Hard Promises

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to enjoy this movie. The description of the movie is listed with the movie. I enjoyed it because it kept me connected to the characters emotionally. Joey Coalter(William Petersen)has an itch to travel and see knew places. He takes care of his family by providing for them. He remembers birthdays and sent a bike to his daughter Beth(Olivia Burnette).The only problem is he's neveer there. His wife Christie(Sissy Spacek) realizes that in the 12 years they've been married, he'd been home less than half the time. She decides to get an divorce. She choses a long time friend Stuart (Peter MacNicol) to process the divorce. They didn't know where Joey was so they posted ads in newspapers asking him to contact them. Christie waited the specified amount of time and having Joey not contact them, the divorce was finalized. At the beginning, the viewer is introduced to a boylike character in Joey Coalter. But as the film movie develops we discover that Joey has no idea what he has done wrong. For him it's a perfect relationship. They both do the things they love and they meet 4 or 5 times a year. She is no longer a girl and wants a stable relationship. She finds this with an old friend, Walt(Brian Kerwin). The one thing that bothers me most is the lack of assistance Joey gets from his best friend Pinky(Jeff Perry). Pinky claims that he tried everything to contact Joey, but couldn't. It makes me wonder how serious he was, considering Joey's 12 year old daughter Beth was able to reach him. The part that angered me was that Christie let her best friend walk all over her. I think Pinky's wife Dawn(Mare Winningham)manipulated Christie in filing for divorce. She is constantly putting Joey down and extolling Walt's virtues. In the end, Joey finally realizes what he did wrong and lets go of Christie finding that true love for her he always thought he had. Though all the performances in this movie are wonderful, I found the chemistry between Petersen and Olivia Burnette charming. I always cry at the end of the movie, even though I've watched several times since I got it.

I love the chemistry between Sissy Spacek and William Peterson. She's adorable; he's a cutie. Hard not to enjoy a movie with the two of them.Easy to find faults in the move (like how can a young girl find her Dad by mail when no one else could), but if you just don't think too hard about all the details, it's a beautiful story.I rated 4 instead of 5 for just a few things that I didn't like about how this portrayed the characters; but I won't spell them out. You decide on your own.

"Hard Promises" is a bit like a doing a rural remake of "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" into which you incorporate the basic premise of "Sweet Home Alabama". While not in the same league as the former, it is considerably less offensive than the latter-which it may have inspired.Billed as a romantic "comedy", the film contains little humor (unless you are still amused by small town stock characters) and nothing profound in the romance department. But like "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" it is about the interplay of love, freedom, and caring among people who have allowed a considerable distance to grow up between each other.It features a nice performance by Sissy Spacek (who looks unexpectedly sexy and beautiful) and a nice portrayal of a charismatic character by William Peterson. Yet they are both upstaged by Olivia Burnette who plays the Francie character (handled so well by Peggy Ann Garner in "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn").Joey Coalter (Peterson) is an aimless free-spirit who neglects his wife and daughter while drifting around the country. Like Johnny in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" he is full of unfulfilled promises and pipe dreams. He returns on the eve of his wife Christine's (Spacek) wedding; having been alerted by his daughter that Christine has obtained a divorce during his latest absence. About all Joey has going for him with viewers is that he loves both his daughter and his wife. About all he still has going for him with Christine is the charisma of a free- spirit and a continuing physical attraction.His daughter Beth (Burnette) is his ally in his attempts to salvage their family, as she is not particularly fond of her mother's fiancée (Brian Kerwin). Kerwin's stable but boring character is the polar opposite of Joey and she thinks her mother is overcompensating for Joey's historical unreliability."Hard Promises" is mostly dedicated to exploring Joey's inherent and impossible to change aimlessness. This gets a little oppressive if you are looking for a dynamic story but the film is a successful exercise in unity and style. The score and the editing reinforce this theme and provide a surprising number of really beautiful and moving film moments. The climax is unconventional and they go out on a nice scene between father and daughter.It is an unexpectedly slick production, a triumph of style over substance.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I adore Sissy Spacek and always thought William Petersen was gorgeous. So it seems a no-brainer that I would enjoy watching a film with the two of them. I think Spacek and Petersen had just the right chemistry to make this bittersweet romance work. I would have preferred a different ending, but I loved the rest of the story.This movie and the story it tells has a real-life feel to it. A couple since high school, the characters (Joey & Chris) drift apart as they grow older and find they want very different things out of life. The whole film takes a light-hearted approach to a usually serious topic.As much as I absolutely love this film, I will agree that not everyone will. It is a plain-jane, no special effects, ordinary-story film that probably did not cost a whole lot to make.I find it so charming that I want everyone to feel the same way, but not everyone will. I guess it really helps if you like the very manly Petersen with his cute bowlegged self.

Well made small romantic fare enhanced by the talent of Sissy Spacek and William Petersen as a husband and wife at odds with each other over their broken marriage.

Hi...unfortunately I did not realise that some U.S./Canadian DVDs would only work in those countries, so I had to return the DVD to Canada. The company assured me that I would get a full refund, and I am still waiting for confirmation of that on my account. The DVD arrived well before time,so no problem there. I should have checked that the rules applying to DVDs such as CSI apply/do not apply to other items emanating from that part of the world.So service,fine,watching of Billy Petersen DVD not so fine....shame!!!!!

Very happy with the item good sellerTo deal with many thanks