DENVER DRAMA DUMB
  By Joanne Ostrow
  Denver Post TV/Radio Critic Apr 27, 2000 
    
    I can almost forgive the CBS John Denver movie for being 
dull. The local hero was more sweet than eccentric, his songs 
more nature-loving than exciting.  I can nearly forgive "Take 
Me Home: The John Denver Story" for being too literal, poorly 
written and weakly acted. Based on his 1994 autobiography, the 
film doesn't aspire to be literary.  I can even understand why 
the TV version of his life story sadly misrepresents Colorado. 
It's much cheaper to produce programming in Vancouver, so the 
drippy Pacific Northwest mist stands in for the Colorado Rocky 
Mountain high.  But bad lip-synching? Chad Lowe's 
less-than-convincing impersonation of the singer-song-writer 
is ultimately the chief annoyance in this film overstocked 
with disappointments. A whiney Lowe relies on wigs, granny 
glasses and big smiles to get him through the two hours. May 
sweeps audiences are right to expect more and better.
    Kristin Davis ("Sex and the City") buttons up and tones 
down for the role of Annie Martell, Denver's first wife and 
the inspiration for "Annie's Song." And Gerald McRaney dons 
his brusque military man pose as Denver's distant dad. Their 
performances are entirely adequate, despite the obstacles of 
heavy-handed dialogue. Denver's fans may content themselves 
with the presence of 16 songs by their country boy hero.