More often than not when you mention a movie is a Hallmark movie people tend to scoff because of the lack of realism and general sugar coated niceness which often permeate a Hallmark movie. And whilst it would be fair to say that many a Hallmark movie does accentuate the positives whilst playing down the negatives it also achieves something special and that is to be inspirational, uplifting and whilst not really realistic a pleasure to watch. And that is the case of "The Reading Room" starring James Earl Jones as it is another uplifting, positive tale which skims over the negatives to deliver a sweet inspiring story which will put you in a better mood once watched.

Following the death of his wife Helen, William (James Earl Jones - Field of Dreams) watches a video she made with her dieing wishes on it, one of those wishes is for William to set up a reading room in the Oakdale neighbourhood. Loyally William does what his wife wished and sets up the reading room. Whilst slow going to start with as no one comes in he begins to win around the neighbourhood as he helps a youngster to learn to read. But it's not a smooth ride as Oakdale is a rough neighbourhood and between break-ins and being car-jacked William has to persevere to make it work especially as the local Reverend seems to object to him being in the neighbourhood.

To be honest the storyline to "The Reading Room" is both slim and obvious but it works well enough as we watch William following his late wife's wishes. It's a case of being a charming tale as not only does William help many of the people who come into the reading room he sets up but in turn they help him by filling the gap in his life left by the death of his wife. As such along the way we watch William help a young child to read better, help someone who is struggling on their SATs as well as giving a young criminal called Javier a chance to go straight. There are no surprises and you know by the end of the movie not only will William have helped all of these people and been accepted into the community but also in doing so found himself an extended family.

But the thing is, and it's often a criticism of Hallmark movies, is that "The Reading Room" is not really a realistic drama. We watch as William's ride to set up the Reading Room is littered with problems from criminals to not really understanding children yet it's all so simply sorted. For example William gets Car Jacked at gun point and it's a case of oh well his brother in law picks him up, he takes it on the chin and buys another car. It's all too nice without any gritty reality and as such it does feel a little too saccharine by the time it ends. But then by being a nice movie which doesn't try to be dark or gritty it achieves something special and that is on top of being inspirational it is also uplifting.

As for the acting, well ignoring the lack of grittiness there is a naturalness to the performances of the supporting cast with Monique Coleman, Gabby Soleil and Douglas Spain all giving solid performances. But "The Reading Room" is really all about James Earl Jones as William and Jones does a wonderful job of carrying the movie on his shoulders. The character of William may not have a great amount of depth but Jones manages to take us on his journey from being this nice guy with little idea of running a reading room for children to someone who becomes a father to many. Yes, it's not a realistic character but William is such a nice guy you do wish that he was real and that there were people like him in every street.

What this all boils down to is that "The Reading Room" is very much your stereotypical Hallmark movie and as such isn't that realistic as it doesn't embrace the grittiness of the situation. But then in a way it doesn't matter because the story is charming and is as you would expect inspiring and up lifting and in many ways that makes it a thoroughly enjoyable movie worthy of watch at least once.