Follow the Stars Home
Encyclopedia
Follow the Stars Home is a 2001
television film directed by Dick Lowry
. The film is based upon Luanne Rice
's 2000 novel of the same name and was produced for the Hallmark Hall of Fame
. Hallmark Channel periodically airs this movie and it could be known as a Hallmark Channel Original Movie.
Six years later, Dianne is a single mom taking care of her handicapped daughter Julia, with the help of her mother. One day, she meets young Amy Williams, who is growing up in a dysfunctional family
. Her father died and her alcoholic mother Tess gets involved with an abusive man, Buddy. Amy, trying to escape from her home life during summer, starts taking care of Julia. They soon befriend each other, which delights Dianne.
One day, Buddy, frustrated by the noise he is making, throws Amy's puppy from a bridge into the water. Amy, determined to save him, jumps after him and lands into the hospital. Child services are contacted and it is decided that Amy is not allowed to live with her mother anymore. Buddy has been arrested and Tess, who still loves Amy a lot, is forced to enter rehab if she ever wants to see her daughter again. In the meantime, Amy is taken in by Dianne.
Tragedy strikes again when she and Amy are hit by a drunk driver. Amy is not hurt, but Dianne is severely wounded. She is visited in the hospital by Mark, who wants a second chance. After questioning his motives for a while, she decides to forgive him. However, when she notices that he does not care about Julia, who will only have a few months to live, she dumps him. In the end, she accepts a proposal from David. Amy and Tess are reconciled.
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
television film directed by Dick Lowry
Dick Lowry
Dick Lowry is an American director and film producer.-Productions:*1980: Kenny Rogers as The Gambler *1983: Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues *1983: Smokey and the Bandit Part 3...
. The film is based upon Luanne Rice
Luanne Rice
Luanne Rice is the bestselling American author of twenty-five novels. She often writes about nature and the sea, and many of her novels deal with love and family....
's 2000 novel of the same name and was produced for the Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
. Hallmark Channel periodically airs this movie and it could be known as a Hallmark Channel Original Movie.
Plot
Brothers David and Mark McCune are both in love with Dianne Parker, their neighbor who has been living with her mother Hannah since the death of her father when she was 17 years old. Although David treats her better, Dianne falls in love with Mark. They soon marry and it does not take long before she finds out she is pregnant. When her doctor announces that her child will have severe genetic abnormalities, Mark advices her to have an abortion. Dianne refuses, however, and Mark leaves her.Six years later, Dianne is a single mom taking care of her handicapped daughter Julia, with the help of her mother. One day, she meets young Amy Williams, who is growing up in a dysfunctional family
Dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
. Her father died and her alcoholic mother Tess gets involved with an abusive man, Buddy. Amy, trying to escape from her home life during summer, starts taking care of Julia. They soon befriend each other, which delights Dianne.
One day, Buddy, frustrated by the noise he is making, throws Amy's puppy from a bridge into the water. Amy, determined to save him, jumps after him and lands into the hospital. Child services are contacted and it is decided that Amy is not allowed to live with her mother anymore. Buddy has been arrested and Tess, who still loves Amy a lot, is forced to enter rehab if she ever wants to see her daughter again. In the meantime, Amy is taken in by Dianne.
Tragedy strikes again when she and Amy are hit by a drunk driver. Amy is not hurt, but Dianne is severely wounded. She is visited in the hospital by Mark, who wants a second chance. After questioning his motives for a while, she decides to forgive him. However, when she notices that he does not care about Julia, who will only have a few months to live, she dumps him. In the end, she accepts a proposal from David. Amy and Tess are reconciled.
Cast
- Kimberly Williams as Dianne Parker-McCune
- Campbell ScottCampbell ScottCampbell Scott is an American actor, director, producer, and voice artist.-Life and career:Scott was born in New York City, the son of George C. Scott, an actor, director, and producer, and Colleen Dewhurst, a Canadian-born actress. He graduated from Lawrence University in 1983. His brother is...
as David McCune - Eric CloseEric CloseEric Close is an American film and television actor.-Early life:His father is an orthopedic surgeon, and Close is the eldest of three brothers. His family moved to Indiana, then to Michigan, and finally settled in San Diego when Close was seven years old.Close graduated with a B.A...
as Mark McCune - Alexa VegaAlexa VegaAlexa Ellesse Vega is an American actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for playing Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids film series and Shilo Wallace in the movie Repo! the Genetic Opera. In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The...
as Amy Williams - Blair BrownBlair BrownBonnie Blair Brown is an American theater, film, and television actress. She has had a number of high profile roles, including a Tony Award-winning turn in the play Copenhagen on Broadway, as well as a run as the title character in the television comedy-drama The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,...
as Hannah Parker - Roxanne HartRoxanne HartRoxanne Hart is an American television, film and stage actress. She may be best known for her role as Brenda Wyatt in the 1986 film Highlander. She is also known for the role of Nurse Camille Shutt on the Medical drama Chicago Hope....
as Tess - Tim Ransom as Buddy
- Amanda and Caitlin FeinAmanda and Caitlin FeinAmanda Brooke and Caitlin Ashley Fein are twin American actresses.Their first movie appearance was in Matilda in 1996, playing Matilda as a toddler. Since then, they have been in quite a few movies including Deep Impact, Baby Geniuses, and Follow the Stars Home.They were in The X-Files when they...
as Julia Parker-McCune - Patricia BelcherPatricia BelcherPatricia Belcher is an American film and television actress, best known for her role as the strict Estelle Dabney on the Disney Channel Original sitcom, Good Luck Charlie and as attorney Caroline Julian on Bones. She also appeared in the film Jeepers Creepers as a psychic.-Biography:Belcher was...
as Counselor - Judith Drake as Admitting Nurse
- Suzy NakamuraSuzy NakamuraSusan Aiko "Suzy" Nakamura is an American actress. She starred opposite Ted Danson in the ABC sitcom Help Me Help You. Nakamura has also had many guest appearances on American sitcoms such as According to Jim, Half and Half, 8 Simple Rules, Curb Your Enthusiasm and How I Met Your Mother and had a...
as Martha