Kevin Bacon is Phenomenal!
Added 6/29/2009
I don't understand why Kevin Bacon does not have an Oscar. It is unbelievable! The range of characters he plays is amazing. He doesn't play a slightly different version of himself in his movies, he becomes the character and takes you there with him. This is a beautiful and sensitive portrayal of a mentally challenged young man and what life is like for him.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Very nice small film
Added 4/3/2009
I had never heard of this film and only pulled it off the library shelf because of Kevin Bacon, who always does a good job. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how good it is. The story is fairly simple--about a mentally challenged young man who is being taken to a home because his mother is dying of cancer. Their car breaks down near a motel which is run by an aging beauty who has given in to alchol, her adult daughter and a 10 year old girl. I won't spoil it by telling you what happens, but I do advise anyone who likes old-fashioned, human interest stories to give this a try.
Timothy Hutton does a good job in his directorial debut, avoiding what could have been a terribly bathos-ridden mess. He must have a good way with actors because the cast was uniformly wonderful here. The "mom" and older daughter could have been shown as one dimensional characters--sort of trailer trash types. But in spite of what are their obvious flaws, they show genuine love for the youngest girl and the transformation of the older daughter is very beautifully shown.
Kevin Bacon did a terrific job in playing the mentally disabled young man. After about five minutes I forgot it was Kevin Bacon and was thorougly immersed in the character. It must be very challenging to play such a role without falling into stereotypical gestures and he rose to the challenge. The scene in which he tells the young girl that she will grow up and he never will is one of the most moving I've seen in a while.
Evan Rachel Wood gives a pitch perfect performance as the tough-tender young girl. I am reminded of Dakota Fanning's similar role in The Secret Life of Bees, which is also beautifully done. Mary Stuart Masterson is just right as the older daughter. The woman who plays the dying mother who must give her son over to an institution is remarkable ('wish I could remember her name). You can feel every pain she must be experiencing even as she underplays it.
I don't know why this film wasn't more popular when it came out. It is certainly well done and well worth watching.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Excellent Movie
Added 4/2/2009
This is an outstanding movie, full of laughter and tears. I had looked at all the movie stores around where I live and could not find it anywhere. My daughter suggested I look on Amazon and she was right!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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And the two stars are for Mary Stuart Masterson
Added 10/29/2007
This movie is flat out terrible. While the premise of a "young girl forming an unlikely friendship with a mentally challenged man-child" sounds great on paper, the execution is awful, right down to the cheesy "in awhile crocodile" catchphrase. Kevin Bacon's research into the role apparently involved watching lots of Pee-Wee's Playhouse reruns.
The only bright spot in this movie is Mary Stuart Masterson, who does a more than serviceable turn as Bacon's troubled guardian/sister.
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Amazing acting
Added 1/9/2007
Kevin Bacon outdid himself in this performance. Wonderful storyline and thought provoking subject matter. Thoroughly enjoyable.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Kevin Bacon is Phenomenal!
Added 6/29/2009
I don't understand why Kevin Bacon does not have an Oscar. It is unbelievable! The range of characters he plays is amazing. He doesn't play a slightly different version of himself in his movies, he becomes the character and takes you there with him. This is a beautiful and sensitive portrayal of a mentally challenged young man and what life is like for him.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Very nice small film
Added 4/3/2009
I had never heard of this film and only pulled it off the library shelf because of Kevin Bacon, who always does a good job. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how good it is. The story is fairly simple--about a mentally challenged young man who is being taken to a home because his mother is dying of cancer. Their car breaks down near a motel which is run by an aging beauty who has given in to alchol, her adult daughter and a 10 year old girl. I won't spoil it by telling you what happens, but I do advise anyone who likes old-fashioned, human interest stories to give this a try.
Timothy Hutton does a good job in his directorial debut, avoiding what could have been a terribly bathos-ridden mess. He must have a good way with actors because the cast was uniformly wonderful here. The "mom" and older daughter could have been shown as one dimensional characters--sort of trailer trash types. But in spite of what are their obvious flaws, they show genuine love for the youngest girl and the transformation of the older daughter is very beautifully shown.
Kevin Bacon did a terrific job in playing the mentally disabled young man. After about five minutes I forgot it was Kevin Bacon and was thorougly immersed in the character. It must be very challenging to play such a role without falling into stereotypical gestures and he rose to the challenge. The scene in which he tells the young girl that she will grow up and he never will is one of the most moving I've seen in a while.
Evan Rachel Wood gives a pitch perfect performance as the tough-tender young girl. I am reminded of Dakota Fanning's similar role in The Secret Life of Bees, which is also beautifully done. Mary Stuart Masterson is just right as the older daughter. The woman who plays the dying mother who must give her son over to an institution is remarkable ('wish I could remember her name). You can feel every pain she must be experiencing even as she underplays it.
I don't know why this film wasn't more popular when it came out. It is certainly well done and well worth watching.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Excellent Movie
Added 4/2/2009
This is an outstanding movie, full of laughter and tears. I had looked at all the movie stores around where I live and could not find it anywhere. My daughter suggested I look on Amazon and she was right!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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