Are you familiar with the Love Comes Softly series of films based on books by Janet Ochs and directed by Michael Landon Jr.? Well, here’s to a group of films that seem to be a hotbed of controversy despite their simplicity and beauty. Maybe you don’t see how these movies could be controversial. Let me explain.

Last week I checked Love’s Unending Legacy out of my local library - a great find, I think considering it was produced in 2007 and the story line was absolutely touching and chick-flicky.

My significant other, who I call Mystic on this blog, came in to ask if I’d watched the movie yet. “Yes,” I told him. “I watched it last night. It was SUCH a GOOD movie!”

He gets a sick look on his face and rolls his eyes.

“Oh, you don’t think so?” I said. “I love the simplicity, the love stories, and the fact that God is part of these movies.”

“That’s the problem,” he said. “I don’t need Christianity shoved down my throat.” He then launched into a soliloquy from which I had no recourse. Past experience had taught me not to dare getting a word in edgewise until he says, “You have nothing to say?” And then I’d better be careful what I say.

What I finally said was, “Okay, go watch your violence and bloodshed. To each his own.”

Honestly, I don’t see any problem with the way Christianity is depicted in these films. It isn’t all “in your face” type proselytizing. It is just a gentle matter of fact that American pioneer families were predominantly Christian and the church was a huge part of their social life. If they sit down at the dinner table to say grace, that’s a realistic part of the story, not an attempt on the part of the producer to introduce subliminal suggestions to convert viewers.

Honestly, I’m not a Christian, in fact, I think I may have found my guru and I’m thrilled about that, and still doing quite a bit of seeking to decide… and I’m totally not a joiner. (Been there done that and then literally gave away the t-shirt after 30+ years servitude.) But Christian or no, I absolutely LOVE seeing people relate to God and express their spirituality in these precious movies - which were created from novels written by Janet Ochs. Who can object to that?

Anyhow, if you want a decent, heart warming family-centered movie, the Love Comes Softly series is excellent.

A pregnant woman who doesn’t want to be a mother; a husband who doesn’t know how to care about his wife, two ditzy waitresses, a handsome doctor, and a sweet little old man. These are a few of the characters in the odd but intriguing chick flick melodrama, Waitress.

Keri Russell  stars as Jenna, a young woman whose fantasies take the form of creative pie recipes. She works as a waitress at Joe’s Pie Diner, along with two other waitresses, Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly). Though she is miserable when she finds out she’s pregnant with her abusive husband’s child, her co-workers give her a baby diary in which she writes letters to her unborn child.

Unable to restrain herself, she passionately throws herself at her handsome obstetrician, Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion) and he gladly engages with her in a torrid extramarital affair. This sets the scene for a roller-coaster pregnancy and plenty of soul searching.

This is a cute movie with plenty of depth as Jenna feels her way through her distress. It brings up ethical issues when she involves herself in the illicit affair, and many will find themselves disgusted with the doctor-patient relationship. Still Jenna redeems herself and the beauty of the film triumphs over the confusion and pathetic attempts at finding happiness.

I enjoyed the creativity of this movie - it definitely wasn’t your ordinary chick flick comedy though there were many amusing moments. For example, when Jenna finds out she’s pregnant she imagines a new pie recipe and names it “I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby Pie” - shortened to “Bad Baby Pie”. She sees a mother with a tyrant of a boy-child in the restaurant and though you don’t hear her say a word, you know what she’s thinking. And Dawn’s first reaction to her odd, persistent new boyfriend is understandable - he’s quite a dweeb.

A regular customer at the restaurant is Joe (Andy Griffith) who claims to own Joe’s Pie Diner. He warms to Jenna, occasionally extending his old-age wisdom and advice. I loved Andy’s performance - he was perfect in every way.

At the official website you can name your own life-inspired pie.

Note: Adrienne Shelly was the writer and director of this unusual chick flick. She also played the role of Dawn. A tragedy occurred, and a great talent left us. This amazing, creative woman was murdered in November 2006 in New York during a failed robbery, leaving her husband and two-year-old daughter, both of whom had bit parts in the movie. The 19-year-old murderer was sentenced to 25 years without parole in March 2008.

Waitress has its own official blog with interviews, news, reviews, and more.