The Note (film)

Last updated
The Note
Thenote DVD.jpg
Based on The Note
by Angela Hunt
Written byPaul W. Cooper
Directed by Douglas Barr
Starring Genie Francis
Ted McGinley
Theme music composer Eric Allaman
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersWilliam Spencer Reilly
Joel S. Rice
Karen M. Waldron
Cindy Bond
Producer Steve Solomos
CinematographyDerick V. Underschultz
EditorCindy Parisotto
Running time88 minutes
Production company Faith & Values Media
Original release
Network Hallmark Channel
ReleaseDecember 8, 2007 (2007-12-08)
Related
Taking a Chance on Love

The Note is a 2007 American-Canadian made-for-television drama film directed by Douglas Barr and starring Genie Francis and Ted McGinley. The film aired on Hallmark Channel on December 8, 2007. It is based on the novel of the same name by Angela Hunt and was filmed on location in Hamilton, Ontario.

Contents

Plot summary

Newspaper columnist Peyton MacGruder (Genie Francis) finds a note addressed simply to 'T', washed up on shore. It appears to be from the victim of a recent plane crash, and carries a message of hope and forgiveness from a father to his child. MacGruder's readership is down on her column (called "Heart Healer"), and the paper is going to dump it unless she starts to write from the heart. Inspired, MacGruder decides to find the intended recipient of the note, all the while logging her journey through her article. As the mystery unfolds, the note affects each person she contacts significantly.

Cast

Differences from the novel

Promotion

To support the premiere of the film, Hallmark Channel launched a website on October 22, 2007 called www.WhatWouldYouWrite.com, where viewers could submit their own personalized notes to family and friends and answer the question 'who would you reach out to if you only had a minute?' [1] [2] The website has since been disconnected.

Reception

The Note became Hallmark Channel's highest-rated film of 2007 [3] [4] and third highest all-time rating. [5]

DVD Verdict called it "syrupy", but that fans of other Hallmark Channel-type fare will "find a treasure trove of positivity and middle-aged sexual tension". [6]

Sequel

Due to the success of the movie for Hallmark Channel, a sequel was made, [7] entitled Taking a Chance on Love, which was written by Douglas Barr. [8] [9] The Note author Angela Hunt did a novelization of Barr's script. The original cast returned to reprise their roles. [10] The film's premiere scored a 2.9 household rating with 2.5 million homes, over 3.3 million total viewers and 4.2 million unduplicated viewers for Hallmark Channel. This ranked the movie as the highest-rated ad-supported cable movie of the week and the highest-rated Prime Time telecast of the day. It also boosted Hallmark Channel to rank #1 in Prime Time for the day on Saturday. The film helped rank Hallmark Channel #7 in Prime Time for the week with a 1.1 household rating, 983,000 homes and over 1.3 million total viewers. [11]

Another sequel, Notes from the Heart Healer, was broadcast on May 12, 2012.

References

  1. Hallmark Channel Press Release 10/17/2008
  2. Hallmark Channel Press Release 9/24/2007
  3. Christian Cinema Newsdesk 1/8/2009
  4. Futon Critic: Hallmark Channel Press Release 12/2/2008
  5. Christian Cinema Product Catalog
  6. DVD Verdict The Note Review
  7. Futon Critic: Hallmark Channel Press Release 10/17/2008
  8. Taking a Chance on Love official site Archived 2009-01-21 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Marill, Alvin H. (2010-10-11). Movies Made for Television: 2005-2009. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. ISBN   978-0-8108-7659-0.
  10. "The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love". Dove.org.
  11. Hallmark Channel Press Release 2/3/09 [ dead link ]