THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN Reviewed by Jamie Peck
Rating: *** (out of ****) Columbia / 1:46 / 1999 / PG-13 (language, thematic material) Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer; Treat Williams; Jonathan Jackson; Ryan Merriman; Whoopi Goldberg; John Kapelos; Alexa Vega; Lucinda Jenney; Brenda Strong; Cory Buck; Michael McElroy Director: Ulu Grosbard Screenplay: Steven Schiff
The meaning behind the mysterious title of "The Deep End of the Ocean" - which remains unexplained even as the closing credits crawl up the screen - may have something to do with the nearly bottomless mass of troubled waters it covers. There's no bridge to cross over them here; the movie immerses you directly into every parent's worst nightmare within minutes of its opening. The result is an intriguing exploration of familial bonds that, even in its missteps, avoids the manipulative, tear-jerking techniques that would seem to come with the territory. Credit restrained work by director Ulu Grosbard, screenwriter Steven Schiff and their cast for the blessed idiosyncrasy.
This adaptation of the best-selling, hot-button novel by Jacqueline Mitchard (also Oprah Winfrey's first book club selection) wisely casts Michelle Pfeiffer in the lead role, a happy suburban Wisconsin mom who drags her three young kids to a high school reunion - and loses track of the middle child, a three-year-old boy, somewhere in the thick crowds of the hotel lobby. He vanishes without a trace, much like the premise of a 1983 drama called "Without a Trace," leaving her and her husband (Treat Williams) crushed with blame and grief. A helpful, matter-of-fact detective (Whoopi Goldberg) aids them, but to no avail.
Nine years, countless tears and a move to Chicago later, a neighborhood kid (Ryan Merriman) shows up on their doorstep offering to mow the lawn, and Pfeiffer's maternal and/or gut feelings lead her to believe he's her long-lost child. Whether that's true or not will have to be divulged by watching the actual film or its coming attraction, which inappropriately spills those beans as well as a few others. A surprise not given away within those very detailed two-and-a-half-minutes, however, is that "Deep End" goes long on its wrenching set-up, meaning that said plot revelation doesn't occur until the movie's latter half. That's great for developmental purposes.
Audiences spend a precious chunk of the running time submerged in Pfeiffer's weeping and teeth-gnashing histrionics (Williams gets to do a little lamenting as well), but none of it feels forced, staged or fueled by a vain quest for an Oscar nomination - one of the biggest compliments you can pay a film like this. If Pfeiffer's awesome portrayal of emotional devastation is the key to "Deep End"'s success - and, very likely, among her best work ever - then co-star Jonathan Jackson rates a close second on the asset scale. Jackson, an Emmy-winner for his work on "General Hospital," plays the older version of her eldest son, and dignifies a rebellious teen-cliche in doing so.
To trump Pfeiffer and Jackson is not to take away from two other noteworthy turns, nor does it suggest that performances are the only thing going for "Deep End" - though they do provide a fine selling point. Merriman, occasionally seen on the NBC series "The Pretender," conveys conflicted conscience at a remarkably early age, while Williams acquits himself memorably in a role destined to be overlooked next to his co-star's showier part. A lesser film might use this collective acting showcase as its sole claim to justify cinematic treatment for a story that sounds very TV-movie-ish, but rarely are TV-movies so balanced in their portrayal of character and crisis.
Well, for a good, long while at least. The dynamite first hour gives way to a problematic lead-up to a problematic conclusion, where resolutions are too pat and dealings with the dilemma's flip side are shaky at best - not to mention the existence of a _huge_ plot convenience that you must accept in order for the movie to click. That last weakness can be easily overlooked on the merits of the film's strong build-up alone, but diminishing "The Deep End of the Ocean"'s powerful perspective is how it fully details the early goings-on and moves through later passages like an abridged Cliffs Notes summary. Final cut-tamperings have been rumored, which would seem to be the case.
Still, it's difficult to come down very hard on a film that accomplishes most of what it sets out to do, and even more so one that provides a plethora of perfect small moments along the way: Pfeiffer breaking down over Christmas presents that will never be opened, Jackson providing an old stuffed animal as a silent peace offering, Merriman bonding with his potential parents through a Greek folkdance. Missteps may be amassed as "The Deep End of the Ocean" nears its hopeful whimper of a final scene, but it's too late - lingering in the memory already are striking imagery and some very intriguing food for thought.
© 1999 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit The Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/ "Maybe another 200 cigarettes would have helped; coughing would be better than some of this dialogue." -Roger Ebert on "200 Cigarettes"
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