Christy fans, but I can't recommend it to introduce anyone to the Christy shows.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been so much better
Review: This uneven first entry in the "new" Christy movies has some good points, but falls down in character consistency. Lauren Lee Smith displays the necessary perkiness and innocence as Christy. The story is believable: Cutter Gap families resenting Christy's promotion of "progress," an attractive aviatrix making a forced landing in Cutter Gap and attracting male attention, thieves stealing the little that the Cutter Gap families had. Harriet Quimby was a real person, and I'd love to find out if she ever actually landed in the real Cutter Gap. The big problem in this movie is characters acting in ways inconsistent with their established personas. Miss Alice blasts Christy when she is asked for advice (and frankly, Diane Ladd does not project the combination of earthy realism and spiritual concern that made Tyne Daly's performance so believable). David is obsessed with building a road to the exclusion of his pastoral duties. Neil spouts off lines like "I'm not a monk and I'm tired of living like one." None of these mis-characterizations were essential to the plot lines, so they just seemed sloppy. This movie would be a good gift for confirmed Christy fans, but I can't recommend it to introduce anyone to the Christy shows.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, but....
Review: This version did include mountain folk "cleaned up" and I agree that the original mountain characters, some of which returned here, seemed more realistic than those added for this particular adaptation; however, keep in mind that in the book and TV series Christy teaches the children and some of the women about hygiene and keeping things clean, so she influences them in this way. One of the ways she makes a difference in Cutter Gap.
Rating:
Summary: It's ok but it's nothing special!
Review: You're either a Christy fan or not, so I'm not going to bother summarizing the plot. If you're a Christy fan, you'll like it. However, I don't think I'd start a new Christy viewer out on these movies. They start after the series' end, with first "Return to Cutter Gap" and then "A Change of Seasons" and "A New Beginning." Start a Christy newbie with the first few series episodes. However, for returning Christy fans, this is another enjoyable movie with no objectionable language or behavior, and a pleasing addition to the Christy canon. What is new to these movies from the series (besides cast changes) is the envelope, discussions between the aged Christy and her daughter "Catherine" as Catherine brings her mother to revisit Cutter Gap. (Those who have read Catherine Marshall's book _Christy_, on which the series and now the movie are loosely based, know that the Christy character is somewhat based on Catherine Marshall's mother.) And the whole Margaret McNeill sub-plot is ignored as if it had never happened (which, in the book, it didn't -- Margaret died before Christy ever came to Cutter Gap and didn't keep popping up to torment Neil and Miss Alice.) But the envelope and occasional voice-overs by the "older" Christy are okay and the story is involving, with poachers and an early aviatrix descending on Cutter Gap. Interestingly, the aviatrix Harriet Quimby was a real person and this episode left me wondering whether she and Catherine Marshall's real-life mother ever met. The cast changes are neutral to slightly disappointing. Lauren Lee Smith's portrayal of Christy is as perky and naive as Kellie Martin's was. James Waterston doesn't have the presence of Randall Batinkoff's original David Grantland, and Diane Ladd seemed rather wishy-washy after Tyne Daly's characterization (and her "thee"s sounded totally artificial). But these are minor flaws. A flaw that bothered me more was the new Fairlight Spencer's emotional distance from Christy. Both in the book and in the series, their friendship was very important to both women, and I don't think Fairlight would have brushed Christy off no matter the provocation. Finally, a word of warning about confusing titles. "Return to Cutter Gap" was shown on Pax-TV recently as "Christy: The Movie." Two other Amazon "Christy" titles, "Christy: A Change of Seasons" and "Christy: A New Beginning" were just shown on Pax as "Christy: Choices of the Heart" parts 1 and 2 respectively. Why rename them? Other than to confuse the viewers, I mean?
Rating:
Summary: A new "Christy" story
Review: You're either a Christy fan or not, so I'm not going to bother summarizing the plot. If you're a Christy fan, you'll like it. However, I don't think I'd start a new Christy viewer out on these movies. They start after the series' end, with first "Return to Cutter Gap" and then "A Change of Seasons" and "A New Beginning." Start a Christy newbie with the first few series episodes. However, for returning Christy fans, this is another enjoyable movie with no objectionable language or behavior, and a pleasing addition to the Christy canon. What is new to these movies from the series (besides cast changes) is the envelope, discussions between the aged Christy and her daughter "Catherine" as Catherine brings her mother to revisit Cutter Gap. (Those who have read Catherine Marshall's book _Christy_, on which the series and now the movie are loosely based, know that the Christy character is somewhat based on Catherine Marshall's mother.) And the whole Margaret McNeill sub-plot is ignored as if it had never happened (which, in the book, it didn't -- Margaret died before Christy ever came to Cutter Gap and didn't keep popping up to torment Neil and Miss Alice.) But the envelope and occasional voice-overs by the "older" Christy are okay and the story is involving, with poachers and an early aviatrix descending on Cutter Gap. Interestingly, the aviatrix Harriet Quimby was a real person and this episode left me wondering whether she and Catherine Marshall's real-life mother ever met. The cast changes are neutral to slightly disappointing. Lauren Lee Smith's portrayal of Christy is as perky and naive as Kellie Martin's was. James Waterston doesn't have the presence of Randall Batinkoff's original David Grantland, and Diane Ladd seemed rather wishy-washy after Tyne Daly's characterization (and her "thee"s sounded totally artificial). But these are minor flaws. A flaw that bothered me more was the new Fairlight Spencer's emotional distance from Christy. Both in the book and in the series, their friendship was very important to both women, and I don't think Fairlight would have brushed Christy off no matter the provocation. Finally, a word of warning about confusing titles. "Return to Cutter Gap" was shown on Pax-TV recently as "Christy: The Movie." Two other Amazon "Christy" titles, "Christy: A Change of Seasons" and "Christy: A New Beginning" were just shown on Pax as "Christy: Choices of the Heart" parts 1 and 2 respectively. Why rename them? Other than to confuse the viewers, I mean?
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