In what could have been an average celebratory film of the American small town turned political when they named what was the villain, that organization in league with the dark forces of the universe, the American Civil Liberties Union.Dr. Candace Cameron Bure for reasons I'm still not clear on decides to drive cross country to the Hamptons to marry another pricey society doctor Andrew Bongiorno. But warrants for her unpaid tickets catch up to her in Normal, Louisiana and she's given a choice by the Grand Poobah of the place Lou Beatty, 3 days community service or some jail time. Actually Bure gets the jail time anyway as they fix up lodging for her in one of the cells. The way Otis Campbell was lodged after a night's toot. It really does look like Mayberry.Beatty is judge, doctor, coroner and a few other things and he's also black. Now that's most unMaybery like in many ways. He's thinking that Bure is a heaven sent someone to take over his practice as he is terminal as well. And pretty soon Bure is in step with the slow pace of life.But this film went from being average fodder for the Hallmark Channel when the guy who Bure is falling for Trevor St.John is representing the town in a suit filed by the ACLU. Someone from Massachusetts passing through their fair city objects to the neon cross on public land. As if anyone from the homogenized town of Normal would ever object. I would hate to be a Jew, a Moslem, a Sikh, a Latino migrant worker or worst of all gay in that place. And an organization that champions these outsiders, must be from the dark side. I'll bet there weren't 3 votes for Hillary from this place.Finding Normal's message is that this is the only way to live just be like the Stepford like population of Normal. God help you if you are not.

The second song played during the Foundation Day Dance is NOT 'Stay" by Jake Smith as credited. It is "Something Like You" by Jason Martin & the Corner Pocket. It is available as a digital download on Amazon & it is included on the CD The Blackout Sessions also at Amazon. You will be disappointed if you buy "Stay." What an injustice to Jason Martin & Corner Pocket. Time to get the lawyers involved. Jason Martin & the Corner Pocket are doing OK though. Two CDS on Amazon so far.I pay attention to the songs I hear in movies & watch the credits if I hear a song I like but can't identify the title or artist. This is a glaring mistake & should be corrected by those responsible. I pity the people who have purchased the Jake Smith CD!!

Even though the town bought a very small plot of land around the cross to get around the law, they were the bad guys who were made to look good in this filmAlso what is wrong with eating good food. Sushi is made fun of in this film along with lattes and all the things considered uppity Why was there only one black person in the town Why did the streets look busy When only 321 people lived thereWhy does going to church make you a good person When you are serving peopleThis movie is not worth your time but the start is cute

(Minor spoilers ahead) On one hand, Finding Normal treads very familiar ground: woman city slicker doctor lands like a fish out of water in a ridiculously good-natured burg in the middle of nowhere and has to rethink her priorities while first sparring with--then falling for--the good-looking bachelor town mechanic. The characters are likable, the filming and acting are fine, and the whole enterprise is nice, but a little forgettable.But then, something amazing happens which is eye-opening in that that you come to realize that something so ordinary is basically never seen in this genre of movie. The characters of this middle-America town are revealed to contain large numbers of practicing Christians who seem to actually take their faith seriously as a part of their life, and are nevertheless portrayed as, well, normal folks.They go to church on Sunday, they attend pancake breakfasts where they actually socialize like normal folks, and they seem like genuinely nice people. They're not a secret glassy-eyed cult; they're not simpletons or hateful bigots who treat outsiders with disgust; they're not covert hypocrites living out endless perversions in private while breathing fire and brimstone at the pulpit... or any of the countless tropes that have been beaten into the ground for decades by Hollywood.Perhaps most shocking, they also don't express the sort of lukewarm, formalistic faith which is the only sort that Hollywood seems to allow Christians to possess on film--the kind that makes mealy-mouthed reference to "some greater power" while never actually saying the "G" word. Instead, the characters in this town are regular folks who believe in God, and are just fine with that. They're open, non-self-conscious, and frankly, a lot like the actual people of faith in the real world.That this sort of character is _never_ seen in a romantic comedy--or for that matter, almost any movie outside of the "Christian Movie" ghetto, is what was most surprising to me as I watched this film.If the female lead had expressed a deep interest in the healing power of crystals, it would have simply marked her as a "free spirit" and it would have fit comfortably in with the genre; if the characters had been seen bowing to Mecca at some point, it would have been "edgy". But perhaps the most subversive thing that Finding Normal manages is to actually incorporate Christians into a romantic comedy without turning it into a religious film. As such, this initially has the effect of shocking you out of the "rom-com" zone somewhat as a viewer--and that itself speaks volumes for the way Hollywood has formalized its suspicion of (primarily Christian) religion into the way stories are presented on film.