The Flipcritic

They say the best days of one's life are during childhood. Life does not seem so cruel when you're a kid and we all tend to yearn for the innocence and joy that enraptures us during adolescence. HEARTS IN ATLANTIS is a film which captures that essence. It paints a colorful portrait of youth's wonders, and the painful realization of its passing.

The movie consists mainly of man named Bobby Garfield (David Morse of CONTACT) who after the death of a close childhood friend, reminisces about the last summer of his youth. It is there as a child (Anton Yelchin) that he meets an enigmatic old man named Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS), who holds a mysterious gift, and with it, teaches him the simple treasures of life. Of course, not all is well in his household. It seems that he was abandoned by his father, and is cared for solely by his mother Elizabeth (Hope Davis), who unintentionally neglects him due to the work she performs to support themselves. Since Bobby longs for a birthday gift he cannot purchase, Ted offers him a dollar a day to read the newspaper for Ted, and to keep a look out for the "low men", who are mysterious characters searching for Ted.

When we think about Stephen King, horror immediately comes to mind. Yet some of his works reflect astonishing tales of humanity. He wrote a wonderful coming of age story (similar to this one) in STAND BY ME. THE GREEN MILE was a touching tale of a miracle found in the unlikeliest of places. And THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, which is truly one of the great films, tells a tale about the humanity of two prisoners, and how important hope can be. You can forget about horror in this film. It doesn't linger in the story, though its possibility lurks in its fringes. Like in his other stories, he shows the comfort we invest in nostalgic materials that grown-ups hold dear: baseball mitts, sodas in bottles, old-fashioned radios, classic cars, county fairs, and wonderful oldies music. He invests these items with great value, reflecting a longing for the good old days. The film's look and feel is close to perfect because of its serenity.

Scott Hicks likes to make films about human nature. His SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS focused on the conflict between old lovers set against anti-Japanese racism in America during World War II. And his SHINE seemed like a precursor to this year's A BEATIFUL MIND, in showing that genius can be found even in the strangest of people. His latest work though is like a distance runner who stumbles out of the starting block, but in the end finishes strong. During the first half of the film, the pacing is somewhat muddled, I felt that there were several scenes that could have been left out. Like THE OTHERS, it takes its time to set its pieces before delivering, and requires a little patience from its viewers. Mr. Hicks weaves a strange spell throughout the film, being able to interweave feelings of nostalgia and fear without venturing into sentimentality.

Despite its flaws, I was deeply moved by this film. It's like rediscovering an old family album, and looking into the past to relive cherished moments. This movie knows about childhood, about your first kiss, the bike you want on your birthday, how bullies can be overwhelming. It understands how youngsters value friendship, and how they look up to grown-ups. I'm so glad to see a film where it doesn't treat kids as being smarter than they really are, which Hollywood has a tendency to do. It’s interesting adding the element of the paranormal, where Ted is able to see into people’s minds and into the future. I thought it could’ve been left out, since the relationships between Bobby and everyone else are so much more interesting. But I can understand why it was needed for this story. Ted’s gift draws us to him, as it does Bobby. It is this gift that will change Bobby’s life more subtle than anyone will think.

The more prominent gifts of the film are the two kids. Anton Yelchin and Mika Boorem are wonderful! Their performances are another example that child actors need not play for the camera, overact, or become smart-alecks for us to like them. They embody adolescence with their smart yet light performances. Mr. Yelchin plays an affable and wary kid whose performance is so free of malice or cliché, that we care for him right away. Ms. Boorem plays not just a young girl, but a spirit who seems to bring out the best in every boy. As an adult Bobby recalls, "She had the heart of a lion." Hope Davis effectively portrays a mother who longs for something good for her family, and puts all her hopes on her work, hence never paying enough attention to her son.

I may get flak for saying this, but I never thought I’d see the day where Anthony Hopkins was wrong for a role, and he is with this one. His performance was misplaced, which greatly surprised me. He is capable of such subtlety (as in Remains of The Day), but here he seemed overly-conscious about his performance. I’d probably even say that he was overacting. He draws too much attention to himself, to the nuances he invests in his lines. It’s not an extravagant performance, just a bit too theatrical for me. I think a more calm and soothing presence would have been better, such as Morgan Freeman. Nonetheless, his performance is impossible to keep your eyes off. And because he’s Mr. Hopkins, we care for what happens to him, and relate to how much he cares for everyone else. He is believable enough as a man who is tired of running and masterful in the use of his ability.

The movie has many memorable set pieces: Bobby’s first kiss ("The kiss by which you will judge all others, and will find wanting." Ted muses.), his longing for a special bike, his discovery of his father’s true nature, and especially the scene where he evokes the spirit of the NFL player Bronko Nagurski in bringing his friend Carol to aid. I admired the parallelisms that the film brings out near the end (don’t worry, it’s hard not to notice them). Though some may wonder who the "low men" really are, it really doesn’t matter. They symbolize the end of childhood’s innocence, representing the harsh reality which life brings as we begin to comprehend its complexities.

The film’s ending is another metaphor of adolescence ending, where every character encounters an event that will forever take away an innocence that we all identify with. Though that may seem depressing, a good thing to take home from HEARTS IN ATLANTIS is Ted’s gift to Bobby, which is not his special ability. What is it? By film’s end, you will know.

Posted by FLIPCRITIC at February 4, 2002 12:00 AM