''The Note'' is a 2007 American-Canadian

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Douglas Barr Douglas Barr (born May 1, 1949), also credited as Doug Barr, is an American actor, writer, and director. He has starred in movies and on television. Barr was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His big role came in the American Broadcasting Company, ...

and starring

Genie Francis Eugenie Ann Francis (born May 26, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Laura Spencer (General Hospital), Laura Spencer on the television soap opera ''General Hospital'' from 1977 to present, for which she won a ...

and

Ted McGinley Ted Martin McGinley (born May 30, 1958) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jefferson D'Arcy on the television sitcom '' Married... with Children'' and as Charley Shanowski on the ABC sitcom ''Hope & Faith''. He was a late regular ...

. The movie aired on

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...

on December 8, 2007. It is based on the novel by

Angela Hunt Angela Elwell Hunt (born December 20, 1957) is a prolific Christian author, and her books include ''The Tale of Three Trees,'' ''The Debt,'' ''The Note,'' and ''The Nativity Story,'' among others. Biography Career Angela Elwell Hunt was born in ...

. It was filmed on location in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

Plot summary

Newspaper columnist Peyton MacGruder (

) 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

as Peyton MacGruder *

as Kingston "King" Danville * Rick Roberts as Truman Harris *

Genelle Williams Genelle Williams (born February 18, 1984) is a Canadian actress who is best known for her roles as Kim Carlisle in ''Radio Free Roscoe'', as DJ in '' The Latest Buzz'', and as the innkeeper Leena in '' Warehouse 13''. Career Acting in high scho ...

as Mandi *Maria Ricossa as Nora *

Katie Boland Katie Boland (born 1987 or 1988) is a Canadian actress, writer, director, and producer. She began her career as a child actress in film and television and has since branched out into adult roles, in addition to writing, directing, and producing ...

as Christine *Jim Codrington as Reverend Tim Lavery *Heather Hanson as Taylor Quist *Gord Rand as Tanner Walton

Differences from the novel

*The book does not take place in the winter time, therefore it is not surrounded by the Christmas holiday. *The book's events take place in Tampa Bay,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. In the movie, the events transpire in Middleborough,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. *In the movie, Katie Boland's character is named Christine. In the book, she's named Lila.

Promotion

To support the premiere of the film,

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?’ The website has since been disconnected.

Reception

''The Note'' became

’s highest-rated film of 2007 and third highest all-time rating. ''

DVD Verdict DVD Verdict was a judicial-themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. The editor-in-chief was Michael Stailey, who owned the website between 2004 and 2016, and the site employed a large editorial staff of critics, whose reviews ...

'' called it "syrupy", but that fans of other

-type fare will "find a treasure trove of positivity and middle-aged sexual tension."

Sequel

Due to the success of the movie for

, a sequel was made,Futon Critic: Hallmark Channel Press Release 10/17/2008
/ref> entitled ''

Taking a Chance on Love "Taking a Chance on Love" is a popular music, popular song from the 1940 Broadway musical ''Cabin in the Sky (musical), Cabin in the Sky''. It was introduced by Ethel Waters playing the role of Petunia Jackson both on Broadway and later in the 19 ...

'', which was written by

. (''The Note'' author

did a

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

of Barr's script.) The original cast returned to reprise their roles. Another sequel, ''Notes from the Heart Healer'', was broadcast on May 12, 2012.

External links

''The Note''
on

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Note 2007 television films 2007 films 2007 drama films American drama films Canadian drama television films English-language Canadian films Films based on American novels Films shot in Ontario Hallmark Channel original films Films directed by Douglas Barr 2000s American films 2000s Canadian films