Miracle in the Valley, originally known as Boonville Redemption, is exactly what the title proclaims: a miracle. For 13-year-old Melinda (Emily Hoffman), life is difficult as she wonders what happened to her real father, who hasn’t been seen in years. Her stepfather, Maddox, is a wealthy man and the number one employer in Anderson Valley in 1906, the year the story takes place. But he is a cruel man, unfaithful to Melinda’s mother Alice, and mean spirited to Melinda as well as others he comes in contact with. When Melinda is sent to help care for her ailing grandmother, she learns more about her father. In one funny scene, the doctor tells Mary, Melinda’s grandmother, that she is not nice and that there are no pills for that. Eventually Melinda returns home after her grandmother’s death.
Evidence mounts that a secret has been kept and that there is more to the story of Melinda’s father, Thomas, than meets the eye. He was accused of being a horse thief and sent away, but to this day Maddox is jealous of him. When a man named Jeb adopts William, a friend of Melinda’s, Jeb decides it is time to confront Maddox about the past. This confrontation leads to a showdown of sorts with a judge (Ed Asner) coming in to preside over the case. A few surprises are in store as Melinda and her mother finally learn what really happened to Thomas, and just what a true scoundrel Maddox is.
The film features Pat Boone as the local doctor, and he sings during the credits about old-time religion. The themes of the film include relying on the grace of God, and God’s forgiveness. We award the movie our Dove-Approved Seal for Ages 12+. Miracle in the Valley has a bad guy, a few good guys, some action, suspense, a faith-based theme, and a lot going for it.