Earnestness doesn't fully excuse the low-key schmaltz peddled by Life Inside Out, the type of indie that your mother might politely describe as "touching" if she could manage to stay awake for its entirety.

First time director Jill D'Agnenica and her outstanding, albeit unheard-of cast skillfully skirt the pitfalls inherent in the Lifetime Channel material.

The earnest film's straightforwardness and down-to-earth characters have a gentle appeal, but its tendency to spell out every emotion and theme in on-the-nose dialogue undercuts its potential impact at nearly every turn.