‘A Home of Our Own’

This 1993 release would be unimaginable without Kathy Bates, (top right) who brings a tart presence to what would otherwise be a predictable and sentimental saga about a single L.A. mother, circa 1962, packing her six kids into a beat-up Plymouth and landing in a tiny Idaho town. Bates is so absolutely natural and captivating an actress that the film, written by Patrick Duncan and directed by Tony Bill, becomes a touching, involving experience. Indeed, with its intimacy and family solidarity theme, “A Home of Our Own” seemed more at home on TV than in theaters in the first place. Most notable among the six children is her eldest, played well by Edward Furlong (center), who finds it increasingly difficult to buy into his strong but abrasive mother’s dream of eventually prevailing over adversity (TMC Sunday at 9 p.m.).