A Step Toward Tomorrow
((Sun. (10), 9-11 p.m., CBS))
A brief cameo by Christopher Reeve and Judith Light's trademarked take-no-crap-from-experts character contribute to make this an interesting and enjoyable tale. The writers also take a few well-placed shots at tight-fisted insurance companies, use music by Tom Jones as comic relief, and weave humor throughout an otherwise dramatic story to occasionally lighten its dark tone. Story pivots around Anna Lynne (Light), a divorcee who spends all of her energies trying to find a procedure that will reverse her son's paralysis, caused by a freak diving accident. While her focus is on finding a doctor capable of correcting Georgie's (Kendall Cunningham) condition, her pursuit initially blocks her ability to notice how much emotional baggage Georgie's brother Ben (Tim Redwine) is carrying. We later learn Ben feels responsible for the tragedy, but he has never previously shared this view.
Anna's tenacity is rewarded when she hooks up with Dr. David Decker (Tom Irwin), a spinal cord injury specialist with a new, largely untested procedure who gets his hospital to agree to fund the operation that could help Georgie walk again. Naturally, this saint in surgical garb becomes smitten with Anna and her pugnacious personality and a romance ensues. Wedding bells are all but ringing from their first encounter near pic's beginning. While most sweeps period telefilms typically offer perfs significantly over-the-top enough to give many viewers nosebleeds, Light is flawless in her delivery throughout. She also taps her comedic chops, honed in "Who's the Boss," to make her snappy retorts and one-liners appear natural and unscripted. Just as the scribes create all the right buttons through believable and hard-hitting dialogue, director Deborah Reinisch gets her talented cast Irwin and Light key among the actors to push them. Irwin's subdued medical demeanor also lends an even keel to the serious subject matter. The real stars of this saga, however, are Cunningham and Redwine , whose skills in making their interaction appear unforced and legitimate are top-notch. Adam Sandler
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