Anne of Green Gables 2016

     This film is based on a novel by L.M. Montgomery.  Anne Shirley is an orphan and she is accidentally sent to a couple looking to adopt a boy.  At first, Marilla Cuthbert wants to send Anne back but she can’t bear for her to go back to the orphanage.  Marilla tries to arrange for a family to take in Anne but that doesn’t work out.  Matthew Cuthbert wants Anne to stay even though she is the most inventive and talkative person he has every met.  Marilla decides that Anne can stay, she can do chores that will help both Marilla and Matthew. 
  
     Most of the content is kid friendly but Anne’s friend Diana Barry accidentally gets drunk when they are having a tea party together.  There are a number of flashbacks into Anne’’s past that hint at violence, physical punishment and unpleasant living conditions.  Anne has spirit and perseverance plus there are messages about family, friendship and love.  I have seen several versions of the Anne of Green Gables story and this is a good one.  I enjoyed the portrayals by the actors and the story line.  4* (I liked this movie) 
  
90 min, Drama directed by John Kent Harrison and written by Susan Coyne, Lucy Maud Montgomery with Ella Ballentine, Martin Sheen, Sara Botsford and Dan Dillabough, Julia Lalonde, Kate nennig, Stefani Kimber, Linda Kash, Drew Haytaoglu, Kyle Gatehouse, Tannis Burnett, Richard Binsley, Sophia Roberts, Jaime Feggi, Sean McCann, Alanis Peart.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10 with 1240 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 40% audience with 53 ratings, Common Sense Media Emily Ashby, age 7+, positive messages 5*, role models 5*, violence 1*, sex 2*, language 0, consumerism 0, drinking drugs & smoking 1*, Metacritic 63 out of 100 with  63 critic reviews (positive 3, mixed 1, negative 0), Amazon 3.6* out of 5* with 448 reviews, Letterboxd 2.9* out of 5*, indiewire.com Grade B-.
  
Special Note:  Ella Ballentine in the role of Anne played a small role in the TV series Reign.  Megan Follows previously played Anne in the 1985 film and she is a main character in Reign.  Martin Sheen’s character was previously played by Richard Farnsworth.  Both Farnsworth and Sheen appeared in Firestarter and The Dead Zone.  Colleen Dewhurst played Marilla in the 1985 film.