Love's Resounding Courage (2011) starring Wes Brown, Cheryl Ladd, Bruce Boxleitner, Julie Mond, Morgan Lily, Willow Geer, Tyler Jacob Moore directed by Bradford May Movie Review

Love's Resounding Courage (2011)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Wes Brown as Clark in Love's Resounding Courage (2011)

More Love and Hope

I've lost track of which movies I have watched from the "Love Comes ... " series because these movies which were originally adaptations of Janette Oke's novels have grown into a sprawling collection. It hasn't helped matters that I haven't had the fortune to watch them in order and so have had to deal with piecing together how one story relates to another because the word sprawling doesn't do the way these movies have grown justice. But here I find myself having watched "Love's Resounding Courage", also known as "Love's Everlasting Courage" which is the follow up to "Love Begins" and is inspired by Janette Oke's "Love Comes Softly" series.

As "Love's Resounding Courage" is the follow up to "Love Begins" we pick up the story with Clarke (Wes Brown) and Ellen (Julie Mond) married with a daughter Missy (Morgan Lily) and a few issues. There is a drought so Clarke is struggling on the farm, this leads to financial difficulties with the bank breathing down their neck over the loan and forces Clarke to accept that Ellen will have to work in town for the local tailor, something she is happy to do. With Clarke's parents Lloyd (Bruce Boxleitner) and Irene (Cheryl Ladd) visiting things are awkward as he feels a bit of a failure but when tragedy strikes he is glad they are there and glad of the support of the locals.

Cheryl Ladd as Irene in Love's Resounding Courage (2011)

By calling "Love's Resounding Courage" a routine movie, a typical episode from the "Love Comes Softly" series is not being derogatory because these movies have a certain style, a pattern which makes them work and changing that pattern would be a big mistake. As such "Love's Resounding Courage" gives us trying times for Clarke with his faith tested as everything seems to be going against him, in that sense it is remarkably real as why is it in life when one thing knocks you down 5 more things are there to keep you down. But as is typical with kindness of locals, some encouragement and fatherly love things start to turn around and good things start to happen not just for Clarke but also his friends Ben and Sarah.

The thing about "Love's Resounding Courage" and all the episode in the "Love Comes Softly" series is that whilst the story is always important it is the wholesome way in which it is told which makes it work. I've mentioned it before in my over reviews but these "Love Comes Softly" movies are a cross between "The Little House on the Prairie" and "The Waltons" with that Christian message and goodness permeating every scene. It does mean that on one hand "Love's Resounding Courage" is cloyingly sentimental for those not use to it but a sheer joy for those who yearn for wholesome entertainment where swearing is forbidden and the nastiest it gets is an angry look.

As for the acting well I can assure you that you won't remember the characters which the likes of Wes Brown, Bruce Boxleitner and Cheryl Ladd play but you will enjoy watching them.

What this all boils down to is that "Love's Resounding Courage" is a typical episode from the "Love Comes Softly" series, delivering everything you have come to expect from these movies with a pleasant wholesomeness. It is no better or worse than those which have come before and if you yearn for good clean entertainment then this will work.


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