The Basket

Opera, basketball, and a town tractor all play factors in this family tale set in a farming community in the Midwest during the tail end of World War I. Director Rich Cowan and screenwriter Don Caron make even the harsh theme of intolerance palatable through straightforward narrative and homespun morality. The presence of two German war orphans, Helmut and Brigitta (Robert Karl Burke and Amber Willenborg), sparks the distaste of Nicholas Emery (Jock MacDonald), a farmer whose eldest son has returned from the trenches minus a foot while one of his younger sons has fallen for Brigitta. Peter Coyote (Erin Brockovich) is the unconventional schoolteacher who introduces the town, and young Helmut, to basketball and, in very charming scenes, to opera (the kids repeat the burgeoning story of the opera to their parents, who regard the tale with the interest of real-life gossip). There's much that could be considered schmaltzy, but the heart with which Cowan and Caron tell their film makes us root for young Helmut, whose "save" wins the game and peace for the town. (PG) Rating: 7