When Andrew Came Home (2000)

Realistic drama showing the bitter side of divorce

Five-year-old Andrew lives with his mom, Gail, and stepdad, Eddie. They have fallen into a normal rhythm of life which includes allowing Andrew's natural father, Ted, visitation rights every other weekend. This weekend should have been like any other when Ted and his teenage girlfriend come to pick Andrew up. Instead, they kidnap him for five years.

As his mom and stepdad await his return they try to go on with life, having another son of their own. Then suddenly, Ted calls out of nowhere and asks Gail to meet him at a pay phone to meet Andrew. After a morning's rat race Gail and Eddie reunite with him as he gets off a bus at a local bus station. He is wearing raunchy clothes and clearly undernourished.

When they take him home the emotional damage that he's endured is painfully obvious. He doesn't trust adults but seeks comfort in his new baby half-brother, E.J. But Eddie is adamant about his stepson's behavior which is proving to be a danger and leaves with his own son.

Now Gail must choose between keeping her new family together and sending her son away to a state institution because he is not adapting to school or to her. She takes him away to her brother's farm where he opens up socially but still is not up to par on his schoolwork.

In the end he does reconcile with his mother, recounting the horrific abuse that he suffered from Ted and his girlfriend. The family comes back together to try again. Ted is later prosecuted, but it does not say how long. We are not told whether Andrew recovers his education in any way or not.

Excellent gut-wrenching drama with a brilliant performance from Seth Adkins. January 12, 2008

Taming Andrew

This movie is wonderful yet heartbreaking. Park Overall,(Empty Nest), portrays Gail Carlson, a devoted and loving mother. Seth Adkins (First Do No Harm, Funky Monkey), portrays Andrew Carlson.

Gail lets her ex-husband, Ted and teenage girlfriend have Andrew for the weekend. Ted doesn't return the child as promised that evening. Agonized and stressed out, Gail and her new husband, Eddie await Andrew's arrival. However, he doesn't get back until 5 years later.

Andrew is not the same child he was. He has severe emotional problems brought on by the abuse at the hands of his real father. Gail goes to a child psychologist to get help.
Social Services is called in and and the representative wants Andrew put into a special on-campus school for disturbed and handicapped children. Gail refuses to go along with this. She does not want to lose her son again. Gail takes Andrew out of regular school where he is teased and ignored by the other kids.
She teaches Andrew at home and on her brother Jack's farm. At the farm, Andrew loves the animals but is bored with having to do homework. At the end of the movie, Andrew finally reveals to Gail the bad things his father and girlfriend did to him.

Gripping and very emotional performances. Seth Adkins is great here. A talented young actor has done even more feature films and TV shows.
You'll need a box of kleenex while watching this sad but overwhelmingly thought-provoking movie. April 25, 2007

Taming Andrew is awesome entertainment and information.

Taming Andrew is a must see for anyone interested in child development and the consequences of the lack of guidance by a loving and responsive parent/guardian. The plot acurately portrays what took place in real life when andrew is kidnapped by his criminal father at an early age and returned about age eight. Andrew has had neither love or parenting during his captivity. It is now up to mother, who loves him very much, to make up for the lost socialization and bonding processes that are essential in those early years. Highly Recommended, without any reservation!!! December 14, 2006

TV movie on dvd

The sole reason for watching this film is an incredible acting performance from 10-year-old Seth Adkins. If it weren't for his abilities as an actor, this film would be a complete waste of time.

The adult roles in this film, particularily that of Park Overall, were a complete disappointment. When she tells her toddler that he's a "silly boy", I could almost hear her reading the script out loud. The same occurs when she asks her child's doctor if he can help her..... after countless visits. Perhaps this can be blamed to poor screenwriting, but the actress performing in this role did not improve in the film's weaknesses.

Moreover, the teleplay includes dialogue from Andrew at age 3 or 4, saying words and phrases that no child that age would ever say.

The first twenty minutes or so of this tv-production is filled with horrendous acting.... yet the amazing performance by young Seth Adkins in the latter portion of this film does indeed salvage the movie to a "viewable" standard.

I hope this young actor is successful in his career, and can make the difficult transition to an adult actor.

It is a made-for-television movie, so perhaps my expectations are a bit high. I'd recommend this film for a one-time viewing, but would never wish to own the film as a part of my dvd collection. August 11, 2005

Family Abduction

This movie is a start for those wanting to know how serious family abduction can be for a child and also for the family. Dismissed as not a serious crime, this movie should be seen for the devastating consequences for the child and left behind parent/family. Only wish the film was longer and covered more, but it was sufficient in its story. October 1, 2004

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