To be honest, I'm a little disappointed in this film. Don't get me wrong...it's a good movie...but it did something that happens all often in films...it sort of left us hanging at end. All that story and then we're dismissed without knowing much about how things went on after that. And, the film does occasionally drag.
However, there is a lot to like here. I liked the most important aspect of the film -- that there is a difference between loving a child and enriching a child. The mother here (Jodie Foster) could love, but not enrich. On the other hand the foundation leader (Dianne Wiest) could enrich, but not love.
The cast here is great. Jodie Foster hits the target with her performance, as does Dianne Wiest (a very much underrated actress). Adam Hann-Byrd as the boy is superb. Harry Connick Jr. brought an interesting aspect to the story, but his role is so minor that it left me wanting more exploration of how the boy might interact with a very different type of adult. David Hyde Pierce...I would have liked a little more screen time, as well. I always enjoy Debi Mazar.
The producers were brave here. This is not a film that would have a wide audience. Who would really like this film? Fans of Foster or Wiest. And people who are interested in, or involved with kids who have true giftedness (and that was me in my pre-retirement role as a principal in a school with a large gifted program...although not this gifted). If you fit in one of those categories, you will no doubt enjoy this film.
However, there is a lot to like here. I liked the most important aspect of the film -- that there is a difference between loving a child and enriching a child. The mother here (Jodie Foster) could love, but not enrich. On the other hand the foundation leader (Dianne Wiest) could enrich, but not love.
The cast here is great. Jodie Foster hits the target with her performance, as does Dianne Wiest (a very much underrated actress). Adam Hann-Byrd as the boy is superb. Harry Connick Jr. brought an interesting aspect to the story, but his role is so minor that it left me wanting more exploration of how the boy might interact with a very different type of adult. David Hyde Pierce...I would have liked a little more screen time, as well. I always enjoy Debi Mazar.
The producers were brave here. This is not a film that would have a wide audience. Who would really like this film? Fans of Foster or Wiest. And people who are interested in, or involved with kids who have true giftedness (and that was me in my pre-retirement role as a principal in a school with a large gifted program...although not this gifted). If you fit in one of those categories, you will no doubt enjoy this film.