robert harling take the liberty of direct this very good but sometimes misunderstand follow up to the 1983 classic . shirley maclaine reprise her role a aurora and in my view be just as good and sometimes well in this performance then she be in the first movie . juliette lewis take the role of melanie and in my opinion and i think she play the best character next to aurora because we have to remember that melanie be the only child that have never really know her mother so you can automatically feel the pain of the character . george newborn play tommy and and the character of tommy be in prison and for what and we do not really know . mackenzie astin play teddy and be really the only child that be slightly happy and normal of the three . this be 13 year after the first and the storyline be pretty much that amount of time later and maybe a little more because melanie be pretty much grow up as well . it go through what each of emma kid have be through in those year and where they end up . aurora stress level with these kid be a record high and she have one in jail and one be pretty much a teenager who hat her gut and one be do slightly well for himself but that doesn not help with the other two ( lol ) . i also love the story with aurora and rosie . i think that be beautiful because even though rosie be the maid and her and aurora be like family and when aurora be carry rosie in the rain to take her home for the final moment of her life and that be truly beautiful . the story line with jerry ( bill paxton ) and patsy ( miranda richardson ) be just purely for entertainment and laughter and i especially like the airplane fight and people be mixed review on that fight but i laugh so hard . but the emotion of the film and like aurora make the photo album and her spreading rosie ash on the beach ( my favorite ) and jack nicholson also make a nice appearance and and finally aurora death . all of these element make for a great movie and succeed . people who write bad review or even mixed review and probably do not understand the story good enough . this sequel be really not mean to be an exact copy of what the original be 13 year before this and which be why i think people look at it differently . this be also why it go under a different name and because it be the same character but a completely different plot and story . overall and a movie that should be give more credit because it be just as good a the original .