Hearts in Atlantis (2001)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Scott Hicks

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (book)
William Goldman (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 September 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

What if one of life's great mysteries moved in upstairs?

Plot:

A widowed mother and her son change when a mysterious stranger enters their lives.

Plot Keywords:

Bully | Kiss | Mysterious Stranger | First Kiss | Bicycle

Awards:

2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Ted Brautigan
Anton Yelchin	...	Bobby Garfield
Hope Davis	...	Liz Garfield
Mika Boorem	...	Carol Gerber
David Morse	...	Adult Bobby Garfield
Alan Tudyk	...	Monte Man
Tom Bower	...	Len Files
Celia Weston	...	Alana Files
Adam LeFevre	...	Don Biderman
Will Rothhaar	...	John Sullivan
Timothy Reifsnyder	...	Harry Doolin (as Timmy Reifsnyder)
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Mrs. Gerber
Terry Beaver	...	Mr. Oliver
Joe T. Blankenship	...	Richie O'Rourke
Brett Fleisher	...	Willie Shearman

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and thematic elements.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38401) | South Korea:12 | Japan:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Dinwiddie, Virginia, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

Early in the movie, Ted mentions the Library Policemen. This is a reference to a story by Stephen King (who also wrote the source story for the movie) that appears in his anthology, "Four Past Midnight".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The shot is flipped at the end of the movie when Bobby is riding his Schwinn bike. The kickstand is on the right side and the chain on the left, opposite of where they should be. Also, note that one can clearly see the name "Schwinn" reversed on the side of the bike in this scene. This side of the bike should read "Black Phantom" when facing to the right.

Quotes:

Carol: You're a strange person.
Ted: SHH! Tell no one.

Movie Connections:

References Village of the Damned (1960)

Soundtrack:

Only You (And You Alone)

Wouldn't've missed a minute of it.

To many, Stephan King is a well of horror, Lovecraftian chill that creeps upon us in the dead of night. So when his fantasy of insight comes along, they are struck blind, disappointed, let down by the mildness of the tale.

Director Hicks, screenplay writer Goldman, and the superlative team of Mr. Hopkins and young Yelchin have brought alive this artist's touch of Mr. King, in a finely crafted, sensitive film that just departs from the four walls of our mundane reality. In many subtle touches throughout the film, we -- even those of us Constant Readers who would read Mr. King's laundry list if he published it -- are guided through Goldman's skillful adaptation of the original novel.

Better than the book? Worse? No, this humble viewer will just say that the film can stand on its own, if we are just willing to let our eyes be opened to what can be.