Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
Seth Webster (James Van Der Beek) is a widowed father trying to raise a pair of unruly boys. When the twins drive off yet another nanny, he hires a kindly and angelic woman named Mrs. Merkle (Doris Roberts) to take care of their household.
Before long, the twins are behaving less like feral beasts and more like well-behaved little gentlemen. And though he’s still mourning the loss of his wife, Seth also shows a glimmer of hope.
A romantic and upbeat film, Mrs. Miracle doesn’t offer any amazing revelations or plot twists.
Viewers often know what will happen before the characters do. But it is a satisfying and warm made-for-TV movie. And while it would certainly have been interesting, no, the romance isn’t between Seth and Mrs. Merkle.
Rather, Mrs. Merkle helps facilitate a burgeoning relationship between Seth and Reba Maxwell (Erin Karpluk), a comely woman who has been deeply hurt by love in the past as well.
Van Der Beek plays his part well, with his patented subdued mannerisms. While the actor doesn’t look much different than he did when he played the titular character in Dawson’s Creek, he easily plays the dad role with the kind of believability that parents will recognize and relate to.
