Well here comes the Incinerator with his/her/plasma's review of DEEP END OF THE OCEAN, which btw they sure are testing a lot these days. They must be making minor little changes to see how the audience reacts. Remember this is a test screening, and many changes will most likely change between now and then. But as for now, here's what Incinerator thought...
Incinerator here.
Last night I blazed a path to the General Cinema in Sherman Oaks, CA to see Deep End of the Ocean starring Michelle Pfeiffer & Treat Williams. It is a hell of an interesting premise and its based on a novel which I never read. I personally don't care for most of today's authors and I suspect at my age people start becoming afraid of change, losing memory , etc.
Anyway, the film starts out with Pfeiffer as the hurried mother taking her kids to her high school reunion - I could not figure out why she took the kids and not the hubby. Anyway, the youngest gets snatched in a matter of seconds that Pfeiffer turns her back. She goes a little crazy on the scene after 6 hours of the kid being a no-show. The search continues and eventually everyone accepts that the little kid is gone for good. Pfeiffer is emotionally damaged by this and becomes withdrawn from her family and friends.
Whoopi Goodberg is also in this and there are few things that annoy me more in a movie than Whoopi (except slapstick, child actors and monkeys - each having their own exceptions). She announces she is gay to Pfeiffer (this serves no purpose except to either placate the gay segment of the audience or maybe stay faithful to the novel?) and it is never brought up again.
Treat Williams, who I usually like is given very few things to do. He is Pfeiffer's husband and the backbone of the family.
Oh, hell you read the synopsis in the other reviews so I'm gonna continue with nothing but opinion. I f you want to know what happened, look up the reviews from the previous test screenings.
The music, was temp, but appropriate if not a little underplayed.
Pfeiffer's kids (the teenage versions , not the small kid versions) are pretty good. They do a good job of portraying the emotions of their characters and the situations they are in. They hold the flick together when it seems like the film is focusing on the adults too much. Which I think it does - except for the end, which seems like quick fix. They needed to throw a few extra scenes to show the transitions these people went through over the years, not just a card that reads "9 years later".
There is a guy in this who plays the "adopted father" of Pfeiffer's kid who gets kidnaopped isd really good. He had a golden era where he played in 3 John Hughes films. In Breakfast Club, he played Carl the janitor. In Sixteen Candles, he played the annoying fiance of Molly Ringwald's sister. In Weird Science he played Dino (the guy who was in the bar who said to Kelly LeBrock,"hey pretty lady, what's a beautiful broad like you doing with a malaca like this?" Classic! Well, he's good in this movie too, but in a dramatic performance.
The title needs to be changed. There is no reference to what it means in the goddamn movie! I hate when that happens! Either mention it in the movie or change it to something else!
All in all it was a "pretty good" flick. Very interesting story premise, but they need to show us more about the characters visually instead of through direct exposition (i.e.-"you blame me for losing Ben!" retort: "Yes I do (or something to that effect)". Aaargh! I must sleep now.
Warmest regards,
Incinerator
