There's just something about Hallmark Hall of Fame projects — they're good. Sometimes even great.
Which is the end result of a number of things. More care is taken with a Hallmark TV movie. A bigger budget. Better actors, a lot of times. And almost always better writing.
The made-in-Utah "Plainsong," which airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS/Ch. 2, is no exception to the Hallmark rule. It's an outstanding telefilm — better than most of what you'll see on the small or big screens this year.
This is the polar opposite of an action flick. "Plainsong" is all about its characters — what they're feeling as well as what they're doing.
In this excellent adaptation of Kent Haruf's novel, Aidan Quinn stars as Tom Guthrie, a teacher in rural Colorado (actually, rural Utah) who has to raise his two young sons alone when his severely depressed wife (Megan Follows) leaves him. Fellow teacher Maggie Jonas (Rachel Griffiths) offers her support, but Tom doesn't know how to accept.
At the same time, one of Maggie's students, 17-year-old Victoria Roubideaux (America Ferrera) turns to her for help — Victoria has gotten pregnant by her utterly irresponsible boyfriend, and her mother has thrown her out. And Tom has to deal with a violent, rebellious student (Zachary Bryan), who assaults him.
What makes "Plainsong" so captivating is the interactions between the well-drawn characters. Maggie persuades two crusty old bachelor farmers (Geoffrey Lewis and William Andrews) to take Victoria in. Tom's young sons bond with a prickly old woman (Marian Seldes) who initially scares them to death. And, slowly and tentatively, the group begins to form an unlikely family of sorts to replace the more traditional families that have disintegrated.
"Plainsong" is one of those Hallmark anomalies — a TV movie that moves somewhat languidly, allowing actors to act, allowing silences to exist, allowing gorgeous scenery to be seen. The weakest scene in the telefilm, as a matter of fact, is the one with the most physical action — a brawl that isn't staged all that convincingly.
Shot mostly in rural Utah, the film uses Salt Lake City as a stand-in for Denver — no doubt jarring to citizens of both cities, but it's a minor distraction. (Although locals might be taken a bit aback to see the LDS Church Office Building as a prominent feature in the Colorado Capital's skyline.)
"Plainsong" is so filled with memorable characters that it leaves you wishing for more time with them. But any TV movie that leaves viewers wanting more is indeed a gem.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com