Excellent but underrated film

Beautiful, moving film.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

I confess I did not make it through this film. The Truman Capote short story is a perfect little blend of cruel satire and genuine nostalgia; this movie only gets the "nostalgia" part, and does it in ways we've all seen before. Everything is shot in deep, super-saturated color and you can predict everyone's lines a couple of seconds before they emerge from the actors' mouths. After a very few minutes, I realized that the adapter/director Mark Medoff intended to convert all that was good in the story into "inspirational" treacle for the family-film trade (complete with one of the most maudlin movie scores ever) and I skipped to the end to see if, at any rate, the movie would have the courage to honor the short story's pitiless conclusion (without which it has no point at all). Of course, it didn't. Lily-Jane's final "wistful" closeup (as the bus doors shut on her face) might kindly be called nauseating.

I stumbled on 'Children' on TV yesterday. Became totally engrossed in the story and by the end found myself crying for those years of innocence lost and not sure what young Americans have gained. This is a film for those who want to look back through a rosy lens and see ourselves as we wish we were. It may not be Truman's story but he would have enjoyed it. I was brought up in the North in the 40's, 50', and 60's and did not experience the discrimination that Truman did. But for the rest--it's my mom, my dad, my neighbors and me. Thanks to the producers for breathing life into this story.

I noticed the title and blurb on Showtime In Demand as I was just looking for something to watch. My wife and I have enjoyed several other pieces (the Grass Harp, A Christmas Memory based on Capote's work, and it also looked like the type of movie we could enjoy with our grandkids. But, never did it occur to me that this would turn out to be the best film I've seen since A Beautiful Mind. It turns out that Children On Their Birthdays is a very special film.The first thing about this unheralded masterpiece that grabbed me was the score -- an ideal score for this idyllic fable. The next thing is the town, the fields, the swimming hole, the clothes -- all the visuals that make the town come so utterly alive -- every color and fabric evocative of this picaresque southern town in 1947. Next, the exposition of the characters, introduced through various vignettes, gives us insights to a dozen interesting townsfolk who we recognize and care about. Sheryl Lee Diamond is incredibly dead on as Billy Bob's mother -- Billy Bob being the lead character. The young actor playing Preacher, however, steals every scene he is in. Christopher MacDonald plays the sturdy Speedy with just the right hint of uncertainty. And, Tom Arnold is perfectly cast as the dapper con man who almost takes the life out of the town -- if not for our heroine -- and good ol' Preacher. The nuances at the town talent show and at the Country Fair sequences were also perfect. Another casting coup was getting Phyllis Frelich to play the role of the mute Mrs. Bobbitt.I think Children On Their Birthdays is a magnificent film with unexpectedly high production values. I highly recommend it.

This was probably the best movie of 2002 and I've seen a lot this year. This movie had it all. A Bunch of Stars , the girl from "Malcom in the Middle", Weston Mueller from "One on One" , TWO boys from "Varsity Blues" and a bunch more... there is even Sheryl Lee, Tom Arnold and Christopher Mcdonald. Plus its a really funny movie. Its a new classic and brings a tear to the eye. It would make Truman Capote proud! So go see this movie. And there is a Celine Dion song at the end that you cant find any where else....So See it and Enjoy it!! : ) Peter