Kevin Bacon is another one of our most unsung actors in the movies whose talent is often unspoken of. This man has appeared in "J.F.K," "Sleepers," "A Few Good Men," and "Apollo 13." He has also had his footing in the sci-fi/horror genre in films like the original "Friday the 13th," "Flatliners" and "Tremors." It is nice to see him back in this genre with the fitfully exciting and alternately disturbing "Stir of Echoes."
Bacon plays Tom Witzky, a telephone service repairman with a faithful, pregnant wife (Kathryn Erbe) and a cute son (Zachary David Cope) who talks to himself in his bedroom and in the bathtub. But who is he talking to? Some unseen force or spirit, or is it the kids' imagination? Of course, a creepiness sets in when we see that he is talking to us, and we are the spirits.
One night, Tom goes to a neighborhood keg party and is hypnotized by his sister-in-law (the quixotically alive Illeana Douglas). Afterwards, he begins to get headaches, drinks orange juice by the gallon, and feels the need to dig his backyard searching for something. Tom also sees visions of the ghost of a missing girl in the neighborhood, and every time he gets close to her, he feels cold and sees frost in the air (shades of "The Sixth Sense"). Everyone thinks he is going crazy except for his son who tells him not to be afraid.
"Stir of Echoes" is great, intriguing entertainment for the first hour. Tom's visions begin to get more bizarre and violent, and he also foresees the future. We also see how this affects his wife, their sex life, and his son who seems to embody other spirits (he is possessed briefly at one point). Unfortunately, as written by Richard Matheson (based on his 1958 novel) and David Koepp, the movie gradually stirs itself into a narrow corner. Too many plot threads are left hanging and we are left with a movie about the spectre of a dead girl who affects an entire neighborhood.
Once the film examines the mystery of this girl, "Stir of Echoes" never truly builds on the psychological layers of Tom's character to see how this might affect him. There is nothing here to suggest the implicit ironies of "The Sixth Sense" or Roman Polanski's masterpiece, "The Tenant." And the anticlimactic, mediocre ending lends little in the film's favor.
There is still a lot to savor in "Stir of Echoes." Kevin Bacon projects anxiety and fear in a nicely balanced performance - his cocky, tense behavior is well-modulated but he could have done so much more with an in-depth script. Illeana Douglas is a sprightly wonder and brings the film alive with her charisma. A real shame that she is so underused considering she unleashes the can of visions to Tom in the first place. I also enjoyed Kevin Dunn's brief role as Tom's sexually lustful friend.
There are some surprises but not enough to overcome the fact that "Stir of Echoes" is nothing more than an extended "Twilight Zone" episode. It had more potential than that, if only writers Matheson and director David Koepp stirred all the elements to come up with a fruitier mix.
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E-mail me with any questions, concerns or complaints at jerry@movieluver.com or at Faust667@aol.com
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