A Little Prayer is an excellent small movie with a good cast and a touching and emotional story. David Strathairn and Jane Levy lead the cast. They have a beautiful and moving scene together at the end of the film that defines what love is.

A Little Prayer begins with Bill (David Strathairn) and Venida (Celia Weston). They are the parents of two grown children. Their son David (Will Pullen) and his wife Tammy (Jane Levy) live in a small house behind the main house.

Bill and David are both veterans. Bill of Viet Nam, and David of Iraq. David has issues related to his service that we learn slowly. He drinks too much, and he’s cheating on Tammy with Narcedalia (Dascha Polanco) who works with Bill and David in the family business.

The daughter Patti (Anna Camp) shows up one day unannounced. She has her daughter Hadley (Billie Roy) with her and she brought her metal detector. When Bill and Venida see the metal detector they know it means she’s left her husband (again) and will be staying a while.

Everyone in the family goes out to help empty Patti’s mini van and carry all her stuff into the house. They know the routine. Patti is not kind to her daughter and Hadley seldom talks.

Character is revealed slowly in this 90 minute film. We see into relationships and problems within the family and between the couples. Bill knows that his son and daughter are both broken in their own ways, but he doesn’t know what to do about it. When he realizes David is cheating on Tammy it really bothers him. Tammy is loved greatly by Bill and Venida. Tammy is the glue making the whole family work.

There are losses and failures as the film progresses. There’s a beautifully acted scene between Bill and Tammy near the end. She reveals how much the love she received from Bill in particular had help her feel seen and worthy of love. Her own parents had never given her that. It was a healing experience for her to be a part of this family, even though her situation with David was untenable.

I thought this was a lovely movie. It gave us a touching story, well acted, and true to life. It’s currently streaming on Prime Video.