A Step Toward Tomorrow

Judith Light is wholly believable as a fiercely loving divorced mother trying desperately to find help for her younger son, paralyzed after a diving accident. James Welch Henderson Arkansas 4/12/21.

This movie is about a single mother, who has two sons, one of them is in a wheelchair because of an accident which happened two years earlier. They all move to a new town, where they try to establish themselves, and tries to find a new doctor who maybe can help the boy, so that he can be healthy again and live without so much pain.

Judith Light is excellent as the mother, Anna Lerner, who tackles every situation with a good sense of humor, and seems to be a very good and loving mother, who just wants the best for her sons.

Tom Irwin plays Dr. David Decker, who does everything he possibly can to help the family, and....well, I won't reveal too much of the plot, but he certainly likes them all, and is very likeable himself.

Fans of Christopher Reeve and Brad Dourif (whom I am one of) will probably be a bit disappointed because they don't have much time in this movie, but they seem very believable and act great in the short time they do get on the screen.

-I couldn't avoid laughing when Dourif was introduced by the kid's as "Kirby, the gravedigger...people say he's insane and has buried 10 people alive!!"... because he almost always plays psycho-roles like that, but this one was quite different, and not at all mentally deranged (well, maybe a little bit, but in a good way).

Chistopher Reeve is Denny Gabrial, a man in a wheelchair (of course), who becomes very good friends with the little boy in the wheelchair. It is a very sympathetic role, and it is nice to see him make a comeback to the screen again, although his role is somewhat small and not really a part of the plot.

When all adds up, this is a movie who kids may like (because it shows the relationship between two brothers, and how hard it is to cope with the fact that ones brother is disabled, and so forth). Parents will probably also like it, because it shows how hard it can be to be a single parent, having a handicapped child, etc.

Even though I mostly watch action-movies, this one was good in another way, and I give this movie 7/10, because I felt good watching it, and had a good feeling after it ended, and also because I liked the cast.

Does anyone know if this movie is based on a true story? I have seen it twice and it is inspirational. It is a great example that shows what a mother wouldn't do for their child. This also includes fathers who have to play dual roles as both father and mother. I thank you if you can find out the answer to my question. I have spinal conditions, endo (it won't allow me to spell out this disease), and chronic pain due from them. I run and CO-run support groups both Online and Offline for spinal conditions, endo, chronic pain, and also eating disorders. I am here for anyone who need support. Again, I thank you and I wish everyone well.

This is an exceptional movie. I usually am wary of Judith Light and her tearful performances. She is always crying in every film she makes. But here is one where you'd think the tears would be gushing. But they aren't. Either the director watched her carefully or she did this on her own. Where there could have been crying jags, there wasn't. As though she felt the focus should be on her children. Good for you, Judith. Both boys were well played. Beautifully played.

The moment for me was in seeing Christopher Reeve in the small role of a wheelchair bound man who helped the young boy understand he wasn't alone. This film was shown a day after Mr. Reeve's passing. So, to this viewer, it had much more profound depth in it's message. For surely, Mr. Reeve spent his lasting years in trying to bring attention to us all as to the needs to those stricken with this paralysis. It was bittersweet and very hard to watch at times. My heart goes out to the Reeve family in their loss. I applaud the message being told in this film and the courage Christopher Reeve lived to his final days.

This is a really sweet movie. The characters are well-developed and likeable. A lot of time is spent on the relationship between the brothers and why the older brother feels he needs to spend so much time caring for the younger brother. Then of course, there's a love story here too.