As I explained in my recent review of A Circle of Children, I’m covering the sequel, Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II for the Film. Release. Repeat. Blogathon. Because I’ve been meaning to review the 1978 television film since 2022, I believed the blogathon was a great time to finally check the movie out! But as I also mentioned in my review of A Circle of Children, I haven’t found a made-for-tv movie from the 1970s I actually like. Whenever I’ve selected this particular type of film to write about, I find the film itself either fine, ok, or underwhelming. This is one of the reasons why I put “1970s Made-for-TV movie” on my Year-Long Bingo card, so I could, hopefully, find a television movie I enjoy from that decade. When I saw and reviewed A Circle of Children, I thought it was just ok. Will its sequel be better? Let’s begin this review to find out!
Things I liked about the film:
A smaller cast: In my review of A Circle of Children, I mentioned the film containing a large cast of characters. This is one of the reasons why the audience was forced to either only become familiar with the characters or not getting to know them at all. This flaw became remedied in Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II! In the 1978 sequel, the cast is much smaller. Even Mary’s class contains fewer students. Because the story has less characters to keep track of, it gives the audience an opportunity to truly get to know the characters. The audience also has more time to spend with characters like Mary’s students and even Mary’s boyfriend, Cal, because of a tightly written script.
Progression that’s written gradually: When I reviewed A Circle of Children, I talked about how Sarah’s sudden achieved progress taking place after being a static character for half the movie felt like it was written into the story for the sake of plot and time convenience. Even though I was happy to see Sarah achieving progress, I wish that progress was gradually woven into the script. It seems like the creative team behind Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II felt the same way I did, as Hannah’s/Lovey’s progression was gradual. Hannah/Lovey joins Mary’s class as an unruly child who is very unpredictable. But as the film goes on, Mary’s influence takes effect on Hannah/Lovey as she becomes more responsive, less violent, and even participates in class. The smaller cast size I talked about earlier certainly influenced this part of the story. It allowed Hannah’s/Lovey’s progression to receive emphasis instead of competing against other stories. The transformative power of Mary’s teaching abilities is also on full display because of the gradually written progression of Hannah/Lovey.
The dialogue: Like I said in my list of The Best and Worst Movies I Saw in 2025, how well-written the dialogue was in The Chalk Garden allowed me to remember what Laurel said about the term “good morning”. The quality of the screenwriting was also a strength in Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II! Some of the dialogue in the 1978 movie sounded profound without trying too hard to be philosophical. A great example can be heard during a conversation between Mary and a fellow teacher named Patty. Patty feels discouraged over the lack of progress from her students. Mary reassures Patty that her impact on the students has been positive, reminding Patty how hope comes from believing the children can learn something. Patty then tells Mary, “Yeah, but you can’t mop the floors with hope”. Mary experiences her own period of discouragement after Hannah/Lovey has an angry outburst involving paint. In a voice-over, Mary says, “For a moment, my dreams and plans for Hannah shattered. But paint is only paint and never worth a dream. Besides, a teacher’s dream dies hard”. The two examples I provided show how Mary’s and Patty’s frustrations and concerns were eloquently and thoughtfully written into the script.
What I didn’t like about the film:
How Hannah was introduced: As I’ve already said in this review, Hannah/Lovey joins Mary’s class as an unruly child who is very unpredictable. However, I found her introduction in Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II to be distasteful. As Mary walks down the hallway to retrieve Hannah/Lovey, suspenseful music plays over the scene. The music itself sounds as if it came straight out of a horror movie. The reveal of Hannah’s/Lovey’s face was prolonged because of specific camera angles that were utilized. When Hannah’s/Lovey’s face was finally revealed, a frozen close-up shot was presented to intentionally appear frightening. To me, the introduction I described felt sensationalized to the point of being counterproductive of what Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II was trying to achieve; making the audience feel empathetic toward Hannah/Lovey by looking past her horrific behavior. I truly believe there was a more tasteful way Hannah/Lovey could have been introduced in the story, especially compared to how some of the students were introduced in A Circle of Children.
Doris’ limited involvement in the story: A Circle of Children introduced Doris as the director of the Children’s School for Special Education. Though she appeared in only a handful of scenes, Doris’ role was pivotal as she literally and figuratively opened the door for Mary to the world of Special Education. Doris was one of the few characters from the first movie to return in the sequel. But she was given even more limited involvement in the second film. While she was still the director of the Children’s School for Special Education, her role in Mary’s story had a reduced significance. I wish Doris received more to do in Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II because I think she could have made a bigger impact.
Lack of further progression: I said earlier in this review how Hannah’s/Lovey’s progression was written gradually into the story. Even though this was one of the movie’s strengths, I didn’t like how there was a lack of further progression for two of Mary’s students. While Hannah/Lovey was improving her reading skills and Brian (from the first movie) was learning how to board the bus by himself, Rufus and Jamie were at a standstill in their education. With a smaller cast size I talked about in this review, there should have been room in the script to give Jamie and Rufus at least a small victory. At the end of Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II, Mary reveals through a voice-over what happened to her students. However, not showing Rufus and Jamie achieving further progression in the movie was a missed opportunity.
My overall impression:
Sometimes, a sequel ends up becoming better than its predecessor. Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II just so happens to be one of those films! Some of the flaws of A Circle of Children were improved upon in the second chapter, such as containing a smaller cast and the script featuring a gradual progression for Hannah/Lovey. The sequel even had its own unique strengths from its predecessor, like how well-written the dialogue was. But despite these positive aspects, Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II did have its flaws. I believe there are more respectful ways Hannah/Lovey could have been introduced into the story, as her debut in the film was too sensationalized for my liking. I not only wish Jamie and Rufus had received further progression in the movie, I also wish Doris was given a greater significance in the script. But similar to what I said in my review of A Circle of Children, I’m grateful Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II exists at all. The 1978 film gives the audience a glimpse into what Special Education was like in the 1970s. It’s a made-for-tv movie that was spared from getting lost to time as well.
Overall score: 7.2 out of 10
Have you seen Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II? Are there any made-for-tv movies from the 1970s you’d like to see me cover on 18 Cinema Lane? Please tell me in the comment section!
Have fun at the movies!
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