Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

bkoganbing In what could have been an average celebratory film of the American small town turned political when they named what was the villain, that organization in league with the dark forces of the universe, the American Civil Liberties Union.Dr. Candace Cameron Bure for reasons I'm still not clear on decides to drive cross country to the Hamptons to marry another pricey society doctor Andrew Bongiorno. But warrants for her unpaid tickets catch up to her in Normal, Louisiana and she's given a choice by the Grand Poobah of the place Lou Beatty, 3 days community service or some jail time. Actually Bure gets the jail time anyway as they fix up lodging for her in one of the cells. The way Otis Campbell was lodged after a night's toot. It really does look like Mayberry.Beatty is judge, doctor, coroner and a few other things and he's also black. Now that's most unMaybery like in many ways. He's thinking that Bure is a heaven sent someone to take over his practice as he is terminal as well. And pretty soon Bure is in step with the slow pace of life.But this film went from being average fodder for the Hallmark Channel when the guy who Bure is falling for Trevor St.John is representing the town in a suit filed by the ACLU. Someone from Massachusetts passing through their fair city objects to the neon cross on public land. As if anyone from the homogenized town of Normal would ever object. I would hate to be a Jew, a Moslem, a Sikh, a Latino migrant worker or worst of all gay in that place. And an organization that champions these outsiders, must be from the dark side. I'll bet there weren't 3 votes for Hillary from this place.Finding Normal's message is that this is the only way to live just be like the Stepford like population of Normal. God help you if you are not.

Ann Frailey (johnj-02245) Finding Normal was an enjoyable movie for the whole family. There were humorous moments and some poignant phrases that brought the film to a deeper level. As a mother with young children, it is nice to come across a movie that doesn't scare them or embarrass me. The acting was very well done and I enjoyed the country scenery. It was refreshing to see small town life portrayed in a positive light, exposing some of the stereotypes that float around unchallenged. I was also pleased to see homeschooling portrayed as a viable option for a "normal" family, again challenging certain unfair stereotypes. Overall, the film gently but honestly depicted American small town life in a friendly, understanding manner supporting strong family values and challenging some of the more sensational small town depictions that other films like to portray.

hazletine-dooley There are so many errors in this film, it is nearly ludicrous.A successful woman surgeon, leaving Los Angeles to drive to New York for a job in the Hamptons where she will making obscene amounts of money is caught speeding and, unable to pay the fine, she sentenced to three days' community service in a small rural NC town. She is taken under the wing of the judge, a black man who guides her through several poignant experiences and community gatherings wherein she finds God and changes the direction of her life.The whole premise of the movie is preposterous, but the part I resent is the portrayal of a non-existent idyllic lifestyle in small rural NC town without the recognition of the rampant poverty that exists in such towns.The notion that a small, apparently all white rural NC town would hero worship a black man, making him their spiritual, civic, and legal leader is preposterous. Furthermore, it is most unlikely that in NC, a black man would have been allowed to adopt white children in the 80's, or even now for that matter.That a Yankee would find such an immediate welcome in a small NC town is questionable.The idea that providing leftovers from a pancake breakfast to those in need is a laudable act worth mentioning in an area where one in four children is undernourished in abominable.I could rant on, but I won't.

utgard14 Candace Cameron Bure plays a doctor traveling from Los Angeles to her wedding in the Hamptons when she's pulled over for speeding in the town of Normal, North Carolina. Because she has a lot of unpaid tickets, she's taken before a country judge who sentences her to serve as the town's doctor for three days to pay off her fine. While there she starts to fall for the small town and one local man (Trevor St. John) in particular.What a pleasant surprise this was. I think it's impossible to dislike Candace Cameron Bure unless you have some serious personality issues. She's likable, pretty, and endearing. The supporting cast is good, too. A lot of times in these types of TV movies, you have a couple of recognizable leads and then a bunch of bland Canadians (I kid, I kid) filling out the rest of the cast. But here the cast is full of personable actors. Lou Beatty, Jr. is a standout and nearly steals the movie. The sheriff's deputy and the little girl are also very nice. My only real problem with the cast is Trevor St. John playing the small town guy Candace's big city doctor is inevitably supposed to fall for. For starters, his accent is a bit much. Everybody in the town has a Southern accent but this guy is full-on Gomer with it. Also, his character is kind of a jerk from the moment we first meet him. Throughout most of the movie, there's this condescending air about him that I didn't quite like. Nice kiss at the end with Candace, though. Pretty hot for this type of movie, I gotta admit.As others have pointed out, the story is similar to the Michael J. Fox movie Doc Hollywood. Although Candace does very little doctoring, really. There are some plot gremlins, as well. For one thing, she has to stay in the town to serve out her sentence because they don't accept credit or debit cards (really?) and the town's only ATM is broken. Also, she apparently has no checks because "where I come from we don't use those." Well this is all just contrived silliness. She could probably call her bank and have the money transferred or any other of a half-dozen solutions that would end the movie's plot before it really begins. Also, the outstanding tickets that she has are not local so I'm sure Los Angeles would not be thrilled to know that instead of getting its money, this lady worked a few days as a doctor in Mayberry. But this is all just hole-poking and perhaps a bit unfair so I would advise just shutting your brain off and enjoying it for what it is.Some of the critiques I've read come from reviewers with obvious axes to grind and personal agendas to pursue. This movie has no pretense about being what it is nor does it try to be sneaky or subversive. I watched it on a channel that primarily shows Christian-themed programming. I knew it was going to be a movie of a certain type. If I (or anybody else) was uncomfortable with that, why watch it? Yet some people apparently did watch it, all the while with their fists clenched over the perceived outrage being perpetrated on them. Takes all kinds I guess. Things do go off the rails a little bit when they bring the ACLU into the plot. It just seems pretty unbelievable that so much is happening in this small town during Candace's brief stay. But, again, suspension of disbelief is our friend here.So, final result is that it's a very nice TV movie despite its flaws. Charming turns from Candace Cameron Bure and Lou Beatty, Jr. go a long way to making it work. Speaking of Mr. Beatty, I would like to address a comment by another reviewer. The reviewer said that this movie was a "poor remake of Doc Hollywood but with less black people." What an asinine statement. I didn't realize there was a set number of people of any kind that every movie had to have. But since the reviewer saw fit to go there, I would just like to point out that Lou Beatty's character is more important to the plot of this film than any black character in Doc Hollywood was.