‘The Real West’ looks at family dynamics

Category: Television and Streaming

Hallmark Channel’s The Real West is a deep dive into family relationships. Kimberley Sustad, Lucas Bryant, and James Denton star in this original movie.

Rebecca (Sustad), a widowed mother of two boys, Noah (Nicholas Holmes) and Ollie (Azriel Dalman), joins her sister Cassidy (Marlie Collins) and mother (Lynda Boyd) at a working ranch for a summer vacation. Noah brings his girlfriend Jasmine (Beatrice Kitsos) with them as the two teens are figuring out their upcoming college situations. Should they go to the same college or different ones and carry on a long-distance relationship?

Rebecca is waiting for the final decision on her tenure at UC Boulder, where she hopes Noah will attend. And little Ollie, who misses his father deeply, is anxious to find some ghosts on the ranch and maybe reconnect with his deceased father.

Their first day in the country Rebecca decides to go all out and buy herself a real cowboy hat. It’s then when she meets Jake West (Bryant). The two have an instant connection and Rebecca is all smiles when she returns to her family. 

Then, to her dismay, Rebecca discovers her sister’s new boyfriend, who she utterly adores, is none other than Jake West. What’s a sister to do? They cannot both date the same man. This brings up an awkward situation for Rebecca who decides to keep her feelings for Jake a secret.  After all, Cassidy is head-over-heels for Jake and Rebecca wants to see her sister happy, even though this is the first man she has been attracted to since the death of her husband.

The vacation continues as all of these family dynamics play out against the backdrop of the real west with cowboys, horses, and the country ranch life.

Secrets have a way of getting out so what will happen to the sisters once Cassidy discovers her older sister and her boyfriend are attracted to each other? With the advice of an old friend (Denton), Jake realizes his feelings for Rebecca are much deeper than he thought and to be fair, he must follow his heart.

There is one very emotional scene in which Ollie goes off on his own to search for ghosts. When he is found, he admits his desire is to see his dad again and if he saw a ghost then perhaps he could see his dad. The whole family discusses how they will never see him again but his memory is still with them.

This is a touching story involving many family dynamics.

The Real West is rated TV-G. It premieres September 28, 2024 on Hallmark Channel.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Image courtesy Hallmark Media