Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Starduster I actually found this movie by accident. I purchased a bag full of VHS tapes at a church rummage sale and this was one of the selections. I understand that this movie is based on a book. I have not read the book and will not speak of the movies ability to convey the original material from the book. To me, a movie should stand on its own merits. This is NOT the usual "kid goes missing" drama which is quite common. Its not based on any particular "true" story that I know of. It presents a somewhat unique situation of "what if a missing child is found, living a very well adjusted lifestyle where nobody is aware of the missing boys past;" except for the biological parents of course. What I found amazing was the total strength of character that was given to the boy who had been kidnapped when he was only 3. It is hard to find a more loving and caring child than the one we have in 12 year old "SAM" who's birth name was Ben. You would have to believe that such a child could only be a product of a very loving and caring family. However, One of these "family" members had a deep dark secret that she struggled with until her untimely death. Nevertheless Sam, was left with a wisdom love and understanding that most adults don't have. He never knew of the deep dark secret of his abduction or had long forgotten it at least. In contrast, his biological family struggled with their own "secrets" and feelings of guilt and blame. Each had their moments of seeming to get their lives together, but never really coming to terms with the "loss" of a young child. Each seemed dysfunctional in a different way, and the dysfunctional aspects clashed with each other much of the time. Suddenly the nearly "unimaginable" event happens. Their son is found and right in their own neighborhood. The question here is how do you integrate an amazingly well adjusted child, into a family who is still torn up with feelings of blame and guilt and loss etc. What happens to this miraculous child AND what happens to the person who he loves and regards as his father. Ryan Merriman plays Sam, the lost boy who is truly not "lost" as far as having his life together. He is nearly a picture perfect child. a parents "dream come true". I marveled at the strength of character he has and the maturity well beyond his years. "Sam" is like the glue that binds everyone else together. Merriman's performance is amazing. I became very emotionally involved in the characters and the plot. I especially felt involved with Sam and his "father", George, who raised him. The movie was well acted and in my opinion it was well presented as to the storyline. I guess it may be a bit different from the book, but without reading the book, I had no preconceived ideas or expectations. In that respect, the storyline seemed fine as it was presented. I would like to have seen "George" incorporated a bit more into the ending. All in all, it was a very great movie and I plan to buy a DVD copy for my movie library.

zorrothefox I saw this movie on HBO a few years ago, and even though I saw it only from the time when Sam comes back, I found it to be a wonderful movie. I recently watched this movie again, and I found that the movie was just as great on the second view. That's because the movie is not about the story, but about human emotions, which don't depend on a plot. This does not mean that there is no story or plot here. Indeed the story is something anyone can identify with... Losing someone you love... and finding them all over again.The director does not use cheap dramatics or hysterics to make you feel the loss that the family, especially the mother goes through. There are scenes in the movie where I was moved to tears. Not to suggest that this is a tear-jerker. On the contrary, it has some really uplifting moments to it.I rate this a solid 10/10. Watch this movie! You won't regret it.

George Attwood THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN **** Jacqueline Mitchard's bestselling tearjerker is incorporated into this heartfelt, emotional motion picture about losing a loved one, rising above certain challenges from which point, and finally experiencing a saving grace. Ulu Grosbard's cast is exquisite, with Michelle Pfeiffer playing the mother of three kids who attends a high school reunion, and accidentally loses the younger son. A search for the little guy wasn't over for weeks upon weeks, until our family had to face facts that he wasn't coming home. But the most unexpected thing happens about nine years later when a boy comes up to mow the lawn, whom the family believes is the long-lost child. Treat Williams is great as the man-to-lean-on husband who wants to do the right thing. Whoopi Goldberg adds a nice touch as Detective Bliss. Amid its interesting theme, the character dynamic stands out - from how the players respond to each other through the horrific circumstance, to mutually reaching a place of forgiveness and comfort, with each other and in themselves. One of the more rewarding films I've seen lately.

bob the moo Beth Cappadora is at a reunion in a hotel when her middle child of three goes missing. At first the search is informal but it grows increasingly frantic and official as they realise that Ben has been taken by somebody. The family never fully recovers and carry the scars for years. Nine years later the family have moved to Chicago to start a new life. When Beth has a local boy come to the block to cut the grass, she believes that he must be Ben because her looks just like him despite the age. The police recover Ben but is it fair to take him away from the people Ben now considers his family?The plot summary gives the impression that this is just a standard weepy that would easily screen on a weekday afternoon. However the presence of a couple of well known names in the cast list suggests that this film will give the subject a more serious approach that acts more as drama than weepy. Partly the latter is true but not 100%, and the film is still essentially a sort of weepy that has a control of it's emotions and is actually quite stable but not to the point where it is an engaging debate.The material should be thought provoking but it isn't really. What I thought would be the main thrust of the film was really just mentioned in the final 20 minutes and it was not only obvious that it was coming but it was quite logically dealt with without real emotion - this is not a `Sophie's Choice' situation but something quite lacking. The start of the film is OK but it deals with the loss too easily and I never got overwhelmed with the emotions the family must feel. Towards the end the film does a good job looking at the effects the whole thing has had on the other son's character but even this lacks an emotional punch.The cast are good on paper but they seem strangely stilted. Pfeiffer is a good actress who sadly doesn't seem to get as much good work as she gets older. Here she tries hard but can't get across what her character must be feeling inside. Williams is an OK support for her and does OK. Jackson is quite good and his character became more interesting to me than the return of Ben itself. Goldberg hangs around but attempts to give her a character through one line of dialogue about her sexuality and security in her job are so out of the blue that I was left wondering where it came from.Overall this is not a weepy because it aims higher than that and doesn't wrench all the emotion out of every scene to get the audience. However it doesn't aim high enough or reach the level where it is emotional or thought provoking, the end result being an interesting film that is a notch above the level of daytime TV weepy but not as worthy or moving as it wants to be.