Hide from this clunker
Is Robert De Niro, arguably the greatest actor of his
generation, so insecure that he’d appear in almost any movie
that’s presented to him? To look at De Niro’s choices over the
last five years, you’d certainly think so. Although no actor who has
appeared on the screen for 35 years can avoid a stinker or two, some of De
Niro’s recent choices — The
Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Score, Showtime, City
by the Sea, Analyze
That, and Godsend — have been so misguided that they threaten to tarnish
his considerable cinematic legacy.
Add to the list Hide and
Seek, a lamebrained thriller that has De Niro
as Dr. David Callaway, a psychologist trying to put his life back together
after his wife (Amy Irving) commits suicide. Despondent and unsure of
himself, he moves to upstate New York with his young daughter, Emily
(Dakota Fanning). Internalizing her anger, Emily soon begins to report to
her father that she has a new imaginary friend named Charlie in whom she
finds some solace. Callaway recognizes this as a coping mechanism and is
not overly concerned until a series of violent events begins to occur that
only Emily could have committed, all of which she promptly blames on
Charlie. Accusations written in blood in the bathroom, the horrific death
of the family cat, and Emily’s increasingly odd behavior convince
Callaway that his daughter’s behavior will continue to escalate, with
tragic results.
Director John Polson does a fine job creating an eerie
atmosphere, and events are presented in such a way that the possibility of
Charlie’s being a supernatural threat doesn’t seem farfetched.
Unfortunately, Ari Schlossberg’s script comes up with a
disappointment for a villain.
Successful movies with twisted endings, such as The Sixth Sense, invite repeat
viewings. We’re eager to go back and see how all of the clues fit
together. Hide and Seek, by contrast, opts for a surprise ending almost as an act of
desperation. It just doesn’t make sense on the basis of where the
story’s taken us. Once Charlie’s identity is revealed, the film
loses all credibility.
There is an unwritten rule that critics don’t
reveal a film’s ending. I will abide by that rule here, even though
every fiber of my being wants to violate it. Let me just say that films
such as Hide and Seek don’t exist to thrill or shock viewers as much as they do
to insult them. The story undercuts the fine work of De Niro, Fanning, and
Famke Janssen as Callaway’s colleague and Elisabeth Shue as his
prospective new girlfriend. These performers all deserve better, and so do
we.
Also in theaters this week. . .
A Very Long Engagement [R]
Mathilde searches relentlessly for her fiancé who has disappeared
from the trenches of the Somme during World War I. Parkway Pointe
Being Julia [R] The
reigning diva of the 1930s-era London stage falls head over heels for a
young American, but she learns he’s a social climber who is chasing
another young starlet. Parkway Pointe
Black is. . . Black ain’t [not rated] Examination of racism, sexism, homophobia within the
black community includes appearances by Angela Davis, Cornell West, bell
hooks, and others. First in weekly Thursday night UIS Black and Gay Film
Series. (Next Thursday, Feb. 17: Living with Pride: Ruth Ellis at 100.)
Noon, conference room E, lower level, Public
Affairs Center (UIS)
The Boogeyman [PG-13] A
man is forced to return home to face the memories of a traumatic childhood.
ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
Coach Carter [PG-13]
Samuel L. Jackson stars as a high-school basketball coach in Richmond,
Calif., who pushes his players to excel in the classroom. ShowPlace West
Hitch [PG-13] A female
journalist investigates the unorthodox methods of a professional
matchmaker. ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
Hotel Rwanda [PG-13] Paul
Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) is a hotel manager who hides more than a
thousand Tutsi refugees during the Rwandan genocide. Parkway Pointe
In Good Company [PG-13]
Dan Foreman is a middle-aged exec who gets a youthful boss. Complicating
matters: Foreman’s daughter is dating the boss. ShowPlace West
Million Dollar Baby [PG-13]
Clint Eastwood stars as a boxing trainer who, with the prodding of his
partner, agrees to train a promising female pugilist. ShowPlace East, ShowPlace West
Pooh’s Heffalump Movie [G] Winnie the Pooh and his pals discover a baby Heffalump.
ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
Shall We Dance? [PG-13] A
married, middle-aged businessman falls in love with a dance instructor,
signs up for a beginner’s dance class, and becomes quite good. His
wife suspects he’s having an affair. In Japanese, with subtitles. Brookens Auditorium (UIS)
Sideways [R] A failed
writer/divorcé and his best friend, a faded actor, take a weeklong
trip through California wine country, where they explore their failures and
drink wine. Parkway Pointe
The Wedding Date [PG-13]
To fool her ex-fiancé, Kat Ellis (Debra Messing) hires a male escort
(Dermot Mulroney) to pose as her boyfriend at her sister’s wedding. ShowPlace West
This article appears in Feb 10-16, 2005.
