Candles on Bay Street (2006) starring Alicia Silverstone, Eion Bailey, Polly Bergen, Matthew Knight, James Rebhorn, Annabeth Gish directed by John Erman Movie Review

Candles on Bay Street (2006)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Alicia Silverstone in Candles on Bay Street (2006)

Finding Parents

Sam (Eion Bailey) and Lydia Timmons (Annabeth Gish) have a nice life together, working side by side at their vets practice. That is until Sam sees his ex sweetheart Dee Dee (Alicia Silverstone) has returned to town with her son Trooper (Matthew Knight) as her arrival threatens to cause a rift in his marriage as Lydia can clearly see how much they still get on and meant to each other. But Dee Dee has returned for a secret reason as she is dying of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and she is looking for the right someone to look after Trooper when she has gone. As the town learn the truth and realise that Dee Dee is not going to get better they rally around her to make her final days the best they can be whilst Dee Dee's spirit has an effect on those she meets.

I think "Candles on Bay Street" is the fourth or fifth movie I have watched which features a storyline about a dying mother trying to find someone to look after their child once they are no longer able to and inevitably are no longer around. As such within minutes of "Candles on Bay Street" I could see where this movie was going to lead and whilst it meant it made this a no brainer movie I didn't mind as I was in the mood for a Hallmark take on this familiar storyline.

Yes, if you didn't already know "Candles on Bay Street" is a Hallmark movie and as such it is slow, sweet, sentimental, emotional and charming, oh and of course it is obvious as well. And now I find myself at a loss as to what else to write because those aspects mean we are ultimately in familiar territory for a Hallmark movie and one which doesn't go down the gritty route. As such the performances from the likes of Alicia Silverstone, Eion Bailey and Annabeth Gish are all enjoyable in a pleasant way but the characters are all on the lightweight side and you know early on that Gish's Lydia is going to struggle with initial jealousy as the return of Dee Dee brings back memories of their childhood together. But for fans of Hallmark movies this doesn't matter because it delivers that Hallmark movie experience which is what so many people watch their movies for.

What this all boils down to is that "Candles on Bay Street" doesn't hold many surprises as it uses a familiar storyline but it does so in an easy to watch manner with plenty of Hallmark charm which to be truthful is what you expect and what you watch for.


LATEST REVIEWS