Down Will Come Baby [Region 2]
by Gregory Goodell
![Down Will Come Baby [Region 2]](/images/Down-Will-Come-Baby-Region-2-B0000C24LX-L.jpg)
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DVD details
Actor: Diana Scarwid, Evan Rachel Wood, Katie Booze-Mooney, Meredith Baxter, Tom AmandesDirector: Gregory Goodell
DVD: Region Code 2
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: PAL
Picture Format: 1.33:1
DVD Reviews of Down Will Come Baby [Region 2]
DVD Review: you will enjoy it
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't usually watch these types of TV movies because they are generally very melodramatic and have rather unrealistic storylines. However, I decided to break my rule and watch "Down Will Come Baby" because it has 2 of my favorite TV actresses in it! Academy Award nominated (Inside Moves) Diana Scarwid plays Dorothy McIntyre. And, Emmy winning Meredith Baxter, who is perhaps most famous for Family Ties (or those horrible movies about Betty Broderick ,) stars as Leah Garr. Tom Amandes plays her hubby, Marcus and E. Rachel Wood plays their daughter, Robin. This movie is based on the book by Gloria Murphy.
I really enjoyed this movie, because it was so dramatic and rather over-the-top. Before I get to that, I wanted to discuss a few aspects which were rather unrealistic. First, the Garr's lived in an apartment in Phoenix, AZ. I know for a definitive fact that there aren't apartments in Phoenix that look like this. What they had was actually a bi-level townhome that is much more common on the Eastcoast (NY or NJ.) In Arizona, especially in Phoenix and Scottsdale it is incredibly rare to find a home that has an upstairs; and it is completely unheard of to see this in an apartment! And did you notice their kitchen! It was huge! Most kitchens in AZ homes are not "eat-in" because who wants to be stuck cooking in a hot kitchen when the temp is like 100 degrees! But it is absolutely unheard of to see a kitchen like this in a Phoenix-area apartment. They are those small standard galley-kitchens that big-city apartments usually have. Those 2 inaccuracies really took away from the authenticity of the movie.
But there was another aspect of the picture that was even more unrealistic. Robin and her mother looked very much alike. However, did you get a good look at Robin's father? Tom Amandes (the actor who portrayed the father) is obviously of Latino descent, but the child was w-h-i-t-e, she wasn't mixed. What's up with that? Is the casting director trained to "think outside the box" and always have a "close attention to detail?" I think not.
During the beginning of the picture it was somewhat slow-moving. The conversations with Leah and Marcus were somewhat uninteresting. Meredith Baxter played the frazzled, workaholic mother perfectly. She was in a (somewhat) strained relationship with her husband who all of a sudden decides to take a job out of state (in CO.) This was all decided while Robin was at camp. The young actress who played her was excellent. She came off as very believable but not too overdone, as is usually the case in child-actors.
Anyway, Robin befriends a girl at camp who at first is timid but soon comes out of her shell. Amelia (Katie Booze-Mooney,) seems somewhat meek and shy and is often busy writing (very) long letters home to her mom. Tragically, there's a freak accident and poor Amelia passes on. Robin is heartbroken and blames herself.
Once home in Phoenix, Robin bounces back perfectly. Although she misses having a mom around. By now Leah is relegated to sporadic weekend visits only.
At the park one day Robin meets a mysterious lady who she's never met before. Dorothy comes and sits beside her and the two chat. Dorothy acts as if they were old friends. The following day Robin is pleasantly surprised to see Dorothy moving into their apartment building. And the following day Dorothy comes to Robin's home to ask for some assistance because she locked herself out. Marcus (Robin's dad,) gladly helps Dorothy. And, the following day Dorothy comes by and gives Robin some flowers (for her dad) as a thank-you. She also comes into Robin's home and helps her with her homework. Marcus invites Dorothy to stay for dinner and thus a new friendship is born!
OK, so up until now, everything seems pretty normal and Dorothy doesn't seen out of the ordinary. She seems very warm and friendly. You may be thinking that she has designs on Marcus? Not at all. Her only interest in befriending Robin. Pretty soon, Dorothy is around Robin every single day. She is taking pictures of her, taking her to dance class and helping her make cookies.
Marcus didn't see anything wrong with this. I suppose like any man, he was just glad to have a woman around to take care of his kid. Men aren't really that good with kids. I'm sorry if that's sexist but it's the truth. Women (most of them) have a natural motherly ability and Diana Scarwid really was able to show that. She seemed so patient and welcoming to Robin. Leah did not like what was going on. She told her husband more than once "we do not know anything about this woman." Of course it was to deaf ears. As I stated, what man is going to say no to free babysitting from an otherwise sane looking middle-aged woman?
For the most part Robin enjoyed having Dorothy around because she had a new person to talk to that seemed to undertand her. Her dad was always working and her mom was working/living out of state so there wasn't a stable adult in her family who was always there for her. But over time Dorothy starts getting even more possessive and clingy. She starts taking more and more photos of Robin. And she tells her a story about her sister who died as a young child which creeped Robin out.
It gets so bad that Robin is practically running every time she sees Dorothy. But Dorothy will not give up. Finally Robin calls her mom and tells her that Dorothy is bothering her and her mom tells her dad (from out of state, over the phone.) Marcus could care less about any of this. He is going out of town and lined up Dorothy to be his free babysitter so he wasn't going to mess any of that up.
Leah became almost as determined as a mama-lioness, protecting her pack. She went to the airport and demanded to get back to Phoenix on the next flight. Unfortunately all the flights were booked and the soonest she could get home was the following morning.
Meanwhile, Marcus explains to Robin that her mother's on her way home but he would still need to have Dorothy babysit her until her mom shows up. What the hell is wrong with this father!!!??? When a child says they do not want to be around another adult it's a parent's job to protect them! And if he couldn't have found a replacement babysitter then he should of canceled his arrangements and stayed with his daughter. I am absolutely stunned by his blatant carelessness.
When Dorothy shows up Robin hides out in her bedroom. For the most part all seems to be well, until they have a disagreement. Dorothy winds up going nuts and hitting poor Robin in the head! Anywho, the movie ends somewhat predictably. Dorothy kidnaps Robin and it's revealed that she was in fact Amelia's mother! ...Who didn't see that coming!
As you may know, this particular release was for distribution in the UK. Region 2 DVD's will not play on a standard US (Region 1) DVD player, unless you own a worldwide player (but even some of those can't always play all formats.) If you do want to watch this movie, I recommend trying to find it on either Lifetime or on the Lifetime Movie Network (it's shown at least a few times a year.)
This is an interesting movie that parents especially will appreciate. Because it proves that you can never tell who someone is simply by looking at them! I really hate to say it, but even a sweet old grandmother is off limits if I do not know her! Sorry, but that's the crazy world we live in today!
DVD Review: The greatest film of all time.
Summary: 1 Stars
Young Evan Rachel Wood is my favorite actor, and I'll watch her in anything. Within this context, it must be acknowledged that certain things are more watchable than others. The CBS Television production 'Down Will Come Baby' fares perhaps least well of all possible options. It's hard to imagine it being more enthralling than the advertisements for pain relievers and sanitary napkins that would have aired during its commercial breaks.
The real touchstone for any film in this category is the presence of Meredith Baxter, who comes through here with one of her patented made-for-TV performances. Surely she is as good as the movie deserves, but that doesn't mean she isn't acted off the screen not only by Evan Rachel Wood and Diana Scarwid, but also by a coat rack, a blender, a filing cabinet, and a couple of potholders. Of course I am making up the potholders, along with the other inanimate objects in my list. I encourage you to watch for yourself, if only so that you can make up your own list with objects that actually appear on-screen. (I think there is a filing cabinet, though.)
Analyzing the minutiae of why 'Down Will Come Baby' does not satisfy seems largely overwhelming, so instead of offering my usual thoughtful review, I'll reprint the words of ERW herself, as told to Entertainment Weekly:
''I had to do a scene in a terrible movie, and my best friend was supposed to have drowned. I didn't know how sad I should be, and the director said, 'Act like you just lost a baseball game.' I was like, 'What? I don't play baseball.' So I had no emotion at all.''
Enough said.
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