A Walton Wedding (1995) starring Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, Michael Learned, Jon Walmsley directed by Robert Ellis Miller Movie Review

A Walton Wedding (1995)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Michael Learned and Mary Beth McDonough in A Walton Wedding (1995)

A Wedding on Walton Mountain

The year is 1964 and John-Boy (Richard Thomas) is living in the city where he works as a writer but he has also met Janet Gilchrist (Kate McNeil) who has agreed to marry him. The trouble is that whilst John-Boy and Janet would like just a small wedding Janet's Aunt Flo (Holland Taylor) has other plans and starts to interfere in their plans. Frustrated not only by this interference but also an article he is writing on Grandma Walton (Ellen Corby) John-Boy decides to head home to Walton mountain to spend some time with the family and Grandma where he learns that all mention of Grandma's father has been erased from the family bible. There are other things going on back at home with John Walton (Ralph Waite) having become a County Supervisor finds him self at conflict with the family lumber business over a business opportunity which the other residents are opposed to whilst Olivia (Michael Learned) struggles having returned to college and come up against a lecturer who doesn't feel she belongs in school at her age.

Nostalgic warmth, that sense of being transported back to your younger days when you come across an old favourite. It is something which I feel when ever I catch a rerun of "The Waltons" and something I also felt when I sat down to watch "A Walton Wedding" the second of the made for TV Walton movies which came in the 90s after the series had ended. Having said that these movies feel different to the old series but the minute we are back in the company of any of the Waltons or the sisters it is like coming home to a warm embrace.

Eric Scott in A Walton Wedding (1995)

So what do we get in "A Walton Wedding", well we have several little stories from John-Boy's wedding to Jason's wife Toni going in to labour at a surprising moment. All these little stories allows for each of the Waltons to have a part to play but they kind of feel disconnected and the sense of family doesn't quite materialize like it did in the old series. But at the same time this kind of makes sense and the emptiness of the Walton house whilst strange is befitting of a family who have been making their own lives. In truth at times "A Walton Wedding" lacks the heart which made the series such a charming experience.

But as I said the minute we are in the presence of any of the family there is still that nostalgic vibe and it is like catching up with old friends be it John-Boy who has moved to the city to sweet little old Grandma and it is so nice to see Ellen Corby again. I could go on and it is the familiar old faces and the chemistry they have when in scenes together especially when it is the entire Walton family which makes this still worth a watch for Walton fans.

What this all boils down to is that "A Walton Wedding" does have a different feeling to the old show but it still has some of that nostalgic, wholesome charm which will delight anyone who grew up watching the antics of John-Boy, Grandma and Olivia to name but a few.


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