The Trouble with Dot & Harry
by Karen Pecota

British filmmaker Gary Walkow tries his hand at directing his own real-life children in his feature film The Trouble with Dot & Harry. At the end of the day, Walkow's efforts to produce a comedic family narrative with his own pride and joy materialized beyond measure. It will prove to be one of his best works ever produced and a film that families will watch repeatedly year after year. It is in the same league as the 1961 feature film from Walt Disney Studios The Parent Trap with actress Hayley Mills.

Dot (Theadora Walkow-Foster) and Harry (Harry Walkow-Foster) are siblings of a single mother Diane Freed (Janie Dee). The three live in England where Diane is a professor at Cambridge University.

Diane receives a strange call from a former boyfriend Richard Kendred (Neil Morrissey), an American writer living in Brooklyn. Richard explains that he has a job opportunity that might take him to England and inquires if he might see her again. Annoyed from his past offenses she reluctantly agrees to see him when he comes to town. She invites him to stay at her place and mentions that her two children will enjoy meeting him.

Richard a confirmed bachelor has second thoughts about his singleness upon seeing Diane again. But, children! Her children. They seem a bit trying for him. He is overwhelmed by their demands. He knows nothing about children, and the siblings aim to have a little fun with their mother's old flame.

While Richard is awaiting to hear from his publisher about the job, Diane is called out of town unexpectedly for a few days and asks Richard to care the children. He reluctantly agrees. The day Diane leaves, he gets the call his job starts the following day, and his assignment is due at the end of the week. Before Diane returns.

The job requires Richard to write a magazine article critiquing high-end coffee and pastry shops around England. Richard tries to reach Diane to tell her his news and find out where to leave the children in his absence but to no avail. He has no choice but to take Dot and Harry on the road with him.

Richard finds out that Diane has never allowed her children to connect with their father. He is curious as to why but not as much as her children. The siblings do not make life on the road easy for Richard. He calls them out on their rude and malicious behavior and calls for a truce. Dot and Harry agree to make a deal with Richard. Good Behavior for a visit to see their biological father. He agrees but not after long conversations stating all scenario's--good and bad.

Dot and Harry discover that life on the road with Richard affords opportunities. Ones that potentially can be profitable as they learn the art of being a coffee and pastry snob. Richard, on the other hand, recognizes the emotional hardships caused from selfishness. It's trouble but not from Dot and Harry. They are simply clever and want a father. And, Richard, he gets it.