Charlie & Me (2008)

A young girl learns some important lessons about life, love, friendship, and death from her ailing grandfather in this affectionate family drama starring Tom Bosley and Jordy Benattar. 12-year-old Casey Baker (Benattar) may be generations removed from her loving grandfather Charlie (Bosley), but they have so much in common that they're the very best of friends. They've been together since Casey was four years old and her mother died in a car accident. In the aftermath of that tragedy, Casey's father Jeff withdrew into his work, leaving his precocious daughter in the care of the aging widower. Then, one day, as Jeff is en route to Beijing on a business trip, Charlie suffers a massive heart attack and Casey's life changes forever. Later on at the hospital, the distressed girl does her best to convince Dr. Robert Graham not to subject Charlie to emergency surgery. When the doctors insist in consulting with an adult on the matter, Casey lies and tells them that she has consulted with her father on the matter, and that by no means is Charlie to be operated on. The decision ultimately turns out to save Charlie's life, as his body would have been too week to sustain the trauma of such an operation. As Jeff returns and Charlie recuperates, Dr. Graham's girlfriend Dr. Fran Gilford forms a close bond with the Bakers. A few weeks later, Charlie is healthy enough to take a brief vacation with his granddaughter, during which he takes the time to help Casey overcome her fear of public speaking, and eases her fears with a frank yet thoughtful discussion on death and the grieving process. Meanwhile, back home, Jeff summons the courage to ask Fran out on a date. Fran has grown tired of Dr. Graham's tactless bedside manner, and happily accepts. Jeff is doing his best to get back into the swing of fatherhood, and knowing that Charlie and Casey love to pass the time playing chess, he begins brushing up on his game so they can play together when Charlie is gone. Eventually, the inevitable happens and Charlie passes away, but not before having a heart-to-heart with Casey in which he insists that she limit her grieving time to just one month, and then move on with her life. Though at first it isn't easy, Casey does just that, eventually deciding to enter into a career as a cardiologist under the mentorship of her old friend Dr. Graham. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi