Bert O'Reiley is a retired song and dance man who becomes an instant grandfather to the nine-year-old granddaughter he has never met.
Bert is an old-time movie-star singer/ hoofer, who's retired from showbiz and estranged from his daughter and 9-year-old granddaughter, Becca. Bert, about to sell his house and move into a retirement home, suddenly finds himself caring for Becca when her mom is hospitalized - and the bond between the two of them grows (Bert takes Becca to school everyday; she meets his old show-biz friends).—Anonymous
Becca is the 9 year old daughter of a single Mom. When Mom is badly hurt in a car wreck and must be hospitalized for a long time, social services has to find someone, ideally a family member, to take care of Becca. Becca's Dad isn't available, Becca's Mom's mother has died, so they turn to Bert, the estranged Dad of Becca's Mom.
This movie is shows a classic case of PAS: Parental Alienation Syndrome. This occurs when parents, in a divorce, bash the other parent and blame the other parent for everything that's wrong and this bashing occurs not just in court but this bashing is delivered directly to the children.
In this movie, Bert, played by Ernest Borgnine, was bashed first by his ex wife to his daughter, and then again by his daughter to his granddaughter, 9 year old Becca.
Everyone who knows a family going thru a divorce must see this movie.
This movie is a great example that while divorce is bad, when one parent bashes the other parent to the children, its even worse.
Becca is horrified she has to live with her Grandpa because not only has she never met him, all she has heard her whole life is what a bum he is.
It turns out Bert is not a bum after all, soon Becca learns her Grandpa is a pretty good guy and that her Mom was wrong about her Dad.
