The Lost & Found Family (2009/Sony DVD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Feature: C-

 

 

A silly, sappy but harmless production that feels like Lifetime Network co-funded it, Barnet Bain’s The Lost & Found Family (2009) is about a rich woman whose husband has been lying to her about their money.  The rude awakening happens when he dies and leaves her a run-down house.  Turns out a foster family lives there, so what will she do, throw them out or what?

 

Of course, the story (thin as it is) is about self-discovery and how money does not mean everything and she is not portrayed as mean-spirited, but this can be somewhat condescending and its know-it-all (with “love”) mentality just does not gel.  It is predictable and we have seen this kind of thing done much better before.  There is also the fact that producers got lucky with co-star Lucas Till as one of the orphans because he is in the dreadful Hannah Montana: The Movie (reviewed elsewhere on this site).  At least this is ambitious by comparison.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image can be very soft and even have issues like edge enhancement, aliasing errors and motion blur that can be awful.  There are enough good shots to keep the letter grade where it is, but it can be really bad, so beware.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo sound is slightly better and very much on the flat side.  There are no extras, unless you count previews and we will not.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo