TV REVIEWS : ‘Casey’s Gift’: A Time of Grief, Torment, Hate

NBC adds to our general malaise tonight at 9 with “Casey’s Gift: For Love of a Child.” The title suggests warm and mushy

but the movie only works if grief, torment, suspicion, hate, vengefulness and general all-around misery make you warm and mushy.

For the rest of us, it’s a tough go.

It’s the story of darling little 5-year-old Casey Stillwell, whom everybody adores--and then he drowns in the neighbor’s pool.

The Stillwells (played by Michael Tucker and Belinda Montgomery) and the Bolens (Kevin Dobson and Karen Austin) and their kids had been neighbors and total best friends. But now Stillwell can’t find any crumb of comfort after Casey’s death, even in his religion. And he demands solace of some sort, any sort, and finally sets about with righteous fervor to sue the Bolens and destroy them. In turn, the Bolens would have to countersue.

No amount of pleading will dissuade Stillwell, until. . . .

While not an occasion for joy, the movie covers some fresh emotional territory--neighbor against neighbor, the destruction of friendships--and delivers some its rewards with poignant moments.