one of my absolute favorites!

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

The family happiness is crumbling when, the from the beginning rich father Ward (Michael Ontkean), gets poor and cannot support the family any longer. Then the mother Faye (Jaclyn Smith) has to take the role as the breadwinner in the family and starts to work in order to support the family and at the same time, periodically alone, has to manage the family life. Not always that good, but as good as she can. The family life hardly gets easier when the father learns that the son Lionel (Joe Flanigan "Stargate Atlantis") is gay and is living together with his lover John (Joel Gretsch "The 4400") also an old family friend, resulting in that the father makes clear to Lionel that he is no longer welcome in the family. Lionel is the one who meant the most to his sister Anne (Leslie Horan) during her up-bringing, since the family neglected her. Anne cannot stand the fact that their father have cut the cords with Lionel and therefore she run away from home. As this wasn't enough, the son Greg (Brian Krause "Charmed") enlists in the marines and is sent to war. The storyline in this film can on some occasions feel a bit thin, in spite of that it still has a lot of realism in it, which makes it well worth seeing. Since this film illustrates many sensitive relations and situations, I would believe that it is best appreciated by a mature audience even though it wouldn't hurt for teenagers to see it and get something to think about before adulthood.

OK, first, it's Danielle Steele, so take that into consideration. Characterization is one-note, the acting isn't all that awesome, and honestly, if you're checking it out here twelve years after the fact, it's probably because you're a fan of Joe Flanigan's work on Stargate: Atlantis and you want to see what else he's done.Having said all that - I kind of love this. Flanigan is very sweet as the token gay brother, all shy glances and lowered eyelashes. Jaclyn Smith is no better than you expect, and as the above reviewer said, the clothes are just wrong. BUT, if you're in the mood to sit down with some girlfriends for a pizza-and-movie night (beer optional), and watch a movie that will make you laugh and unexpectedly get a tiny bit emotional, this is the one. My friends and I have watched it several times, and the love just grows.

I loved this movie it was a great portrayal of a family who had it's share of ups and down, but in the end they knew that special love they had for each other. I have seen many movies starring Jaclyn Smith, but my god this was one of her best, though it came out 12 years ago. This movie contained an all-star cast, and what I loved the most was that it opened my eyes to see other actors who I haven't seen before. This movie was kind of long in length, but I enjoyed every minute of it. It is a movie that you can sit down with your family and watch, though we would have to cover the kids eyes a few times due to the discretionary love scenes. Overall I rate this movie a 10 out of a 1-10 scale. Lifetime does not air it enough, so if anyone knows what store sells it let me know because this is a must-have.

I have seen this movie and read the book. I think it's a lot more than 'mediocre trash'. It's an extremely good movie. Yeah, some things were predictable but it's still worth watching. I would very much recommend this movie. And i recommend the book.