Rails & Ties (2007) PG13 - 3 Stars

This is a pretty sad movie staring Kevin Bacon, where it seems like every one's life is falling apart, but out of the tragedy also comes happiness. With that feel of a made for Television drama, the acting is good just not over the top. Bacon plays a train operator who's wife is dying of cancer and he avoids the inevitable by accepting as much work as possible. When his train hits and kills a woman, he will learn the value of life. I wish they would have gone into more detail on why the mother put herself in front of the train, wanting to kill herself.

Tom (Kevin Bacon) and Megan Stark (Marcia Gay Harden) are a couple dealing with cancer. Megan has had chemotherapy and one breast removed and her prognosis is not good. But instead of Tom spending as much time as he can with his wife, he chooses work instead to not have to deal with the pain. On a long run to Seattle, his train, the Coastal Starlight, hits a woman, in a car who's given up on life. She intentionally parks her car on the tracks with her son Davey (Miles Heizer), strapped in beside her. When Davey realizes she has taken too many drugs to wake up, he must flee the car as the train takes it away, killing his mother.

Davey is sent to protective services and placed in a foster home with a horrible woman who was hoping for a girl instead. After a very short period of time, Davey cuts the window screen and escapes. He shows up at Tom and Megans house accusing Tom of killing his mother. The couple sees Davey's pain and decide to give him safe harbor, hiding him in their home bringing new life to all of them.

Warner Independent Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Director: Alison Eastwood
Writer: Micky Levy
Producers: Barrett Stuart, Robert Lorenz, Peer Oppenheimer

I viewed 5/09