OK, so I am a bit behind. We just saw this movie Thursday. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t think I would ever watch it because of the Helen Hunt factor [how does this horrible actress keep getting parts?] In the end, Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment were too promising to pass up. The movie was generally nice, Spacey and Osment were moving (boy does that kid sell the “I’m brokenhearted” look!), Hunt didn’t suck any more than expected, Angie Dickinson was amusing as a bag lady. I do have a gripe, however – but don’t read any further if you haven’t seen the movie yet…
Rotten Tomatoes: 40% critics, 82% users
I give it 3.5 because it is the kind of movie most of my family & friends would/will enjoy
How did having the kid die help the movie?
It added nothing to the story, didn’t advance any points, didn’t fit with the action. The only conclusion I’ve been able to draw is that the writer, or director, was lazy. They wanted a way to show that Trevor had touched peoples lives, perhaps even changed the world, and ran out of ideas. Someone has a flashback to Field of Dreams and decides they need a crowd holding candles and a line of cars coming down the road, “yeah, that’ll be great!” So, rather than think of something original and potentially subtle, they knife him and wrap it all up with some candle light and flowers.
Other than that, a nice premise with a clever circle back plot line.
But Trevor should have lived – they could have killed off Arlene
(reposted from here)