In the Best Interest of the Children
| In the Best Interest of the Children | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Peter Nelson Jud Kinberg |
| Story by | Peter Nelson |
| Directed by | Michael Ray Rhodes |
| Starring |
Sarah Jessica Parker Sally Struthers Lexi Randall Gary Graham |
| Music by | James Di Pasquale |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Michael Ray Rhodes |
| Producer(s) | Paul Freeman |
| Cinematography | Richard Thorpe |
| Editor(s) | Randy Jon Morgan |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Production company(s) | NBC Productions |
| Distributor | NBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | February 16, 1992 |
In the Best Interest of the Children is a 1992 American made-for-television fact-based drama film starring Sarah Jessica Parker who plays a woman struggling with manic-depression while raising her five children. This leads to the children eventually being taken from her and put in foster care. The film originally premiered on NBC on February 16, 1992.
The film was partially shot in Marengo, Iowa, roughly 30 miles west of Iowa City.
The film opens with Callie Cain (Parker) leading her kids in singing along to John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" as she moves back to her hometown of Estherville, Iowa with her 4 young daughters (plus another baby on the way) and boyfriend Ray (Hodges). Although Callie's brother John (Graham) and sister-in-law Wanda (Atkinson) attempt to help them, the abusive Ray (the father of youngest child Jason) has no interest in working, and Callie rebuffs Wanda's suggestion that she continue treatment for the manic depression she suffers from. As a result, the family soon finds themselves living in poverty, with oldest child Jessi (Randall) forced to play mother to her younger sisters (Julie, Susan, and Cindy) and brother. A short time later, Ray leaves them, and Callie continues on a downward spiral.
Sensing his sister has some serious problems, John notifies the authorities, who send social worker Donna Evans (Barnes) to the house. After initially attempting to avoid her, Callie agrees to undergo treatment for her disorder, on the condition that John and Wanda don't get custody of her children, who are instead taken in by Patty and Harlan Pepper (Struthers and Johnston). Between the fact that the children are not only thriving in the Peppers' care, but also referring to them as "Mom" and "Dad", Patty soon becomes determined that she and Harlan win custody, particularly after seeing the effects that the children suffer after their required visits with Callie at the hospital. This results in a difficult legal battle, which drags on over a period of two years, and generates much media coverage over the legal system's apparent inability to act in the children's best interest.
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