Finding Normal

Lisa Leland (Bure) is a Los Angeles doctor.  She offered a dream job in the Hamptons in a private practice, run by her boyfriend Dr. Steve (Bongiorno).  Despite the distance and the pile of unpaid tickets, she decides to drive.  She gets pulled over in the town of Normal for speeding.  That violation plus her tickets gets her an audience with the town judge, Doc Shelby (Beatty Jr.).  She doesn't have cash and cannot pay her $2,000 fee and is sentenced to community service: 3 full days of house calls.

Life in Normal is different from Lisa's life in L.A.  The town cafe does not accept credit cards and closes before dinner time, the ATM is broken, cell reception is spotty, and there isn't a hotel.  She immediately clashes with Shelby's son Lucas Craig (St. John), who sees her as a snob and she sees him as a hick.


The plot is reminiscent of the 1991 film Doc Hollywood, starring Michael J. Fox.  Like Doc Hollywood, the main character is a surgeon traveling across the country for a bigger and better job and ends up serving community service in a small town.

The cast are likable and work well in their roles.  Candace Cameron Bure is a compelling lead, but the real star is Lou Beatty Jr. as Doc Shelby.  Beatty lights up every scene and is a joy to watch.  Mark Irvingsen is funny as Lester and Trevor St. John is a strong male lead.

It is a quiet film that doesn't preach but knows what it wants you to feel.  It is well-written and acted (especially for a Christian film).  It won't appeal to everyone, especially with the talk about God, but it is a sweet little film and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Finding Normal (2013) 90 minutes
Director: Brian Herzlinger
Starring: Candace Cameron Bure as Lisa Leland
Trevor St. John as Lucas Craig
Lou Beatty Jr. as Doc Shelby
Andrew Bongiorno as Dr. Steve
Valerie Boucvalt as Mandy
Isabel Myers as Kimberly
Mark Irvingsen as Lester Toole