On K List of Movie Reviews

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Kaleidoscope (1990)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 4/24

4/24: Although strong and thought-provoking, the family topic of Kaleidoscope proves to be too ambitious for everybody involved.

The breakup of three sisters and their reunion thirty years later are compelling stuff. How awkwardly everybody feels about it is appropriate enough. It's mostly because they don't know what to say and can't believe their unique situation. Two thoughts will constantly appear in their heads: how much they've missed out and how it might change the current relationships they have with their adopted parents. As the oldest sister, Hilary has a different perspective only because she can remember.

Given what happened, it's unfair to criticize the acting performances, especially by Jaclyn Smith. Perry King starring in a Danielle Steel movie is a big treat, but their characters' romance throws the whole film off balance. In other words, it isn't appropriate at the time being because the main premise is too heavy to deal with, setting up Hilary as an emotionally vulnerable person despite John Chapman's well-meaning intentions.

Meanwhile, the production values are high which is the main reason why Danielle Steel films are first class all the way through. The interior sets are excellent. They've sure found a lot of great-looking places to shoot the film in along with a solid cast.

All in all, in spite of giving it a good try, Kaleidoscope wasn't ready to handle such a deep topic.

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