Strong Points
Keith eventually does view himself as a parent, and he defends the “truth” of his parenthood. While Keith is engaging in a legal battle with the agency, his family discourages him from continuing. He asks his mother, “How much would you spend to get me?” His mother counters that it’s “not the same thing,” but Keith says, “It’s exactly the same. Like any good father, I’ll go get my child back.”
Challenges
Keith and Kim pursue adoption even though Keith is not particularly interested and his family is unsupportive. It is concerning when assessing a family if their extended family is against to the adoption. It really should be a deal-breaker if one of the parents doesn’t like to adopt.
The social workers come across as pretty heartless. I realize that this reflects the experience that a few people have – and the fear that others have – of social workers – but lots of us are pleasant.
A few of the legal proceedings (and under-the-table dealings) in the movie feel, well, unpleasant. I wonder how often made-for-TV movies are the source of folks’ expectations of adoption.
Weak Points
The movie could have the impact of making the relationship between adopting parents and adoption agencies far more adversarial than it really is.
It’s difficult to tell whether Keith is fighting for his own right to parent, or if he’s really fighting for what he thinks will be best for Brittney.
Recommendations
There is always a few level of interest when a movie involves a single adoptive father, but the movie is a bit over-emotional, over-dramatized and not super-helpful. It’s probably a “pass.”
A Change of Heart is available on fmovies in 720p HD quality and you can watch it for free
