Secrets of the Mountain

By Christopher Gildemeister

 

Starring: Paige Turco, Barry Bostwick, Shawn Christian, Adelaide Kane, Crawford Wilson, Kayla Carlson

Recommended age: 5+

Overall PTC Traffic Light Rating: Green

 

 

 

 

As a young girl, Dana James was told by her Uncle Henry that a mysterious treasure is buried beneath a mountain owned by the family. Now an adult, Dana’s life is crumbling: she is recently divorced and remarried, and the divorce has taken its toll on her children. Teenaged twins Jake and Jade are at one another’s throats, unwilling to share their problems with their mother, and Dana allows her law practice to consume most of her time. When a foreign company offers to buy the mountain, Dana uses the excuse to show her children where she grew up. But their vacation turns into an adventure when Dana, Jake, Jade, little Maddie, and new friend Tom begin to uncover the Secrets of the Mountain!

 

There is no content to concern parents in Secrets of the Mountain. No profanity is used, and sex is neither shown nor referred to. James and Jade engage in some mild bickering between themselves and teenage “attitude” towards their mother (rolling eyes, saying “whatever!” and the like). During their adventure searching the tomb for the treasure the family encounters some mild Indiana Jones-style perils, like skeletons, falling rocks, bats, and traps. They are stalked by Uncle Henry’s nemesis Fowler, and there is a brief fistfight between Fowler and Henry, but no serious violence occurs.

 

There are several excellent messages in the film. Jake and Jade are on the outs with each other throughout most of the movie, and Dana and her kids are depressed by her recent divorce. Yet by going home to the mountain and finding their roots, the family also reconnects with one another, and learns to pull together through perils. Dana is a caring mother, who has not made time for her children; but she realizes her mistake and makes amends. And Uncle Henry impresses upon the young Dana the value of imagination in viewing the world. 

 

Secrets of the Mountain celebrates the return of genuine family entertainment to television. The movie is one that children and parents can enjoy together, free from the fear of kids being exposed to foul language, sex scenes, raunchy humor or extreme violence. Producers and sponsors Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble are to be congratulated for their willingness to produce family programming, when the major television networks refuse to do so.

 

For being the kind of enjoyable family entertainment that – sadly – “they don’t make anymore,” the Parents Television Council is delighted to award Secrets of the Mountain with the PTC Seal of Approval^TM.