Rating of
3/4
Serious but Correctly Executed
Franz Patrick - wrote on 05/31/08
I adored this movie quite a bit even though it is a little predictable. Sometimes a predictable melodrama can be enjoyable if it is correctly executed. Child psychology is at the center of this picture; there were moments that truly made me wonder whether the child is "just" traumatized due to the abandonment by his parents or if there is something darker about him that is lurking under the surface. Either way, it's an interesting piece and it has a handful of insights about alienation and living. I'm glad that this shows the hardship of parenting, specifically adoption, but I'm sure that it's at least ten times harder in real life. John Cusack is very believable as a windower who desperately needs to heal. But it is Joan Cusack who stole the scenes because of her interesting mannerisms and thoughts. Watching John and Joan as brothers and sisters was weird because they ARE brothers and sisters in real life. Nonetheless, their interactions were amusing and sometimes sad. There were a few tearjerker scenes especially at the end. It is easy to see that the characters have come full circle and they deserve all the happiness they have attained.
