Sweet Nothing in My Ear
Approx. run time	~ 110 minutes
Production company	Hallmark Hall of Fame
Creator	Stephen Sachs (teleplay)
Written by	Stephen Sachs (play)
Directed by	Joseph Sargent
Produced by	Marian Rees
Starring	Jeff Daniels Marlee Matlin Noah Valencia
Editing by	Michael Brown
Music by	Charles Bernstein
Cinematography	Donald M. Morgan
Country	United States
Language	English
Release date	April 20th, 2008 December 7th, 2008

"Sweet Nothing in My Ear"
Hallmark Hall of Fame episode
Episode no.	Season 57 Episode 1
Production no.	343
Original airdate	April 20th, 2008
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "The Russell Girl" –
Episode list

Sweet Nothing in My Ear is a television movie that debuted on the CBS television network as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on April 20, 2008.^[1] The film is directed by Joseph Sargent, and is based on a 1998 play of the same name by Stephen Sachs, who also wrote the teleplay.^[2] It stars Jeff Daniels and Marlee Matlin who play the parents of a deaf child, Noah Valencia, that struggle with deciding to give their child an implant that will allow him to hear again.

With the film Hallmark Channel and producer-director Joseph Sargent revisited deafness with a universal theme contemplating the relationship of a minority group to society at large, 23 years after their previous film around a similar theme, the Emmy-winning, "Love Is Never Silent" (1985).^[3][4]

Daniels studied American Sign Language before filming, in order to portray the language accurately.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Plot

Dan and Laura Miller (Daniels, Matlin) have been married for several years, but their relationship begins to change when their only son, Adam (Valencia), loses his hearing at the age of four. At first his parents accept this change because Laura is deaf herself. Though later, Dan begins to explore the idea that with a surgical procedure and cochlear implants his son may be able to hear once again.

A rift forms between Dan and Laura when Dan starts to favor the procedure and Laura and her deaf parents oppose it. Soon what opens up is a larger issue of deaf pride, also ethical issues around Cochlear implants and its effect of the deaf culture, as Laura's father Max, a deaf pride advocate, puts it, "The majority always thinks each minority wants to be like them," as he doesn't consider deafness a disability, and hence remains against the implants. Dan on the other hand sees this a deaf prejudice against him, and hearing people, when he simply wants to give his son a better future.

Soon, they take the dispute to a child custody hearing, but in the end decide to work it out on their own and stay a family.^[3][5][4][2]

[edit] Cast

• Marlee Matlin as Laura Miller
• Jeff Daniels as Dan Miller
• Noah Valencia as Adam Miller
• Sonya Walger as Joanna Tate -
• Ed Waterstreet as Max
• Phyllis Frelich as Sally
• David Oyelowo as Leonard Grisham ^[6]

[edit] See also

• Deaf culture

[edit] References

1. ^ Sweet Nothing in My Ear CBS, Official website.
2. ^ ^{a b} Sweet Nothing in My Ear LA Weekly, April 16, 2008.
3. ^ ^{a b} Sweet Nothing in My Ear Variety.
4. ^ ^{a b} Sweet Nothing in My Ear The Hollywood Reporter.
5. ^ Overview New York Times.
6. ^ Sweet Nothing in My Ear Allmovie.

[edit] External links

• Sweet Nothing in My Ear at the Internet Movie Database
• Sweet Nothing in My Ear at TV.com
• Sweet Nothing in My Ear at CBS.com
• Sweet Nothing in My Ear at Hallmark.com