On H List of Movie Reviews
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Heartbeat (1993)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
12/20
12/20:
Heartbeat is the first Danielle Steel film for me.
My expectations were kept low, thinking it might be similar to the content on Lifetime. Well, I was wrong because
Heartbeat is an absorbing movie that's highly realistic in terms of relationships, abortion, integrity, and
life-changing choices.
It goes without saying that John Ritter is the heart and soul of the film. Polly Draper gives a superb performance as well.
Both are perfect together, evincing great chemistry. Funnily enough, Nancy Morgan, who plays Adrian's friend Zelda, was
married to John Ritter in real life for almost twenty years prior to their divorce in 1996.
Kevin Kilner plays a difficult character who's best described as a sociopath, so it's easy to hate him. Still, I think about
where he's coming from. It's a credit to him that he didn't beat up his wife or have her new lover taken care of. Hollywood
typically goes by this route.
Not many motion pictures deal with abortion, and when they do, it's never authentic. Heartbeat finally gets the
treatment right because an unborn person's life is at stake. Sure, two have sex, and the female happens to be pregnant as a
result. Yet why is she aborting the fetus if they are financially well-off and have a stable life?
Just because the pregnancy was unplanned is simply not good enough of a reason to opt for abortion. Oftentimes, the woman will
feel extreme guilt afterwards, and it's something that never goes away during the rest of her life. That's why Adrian
Towers chose to keep the baby. It's a huge help when her male partner offers his support and is willing to make it work.
All in all, realistic movies like Heartbeat with a positive ending are much appreciated.