February 25, 2002
Billed as the Painter of Light, Kinkade claims to be "the most collected living artist" and the heir apparent to Norman Rockwell. This sugarcoated modern fairy tale reflects the pastel-tinted idealism of Kinkade's paintings and is clearly intended to extol the power of prayer as put forth by Protestant Christian doctrines. Taking temporary leave of her Boston bank job, 32-year-old Jessica Warwick returns home to the idyllic nearby village of Cape Light to help her older sister, Emily, the town's mayor, care for their domineering mother, who has suffered a stroke. Thinking of her budding romance with sophisticated Paul Copperfield, an older career-oriented man, Jessica is counting the days until her mother recovers sufficiently so she can leave this prosaic, Bible-thumping town and return to her job in the city. Outside of the church, the quotidian life of the community centers around the Clam Box, a local eatery operated by Charlie and Lucy Bates. Charlie, a vocal critic of Emily's leadership, is mounting a campaign to oppose her in the upcoming election. Unbeknownst to Emily, Sara Franklin, the college girl waiting tables at the Clam Box, is the daughter she gave up for adoption two decades ago, following her husband's tragic death. Meanwhile, Jessica finds herself falling for Sam Morgan, the town's jack-of-all-trades. As Jessica's growing attraction to churchgoing Sam conflicts with her career-oriented dreams, the plot sags under a surfeit of trite, blatantly proselytizing Christian subplots and syrupy sentimentality. (Mar.)Forecast:With his chain of galleries across the nation, Kinkade has recourse to built-in channels of marketing and distribution, so expect healthy sales.