I don't really know why I watched this film. Maybe because I was curious about Don Johnson (whom I never cared for) later in life, and Elijah Wood as a child actor. I don't even care for Melanie Griffith. But, surprisingly, I really liked this film.
The first thing I liked about it was that it seemed real. There were no sweeping an dramatic changes in the relationship between the estranged husband and wife...just a gradual evolution that was resulting in the thawing of the relationship. A lot of films would have had some dramatic scene where one or both of the characters have a change of heart. Instead, this film had some subtlety to it, which I thought made it more believable.
The relationship between the two children -- Elijah Wood and Thora Birch -- was nicely done...although I don't find children at that age to be quite as sophisticated, but it was a very good chemistry.
The one mystery here was the casting of Louise Latham -- a character actress I always liked. I would have liked to have seen more about her relationship in the film with the little girl...but it was too brief and just seemed stuck into the film with no purpose. Maybe I missed something.
Don Johnson was quite good here...believable. Elijah Wood was tremendous, considering his age. As was Thora Birch. I've never quite made up my mind about Melanie Griffith; satisfactory here.
It's a very good, down to earth film.
The first thing I liked about it was that it seemed real. There were no sweeping an dramatic changes in the relationship between the estranged husband and wife...just a gradual evolution that was resulting in the thawing of the relationship. A lot of films would have had some dramatic scene where one or both of the characters have a change of heart. Instead, this film had some subtlety to it, which I thought made it more believable.
The relationship between the two children -- Elijah Wood and Thora Birch -- was nicely done...although I don't find children at that age to be quite as sophisticated, but it was a very good chemistry.
The one mystery here was the casting of Louise Latham -- a character actress I always liked. I would have liked to have seen more about her relationship in the film with the little girl...but it was too brief and just seemed stuck into the film with no purpose. Maybe I missed something.
Don Johnson was quite good here...believable. Elijah Wood was tremendous, considering his age. As was Thora Birch. I've never quite made up my mind about Melanie Griffith; satisfactory here.
It's a very good, down to earth film.