Hearts in Atlantis Movie Review 2001

Coming-of-age tale tinged with creeps benefits from the odd combination of a story by Stephen King and direction from Scott Hicks, who also directed "Shine" and "Snow Falling on Cedars." Bobby (Yelchin) is an 11-year-old boy living in lower middle class Connecticut circa 1960 with his widowed mother Liz (Davis). When enigmatic Ted (Hopkins) rents a room in their attic, he offers the boy a job reading him the daily newspaper. He also has Bobby keep an eye out for the "low men" (CIA agents? Mafia?) he believes are pursuing him. Ted offers the male role model and adult attention Bobby craves and the two quickly become close. Ted, it seems, has some kind of psychic ability, which he also sees in Bobby. Although lushly filmed, the plot seems a bit stagnant and listless for a story about young people.

Distribution

Warner Home Video, Inc., 5775 Linder Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362, URL: http://whv.warnerbros.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 101 minutes.
Originally from United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Period Piece: 1960s, Books to Film: Stephen King, Childhood Visions, Flashback, Funerals, Coming of Age, Single Parents, Psychic Abilities

Screenplay

William Goldman

Cast

Anthony Hopkins, Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis, Mika Boorem, David Morse, Alan Tudyk, Tom Bower, Celia Weston, Adam LeFevre, Timothy Reifsnyder, Deirdre O'Connell, Will Rothhaar

Cinematography

Piotr Sobocinski

Director

Scott Hicks

Music

Mychael Danna

Other

Tod A. Maitland, John Bissell, Pip Karmel, Mark Worthington, Julie Weiss, Barbara C. Ling

Producer

Kerry Heysen, Castle Rock Entertainment, Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment, Warner Bros.