Emma Moriarty (Sally Field) and her teenage son Jake (Corey Haim) have just moved to Eunice, Arizona. Emma intends to board and train horses on an abandoned ranch just outside of this small town. She's had a lot of ranch experience, and it's obvious that she's used to reinventing life to take care of herself and of Jake. She can take charge when she has to.

Emma meets and keeps running into the town pharmacist, Murphy Jones (James Garner). He's a town native, a widower and another take-charge person when he needs to be. Even though more than 20 years separate the two of them, they seem to be easing into a pleasant friendship. And then Emma's ex-husband, Bobby Jack (Brian Kerwin), suddenly appears on the scene. What had seemed like a simple existence abruptly becomes more complicated. Murphy steps up his game a bit. Emma teeters on the edge of her old life and her new one. Now what?

One of the most interesting pieces of this film is its title. Why give away the ending, right from the start? It tells us that Emma and Murphy will get together somehow, someday. Maybe this is a way to establish the storyline quickly, so that the audience can enjoy watching how the match-up winds itself to its eventual conclusion. Ironically, most of the scenes focus on the Moriarties, and Murphy tends to appear along the edges. And yet: I don't know another title that would be appropriate. Nevertheless, it's still quite nifty to see Field and Garner this young and reacting to one another. Theirs is an unlikely pairing that somehow makes sense.

The other star here is the signature musical score, created and performed by Carole King on electronic keyboard, along with saxophonist David Sanborn. Carole's lyrics enhance the storyline, and the music itself provides the proper atmosphere by being thoughtful and poignant, exactly when it needs to be. Bravo!

Revisit Murphy's Romance soon for some light-hearted entertainment with memorable lines delivered by veteran actors and haunting melodies of wonderful music. You may want to go horseback riding, afterward.