The Lost Valentine

The Lost Valentine  I had always thought of Betty White as a comedienne, and an excellent one. But it turns out that she can also do drama, and here she delivers an Emmy-worthy performance. Clearly the World War II era and the story of the Greatest Generation still has a hold on the American psyche, and this story captures that. It’s about an American World War II widow named Caroline Thomas, whose veteran husband has been missing since 1943 and is presumed dead, yet she goes to the train station where she last saw him in hopes of welcoming him home. Her story catches the attention of a television docudrama network and they assign crack reporter Jennifer Love Hewitt to cover it. She initially dismisses the assignment, but quickly becomes attached to both the story and to Caroline and her family, especially her handsome grandson Lucas (Sean Faris). However, the story delivers some surprises. The ending, while perhaps far-fetched, is surprising and moving. There are a few unexpected twists to the story and a few which are no surprise at all. Yet even the obvious points don’t matter. The entire cast delivers credible performances, but White truly commands the story. The moment when White’s character finally tells her husband goodbye is an example of film making at its best. This show is a credit to everyone involved.