Review: Stir of Echoes
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas, Zachary David Cope
Directed by: David Koepp
Review by: Joy Wyse, the SILVER Screen Critic
It is astonishing that major motion picture studios often release movies with similar plots within weeks of each other. Last year there was Deep Impact and Armageddon. So, there is no question that Stir of Echoes will be compared to the summer's surprise hit, Sixth Sense. Both have similar storylines involving children who see ghosts. In Stir of Echoes the child is Jake Witzky, played quite well by Zachary David Cope. He is the only one of the family who is aware of the presence of a young female ghost who resides in the house with them, that is, until one night when his father, Tom, (Bacon) is hypnotized at a party by Lisa (Douglas). Her post-hypnotic suggestion gives Tom powers to see and hear unusual glimpses of things that surround him. But he can't seem to figure out what is happening. And, his wife, Maggie, (Erbe) certainly isn't very understanding. Even at a cemetery, when she starts to notice that her son has some weird abilities, she refuses to accept them.
When Jake reminds his mother to take her purse with her, you remember that she has a knife in it, and surely she will use it. She does. The major problem here is that we are aware what's happening before the cast is.
Oh, yes, there is a mystery here. Who is the ghost? Why is she there? Well, it doesn't take long to know who she is and she's there because she's probably been murdered. But who did it? There are some scary moments and if that's what you like, you'll be entertained. As for the acting, Kevin Bacon's portrayal is uneven to say the least. But now we have another group of actors who can be included in `Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon'.
It's not a movie for young children to watch, but most teens will like it. As for me, I might watch this again when it comes to free TV. I give it a C.
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