They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but as is often the case with films based upon books, Hearts in Atlantis can't quite capture the essence of Stephen King's nostalgic yet edgy prose. Hearts in Atlantis is based upon King's collection of short stories about kids living in the 1960s. The film mainly focuses on one story, "Low Men in Yellow Coats," which was adapted by another master writer, William Goldman (whose next project is also a King adaptation -- Dreamcatcher). Lots of elements from the story are used -- from eleven-year-old Bobby Garfield's (Anton Yelchin, "Along Came a Spider") Schwinn obsession, to a trip to the carnival where Bobby and his friends ride a roller coaster that makes them feel, as King put it, "simultaneously sure they were going to live forever and die immediately." Bobby's childhood is not ideal. His embittered, widowed mother (Hope Davis, "Mumford") is selfish and stingy. For Bobby's birthday she gives him a library card instead of the coveted Schwinn, but still manages to glean from her meager income enough dollars to spend on new dresses. Not unlike King's Stand By Me, Hearts' focus is on friendship and growing up, first kisses, bullies, the loss of innocence, and, a carrot of the unknown dangling just out of reach. In Stand, it was the search for a dead body allegedly rotting by the railroad tracks; in Hearts, it's the possession of a strange mental power that is never fully explained. The possessor of that power is Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins, "Hannibal"), a soft-spoken Englishman, and a newcomer to the neighborhood. In the short story, Ted is being hunted by yellow-jacketed men; monsters from King's Dark Tower novels who take over a shady part of town. In the movie, the villains are shadowy, trench-coated government "MIB" types. The pace is slow -- too slow at times, but that is the mark of director Scott Hicks (cases in point: "Snow Falling on Cedars" and "Shine" -- both fairly good movies, as is Hearts, but not exactly rigid theatre-chair fare). The cinematography, by the recently deceased Piotr Sobocinski ("Angel Eyes"), is dreamy yet realistic. Everything seems just right for the period. The sets, the clothing, the dialogue, the soundtrack; it all works. What doesn't work is the supernatural element. It's been said every movie is really just "a boy and his dog" story, and perhaps one could say Hearts is the memoir of a "a boy and his psychic," but to pull it off successfully, I believe the supernatural element deserved more attention. As it is, it's such a minor, undeveloped subplot that it might as well have been left out altogether. Aside from the sometimes numbing passage of time, one thing that irritated me about Hearts was the "passed torch" of repeated dialog from one character to another. Perhaps it was supposed to be touchingly ironic. Or perhaps it was done to make sure the audience hasn't nodded off. (I'm not saying that Hearts is a bad movie, and despite its languid, glacial pace, it's not boring; I just think it's better suited to home-viewing.) Truly the only reason to see Hearts in the theatre is Sir Anthony Hopkins. In my opinion he is one of, if not the, greatest actor living today. There is just something about him that makes you like him and want to know him, whether he is a cunning cannibal or a root beer swilling psychic on the lam. In the care of anyone other than Hopkins, much of the dialog and certainly the telepathic trances, would fly way over the top -- but Hopkins keeps things in believable check. Another reason to see Hearts is Mika Boorem (also from "Along Came A Spider"), who plays Bobby's budding young girlfriend, Carol. She projects a fiery yet playful character who is tempered by a sweet, refreshing innocence. It's a long time in coming but Goldman, experienced storyteller that he is, understands that eventually there has to be some conflict in a movie, so the loose knots of Bobby's childhood come undone. The people Bobby loves -- his mom, Ted, and Carol -- are all violated in different ways and desperately, valiantly, Bobby does everything in his power to help them. When the film comes to an end, there is little resolution of the conflicts; instead there's a leap forward into the present, in which grownup Bobby (David Morse, "Proof of Life") has a completely implausible meeting with Carol's daughter, which, supposedly, is to give him closure. That courtesy closure, I'm afraid, isn't extended to the audience.
Review of Hearts in Atlantis
