Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

HotToastyRag In this adorable television movie, George Newbern is a real estate developer. He has his eye on a rural property in a small town, owned by a very old man. When he approaches the landowner, he's adamant about not selling, so to get his way, George recruits his psychologist girlfriend, Mary Louise Parker, to meet with the man and say he's mentally unfit to keep his property. But when she goes to the town, she's instantly charmed by the man and other residents.There's so much to love about this movie. While I normally find Mary Louise to be obnoxious, she's actually sweet in this film and didn't get on my nerves. Sidney Poitier plays the title role in his second-to-last film, and he's just as dashing and charming as he was forty years earlier. Everyone in town loves Sidney, and it's easy to see why, since he makes beautiful furniture and is also the local handyman. Dianne Wiest has such a big crush on him that she purposely breaks things in her house just to get him to come over! It's so adorable, and they have a darling rapport together.Sterling Anderson's script is both truthful and cute in its description of Sidney's character—and thereby, Sidney himself. Every single person in the story references how handsome and youthful Sidney is, even though he's supposed to be very, very old. If you like Sidney Poitier movies, or Hallmark-esque feel-good movies, you'll love The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn. I do!

johnston-11 I totally enjoyed this movie. The story line was interesting and the acting was good. Poitier and Parker did an excellent job. The supporting actors were good too. I thought it was very good for a TV movie. The flashbacks were great filling in the background information, with smooth transitions and was easy to follow. It had variety with some humor and a lot of drama. The ending was satisfactory which is a big thing to me. You leave the movie feeling good. I loved it and bought my own copy. Highly recommended. Appropriate for children - another big plus for me. There was no offensive language, sex or violence. My teenage children watch it with me and like it too.

david_thatcher I watched this movie twice. I think it was a wonderful movie. I realize today's nihilistic generation calls simple wisdom and gentle goodness by such epithets as "sappy morals" and "hackneyed lines", "platitudes" and - it is as if the only innovative plots and topics are those that have to deal with sex and drugs, satanism and destruction. If these topics are what today's maturity is all about, I want no part of it. You can take American Pie, Fight Club, American Beauty, and the rest of your critically acclaimed trash, watch it over again if you want. But this is not the place for this discussion I suppose. And what of Noah being a "carpenter god" and always involved with his work? Is it still OK for a man to love what he does? Is it still OK, in this age of families who uproot every few years to move to the next city that provides a rung up in the career ladder, in this age where books like "Who Moved My Cheese" now mock those who have decided to stay where they are, in this age of consultants and temp workers, is it still OK to anchor down? Today's prevailing "cultural" attitudes and tastes for movies and entertainment dealing with degradation are moving us toward the world portrayed in Clockwork Orange. Is that what you want? I'll take Noah's world anyday.

dragoneyez01 Decent TV-movie, but it's unrealistic and this is not my type of movie anyway. There are very few (if any) Hallmark movies that I enjoy, because, again, it's not my favorite genre of movie.Sidney Poitier plays a 91 year old local carpenter and legend, Noah Dearborn who is still in good health and is always working. Developers try to buy him off his land, including up-and-coming lawyer Christian Nelson (George Newbern). He brings his girlfriend and psychologist (Mary-Louise Parker) to try to prove Dearborn isn't of sound man in order to get him off his land.Decent, mushy, sweet premise that will attract some people, I guess. But, the plot holes are numerous. Supposedly Dearborn was born in 1909, yet his house looks like something out of the late 1800s. Dearborn never gets sick. Oh yeah, that's believable. Everybody gets sick once in awhile, it's inevitable ... especially if you're a laborer and work outside a lot (even more likely during winter, which he does). Dearborn is a major figure in the community and goes around town a lot, yet he'd never heard of the Beatles. Also, the film would've been more believable if they'd actually casted someone who was actually 91 years old - at least it would give some credibility to the film. Of course, there is no actor that old who isn't in as good mint condition as Dearborn. (Poitier was born 1927, almost 20 years younger than the character he plays.)Though full of plot holes, there is one good point. Sidney is a great actor, and he pulls this roll off flawlessly, despite horrible preachy lines that kind of weaken the work he put into his roll. As far as the rest of the cast... Well, for the most part, their acting is flat. The writing in the film is also flat (probably the cause of the bad acting). Another reviewer wondered why Poitier's talent is being wasted on these types of movies. I have to ask that too. He's one of the best actors ever, yet, gets sappy rolls like this that weren't thoroughly thought out.This movie really should've been thought out more. But, I guess the audience this movie targeted really don't think about the holes in the plot. I wouldn't ever bother seeing this movie again.Rating: 4/10