THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN
** 1/2 (out of 4) - an enjoyable movie
Release Date: March 12, 1999 Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Treat Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Jackson, Ryan Merriman, John Kapelos Directed by: Ulu Grosbard Distributed by: Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Entertainment MPAA Rating: PG-13 (language, thematic elements) URL: http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio/reviews/1999/deepend.htm
All movies begin with a script, and all scripts begin as idle thoughts in the minds of writers. Most scripts, that is, because there are those which aren't written directly from the screen and instead adapted from novels, plays, short stories, articles, and compendia of all kind. The latest is THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN, an adaptation of Jacquelyn Mitchard's novel by TRUE CRIME writer Stephen Schiff. While this Ulu Grosbard film features some powerfully thematic content regarding the strength of family ties, however, audiences and industry experts will file this one away as evidence of the inferior nature of adapted movies.
DEEP END tells the story of the Beth (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Pat (Treat Williams) Cappadora. The Cappadoras are loving folks who show their affection for each other by appending "-y" to one another's names, and we like them instantly. Turns out they're raising three children in Madison, Wisconsin, during the late 1980's -- three, that is, until their youngest goes missing in a crowded Chicago hotel lobby at Beth's high school reunion. Nearly a decade later, the Cappadoras have pieced their life back together and are living well in a suburb of Chicago when Beth spots a kid on their block whom she supposes to be their lost boy. Under a different name, now, it's with the help of Detective Supervisor Candy Bliss (Whoopi Goldberg) that they establish his identity and go through the process of reintroducing him to the family.
Unfortunately all of this comes off as a very lightweight drama for many of the same reasons that caused the demise of last year's STEPMOM. Adapted from a novel, the screenplay is by nature very brief, and, like STEPMOM it cuts from scene to scene without building any true depth. The characters are real enough, and acted well by the principals, but most importantly they are simply cardboard cutouts which can be easily dropped into any scene. Also, like STEPMOM, what should be a significant and weighty event in a family's life is left largely unresolved or treated with little respect. The return of the lost child (Ryan Merriman) is not the focus of the movie; instead, the film's center of interest is the shallow relationship between Beth and Pat.
On the positive side, the movie has a very good nature to it, and if not for the significant tragedy involved it could almost be called a feel-good movie. This uplifiting nature is something that was missing from both STEPMOM as well as Pfeiffer's last live-action role in the tragic drama A THOUSAND ACRES. Here, the theme of the strength of family is decidedly the director's favorite, and we feel its winning qualities in the end. Although all loose ends are not tied in the movie's running time, they are implicitly resolved, and for this the audience is grateful. The performances of all involved are vital to this success, and for this Pfeiffer, Williams, Goldberg, Merriman, and Jonathan Jackson (in the role of the Cappadoras' elder son) are to be commended. On the whole, however, there's too many small mistakes or an overbearing theme that's not present to call this movie a wholly fulfilling watch.
all contents © 1999 Craig Roush
-- Craig Roush kinnopio@execpc.com -- Kinnopio's Movie Reviews http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio
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