Educational Media Reviews Online

This video seeks to address, in the style of a television news magazine segment, the growing issue of grandparents raising their children's children in the US. The film inspires suspicion early on when it states that there are approximately 4 million grandparents raising grandchildren "today" without citing a year. On further examination, one finds that both film and packaging lack a copyright date.

The first portion of the video profiles three grandmothers raising grandchildren. The grandfathers are notably absent, although the audience does learn that in one case the grandfather is dead. The women identify themselves verbally, although not always at the beginning of their segment, and they are not further identified by on-screen text. Commentary throughout the video comes from individuals who are not identified either verbally or through on-screen text.

The second portion of the video profiles the pioneering Grandfamilies House in Boston, MA and the "From Roots to Wings" program. The Grandfamilies House segment contains many people singing the praises of this housing and provides just enough information to raise one's interest, but it fails to provide such basic information as how the housing is funded, how residents are admitted, and any statistics that demonstrate this venture's success or lack thereof. The "From Roots to Wings" program is mysterious; the audience learns the why and what without the who, where, and how.

This film attempts to do too much in a 23 minute video and suffers from a lack of focus. Does it want to describe a problem, explore solutions, or simply put a human face on an important issue? Add to this some uninspired editing, including several clips that are shown twice, and one has a production that does not live up to the standards of a television news magazine so much as the standards of an academic institution. Not recommended.