THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
It was just for a moment. Okay, maybe two. You looked away or you
stepped away, and now the most important thing in your entire life is
gone. Your child was right there. From that now empty space there
screams a silent cry.
It's every parent's worst nightmare, and, as we all know, it happens to
us all. Usually, we search and the child turns out to be just a few
feet away, but in a panic we miss seeing him. Most parents can tell
just such a story. I remember being on a payphone when my son was
three. I was watching him, I looked away to dial, and then he was gone.
Luckily, my utter devastation lasted for just a few, unbearably long
seconds, as he had just scooted a few feet away so that a corner hid his
body. He was never aware that he was missing, but my heart almost
stopped.
In THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN, based on Jacquelyn Mitchard's best selling
novel, Beth Cappadora has to confront her worst nightmare, and it lasts
for years. Arriving in a busy hotel without her husband and with her
three young kids in tow, she briefly leaves the middle child, Ben, a
mischievous and fearless 3-year-old in the care of Vincent, his
7-year-old brother, while she checks in. Ben disappears, lost into the
crowd. It's natural to be upset with both Vincent and Beth, but one is
too young to have been given such responsibility and the other makes a
momentary bad judgement, as we all do.
Although the press kit says that the cast was administered an
"anti-sentimental" pill every day, the story will reduce you to tears.
Is there any material more ripe to elicit strong emotions than that of a
lost child? As directed by Ulu Grosbard and adapted for the screen by
Stephen Schiff, the movie is at its best and most convincing in the
tear-jerking first act.
Two characters play Rock of Gibraltar roles. Treat Williams, as Beth's
husband Pat, is so unflappable that he will likely begin to grate on
your nerves. Only a fight with Beth will elicit the anger that smolders
within him. "Kids don't get lost," he yells at her in a telling scene
later in the story. "People lose them."
The other rock in the story is Detective Candy Bliss (Whoopi Goldberg),
who will attempt not only to locate Ben, but also to help Beth get
through her unbearable ordeal. "First thing I want to tell you -- this
isn't anybody's fault," which is exactly what Beth will never believe.
"Kids disappear all the time. We find them," which is the closest thing
to a lie that the detective says.
The strength of the movie comes from the impressive power of Michelle
Pfeiffer's performance. She displays a highly nuanced range of emotions
from depression, despondence and guilt to denial, withdrawal, and anger.
If she doesn't fill your tear ducts at some point in the film, see your
doctor and have them checked.
The last half of the movie is set 9 years later, when, as the trailers
reveal, Ben accidentally finds them. This half isn't nearly as well
developed as the consistent and logical first half.
The cast, other than Pfeiffer and Goldberg, is hit and miss, and the
direction works only sporadically. One minute the movie is completely
engrossing, and the next the characters are inconsistent and out of
character with Vincent, played by Jonathan Jackson, being the worst.
When his brother is located, for example, he doesn't show one iota of
interest, something that is very hard to buy, even given his repressed
guilt.
The screenwriter, having painted himself into a cinematic corner, leaves
himself several ending options, but none of them are satisfactory.
Reportedly, Pfeiffer wanted a different ending, which they filmed but
decided not to use.
The whole last act slowly grinds to a halt almost destroying the
emotional investment we made in the beginning. The result is a moving
motion picture, but one that leave viewers conflicted. Parts work so
well and others just are not set up properly. And then there is that
ending, which isn't bad but isn't particularly satisfactory either.
THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN runs 1:45. It is rated PG-13 for some
profanity and mature themes and would be fine for teenagers.
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.InternetReviews.com
