Jake's Corner

Fifteen years after his parents' death in a plane crash, former football player Johnny Dunn (Richard Tyson) is living in rural Jake's Corner, AZ, where he runs a roadside diner. Tragedy strikes again when his sister and brother-in-law perish in a car accident, leaving behind a son, Spence (Colton Rodgers), so the uncle becomes a surrogate father until an aunt can take the boy in. But Spence, who doesn't remember the accident, thinks that his parents are recovering in a hospital, and Johnny winds up convincing the townspeople, who welcome the orphan into their midst, to keep the façade intact. Spence gets to know the eccentric locals, including painter Lianus (Ky Moni Abraham), janitor Clint (Danny Trejo), ex-medic Doc (Grammy winner B.J. Thomas), and Fran (Diane Ladd), who's never gotten over a loss of her own and lives in isolation (Johnny visits her each Sunday). As an actor, Tyson is blandly inexpressive (writer-director Jeff Santo may have written the character that way, but the performance still seems unduly terse); however, his costars make up for the deficit. This solid family film sometimes flirts with clichés about loss and acceptance, but there are no formulaic bad guys here—greedy developers and the like—trying to break up the close-knit community, and that's a welcome and refreshing difference. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include behind-the-scenes footage with costar B.J. Thomas; a Fox News segment on director Jeff Santo and his father, former Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo; and a Phoenix Suns game time featurette with co-producer Dan Majerle. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid family film.] (K. Fennessy)