The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
| 09 May 1999 (USA)
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn Trailers

In the small Southern community of Twin Pines, GA, lives Noah Dearborn, a master craftsman and farmer who cherishes his solitude almost as much as the local townspeople cherish him — especially restaurant owner Sarah McClellan. But when greedy real estate developers set their sights on Noah's land and he rejects their six-figure offer, this taciturn man is forced to summon all his strength in order to defend not only his property and way of life, but his sanity.

Reviews
mdavisinspirations

They just do not make movies like this anymore. It brings out all the emotions and a lot of life lessons. Sidney Portier is great as usual, and SLP really puts on her acting chops. Dianne Weist has always been a favorite and does not disappoint. I recommend this movie to everyone and any age.

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johnston-11

I totally enjoyed this movie. The story line was interesting and the acting was good. Poitier and Parker did an excellent job. The supporting actors were good too. I thought it was very good for a TV movie. The flashbacks were great filling in the background information, with smooth transitions and was easy to follow. It had variety with some humor and a lot of drama. The ending was satisfactory which is a big thing to me. You leave the movie feeling good. I loved it and bought my own copy. Highly recommended. Appropriate for children - another big plus for me. There was no offensive language, sex or violence. My teenage children watch it with me and like it too.

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dragoneyez01

Decent TV-movie, but it's unrealistic and this is not my type of movie anyway. There are very few (if any) Hallmark movies that I enjoy, because, again, it's not my favorite genre of movie.Sidney Poitier plays a 91 year old local carpenter and legend, Noah Dearborn who is still in good health and is always working. Developers try to buy him off his land, including up-and-coming lawyer Christian Nelson (George Newbern). He brings his girlfriend and psychologist (Mary-Louise Parker) to try to prove Dearborn isn't of sound man in order to get him off his land.Decent, mushy, sweet premise that will attract some people, I guess. But, the plot holes are numerous. Supposedly Dearborn was born in 1909, yet his house looks like something out of the late 1800s. Dearborn never gets sick. Oh yeah, that's believable. Everybody gets sick once in awhile, it's inevitable ... especially if you're a laborer and work outside a lot (even more likely during winter, which he does). Dearborn is a major figure in the community and goes around town a lot, yet he'd never heard of the Beatles. Also, the film would've been more believable if they'd actually casted someone who was actually 91 years old - at least it would give some credibility to the film. Of course, there is no actor that old who isn't in as good mint condition as Dearborn. (Poitier was born 1927, almost 20 years younger than the character he plays.)Though full of plot holes, there is one good point. Sidney is a great actor, and he pulls this roll off flawlessly, despite horrible preachy lines that kind of weaken the work he put into his roll. As far as the rest of the cast... Well, for the most part, their acting is flat. The writing in the film is also flat (probably the cause of the bad acting). Another reviewer wondered why Poitier's talent is being wasted on these types of movies. I have to ask that too. He's one of the best actors ever, yet, gets sappy rolls like this that weren't thoroughly thought out.This movie really should've been thought out more. But, I guess the audience this movie targeted really don't think about the holes in the plot. I wouldn't ever bother seeing this movie again.Rating: 4/10

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Merleman

I thought that this movie was a wonderful feel good movie. The performances by all of the characters were incredible. Seeing a movie like this makes me enjoy watching movies when others trash up the screen. Sidney Poitier again shows why he has helped to shape the guidelines that actors strive to achieve. Thanks to anyone connected with this movie.

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