Hearts in Atlantis (2001)

Fans of The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption will feel a similar affection for Hearts in Atlantis, a Stephen King adaptation that again finds the horror writer in more mainstream waters, with a bit of dabbling in the supernatural. When mysterious out-of-towner Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins) moves into the boarding house that 11-year-old Bobby Garfield (Anton Yelchin) shares with his self-involved mother (Hope Davis), Bobby jumps at the chance to befriend an adult who talks to him straightforwardly. Ted enlists Bobby to read him the newspaper daily--and to keep an eye out for the "low men" bent on capturing Ted, who possesses a strange mind-reading power. Hopkins is in fine form, ably matched by the phenomenal young Yelchin, but director Scott Hicks (Shine) more often than not flattens out the dramatic arcs of the story, despite all the intriguing turns the film takes. Thankfully, though, the schmaltz factor is kept to a minimum, making Hearts in Atlantis a heartfelt coming-of-age drama. --Mark Englehart Amazon.com

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

Anthony Hopkins stars in this adaptation of Stephen King's short story of the same name. The film begins in 2001 (The year the film was made) we are quickly introduced to a character named Bobby (played as an adult by David Morse) Bobby begins to recollect memories from his past, memories from his eleventh birthday and spending time with his friends in the summer. Including the memory of a mysterious individual named Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins)

Ted Brautigan moves in next door to Bobby's house (played at the age of 11 by, Anthon Yelchin) Bobby lives with his mom only, his father is rarely mentioned. Bobby begins to find a father figure in Ted...but there is a special gift that Ted has inside. I will not give more details as to what happens. The only thing about the film that bothered me a little was the pace; it can be a little slow and sad in some points. Though I also don't understand why this film received a PG-13 rating. It should have been rated G, it's a nice and at times sad story about childhood that is surely to be enjoyed by all ages, can't understand why they made the decision of classifying it as PG-13. Also the movie is done in the tradition of "Stand by Me". And it's up there with Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and Stand by Me for well crafted adaptations of Stephen King's Novella's.

MY PERSONAL RATING: 3 ½ OUT OF 5
July 3, 2008

I wouldn't have missed a single minute of it

"Hearts in Atlantis" is based on a short story written by Stephen King. The 2001 film tells the story of how young Bobby Garfield's (Anton Yelchin) life changes when an older man (Hopkins) moves into the same building where he lives in with his selfish single Mom.

Ted (Hopkins) treats Bobby like an adult, exposing him to fine literature and opening his mind to his own potential. In a few short weeks, a young boy becomes a strong young man capable of taking care of himself and others.

Ted's vested Bobby with a job. For a dollar a week, he reads the newspaper to Ted and watches out for the low men. Ted's afraid that these people will come to take him for his 'gifts'. (He's a psychic)

"Take that, for the Gerber baby!" is one line that had both my husband and I cheering loud enough to have gotten us thrown out of the theatre. Bobby delivers this coup de grace to a school bully who'd been hurting his girlfriend, Carol Gerber (Mika Borem).

While we rented this film, my husband and I both agreed to purchase "Hearts" because we would like to be able to see it again. This is an exceptional film and a very interesting viewing. January 29, 2008

You can skip this one

I love Anthony Hopkins as much as the next person, but this movie had several flaws:

(1) nothing much happens;

(2) Anthony Hopkins speaks with a slur that I guess is supposed to imply world weariness, but instead is just annoying;

(3) Anthony Hopkins spouts trite observations ("we're all just passing through, kiddo, just passing through") that are meant to imply wisdom, but instead are just annoying;

(4) the movie could have ended at any one of its last four scenes, and nothing would have been lost.

However, I don't think the movie's awful. There are a couple of scenes that are outstanding, the best of which is a conversation that Hopkins has with a local bully. And the young protagonist's girlfriend was perfectly cast and excellently played. December 10, 2007

A Haunting Story

I don't usually care for "coming-of-age" movies but this is a mixture of that along with a suspenseful story of an older man trying to keep his anonymity. Anthony Hopkins plays the latter and is riveting, as always. His character, "Ted Brautigan" is not an easy guy to figure out, but he has to be mysterious in order to keep away from the bogey-man bad guys called "low men." That sounds goofy but if you watch the film, you know what I mean.

The kids - Anton Yelchin and Mika Bororem - are good, especially Yelchin, who has a far bigger role. It's nice to see a kid (Yelchin's character "Bobby Garfield") actually listening to an adult, as he does here. The romance between the two kids is handled well, not sappy.

I very much enjoyed the cinematography. It's a wonderfully rich-colored film with a touch of film noir in spots with the cobbled street shots at night.

Finally, this was a film that moved me with it sadness. September 20, 2007

"It's funny how when you're a kid, a day can last forever. Now, all these years seem just like a blink."

I only read one persons review about this movie. I wanted to just come here and post this from the Heart; my heart, right to you after watching it. So I apologize to you if many things are said that are redundant.

'Yorgos' I think kind of told the masses here, in essence, how I felt while viewing this absolute delight, this wonderment and uplifting spirit that soared through my tears and my memories, and transgressed to a space that only few films can migrate to. My inner child.

I wont dissect the film and compare it to this or that, like so many ignorant reviewers do all the time referring to its cinematic wonder and transform a simple spirited, heart touching movie into some frog dissecting assignment in 10th grade biology. I think, intrinsically, a film can be so much deeper than it was orginally intended. You can talk about how loosely it was adapted from "Low Men in Yellow Coats", and how dismel and paltry audience reaction was to this (didn't it gross only around 20 million or so?), but can you blame the masses? Where the next Fantastic Four or Spiderman await the naivete and senses of broad age specific persons, a film like this naturally, in almost any case, would seep through the cracks. There are only a specific genre of people, and children, who would find this movie uplifting and cherish its message. Not everyone can dance between the raindrops friends.

Like 'Yorgos' review below, I had mixed reviews throughout as well. However the nostalgic warmth I felt as the movie progressed, gave me this euphoric cheek to cheek smile, this wonderful aura created itself upon where I was viewing this, and perhaps the 'Barefoot' Merlot I was drinking, gave my senses and emotions a bigger lift than if I wasn't having a glass, however I felt so good about life, and people, and wonders of the world after viewing this. Is that not what film, friends, what film in all it's purity and saturation to our keen senses is supposed to do for us? Touch something inside, and leave its message their long after viewing is over? Don't we all want one of life's greatest wonders to move in above our parents home?

I think the chemistry and at times sheer brilliant cinematography was incandescent with the times, and 'Anton Yelchin' (who was recoginzed for a Young Arist award evidentally) and 'Mika Boorem' play off each other wonderfully. They absolutely radiated on screen. It must be hard for a director to do very intimate scenes with pre-teens, or cusping teenagers, and the scene on the ferris wheel was no different. Kudos for not making it to sentimental, or too over the top. I wanted to be 14 again, at the state fair, and budding up with my guy friends, waiting to see the beautiful Sally spring forth from somewhere behind the Tilt-O-Whirl. In my minds eye, I caught that grace and splendid camera view as well.

The horrors of ignorance of the jilded over protective ignorant mother, and society as a whole, when coming upon children with men, and realizing that perhaps almost immediately, the thought of something 'not normal' or 'disturbing' enters into the psyche. That is such a shame that we live in a world where an old man cannot befriend a boy, in fear of him being a diddler. Truly sad. How many boys need mentors, how many fatherless boys would have yearned to have a Ted in their lives, even for a small fraction of time. The difference could shape a persons life.

Upon going into a film, save for the latest '300', I rarely if ever read a review about it. I wonder why I would let someone else put emotions or loathing in my head about something that will, in essence, be my eyes watching it. I thought Hearts in Atlantis was about the lost city of Atlantis perhaps, and that maybe Ted was from there. Since it was from King, I ignorantly thought it would be more on the supernatural side. How wrong I was in so many ways, and that is my point. How wonderfully suprised and uplifted I was after this movie. If I read anything about it before seeing it, I might have already formed pre-conceived notions about its subject matter or had a spoiler or two thrown in for good measure. I called several people to tell them about it immediately after viewing.

For this reviewer, 'Hearts in Atlantis' was sappy, it was nostalgic, it was bittersweet, it was full of such amazing songs, it was evoking memories in me that few movies get to do, and it showed me how powerful that a movie from nowhere, can come up and grab us in the behind, and tickle our eyes to water, just for a bit, and then round it out, with an amazing performance by a young gentleman; and Hopkins, in his pure metaphysical craft, can send a kiss in the wind, and lend us a quote for the cosmos: "Sometimes when you're young, you have moments of such happiness, you think you're living in someplace magical, like Atlantis must have been? Then we grow up and our hearts break into two."

Thank you Scott Hicks. July 12, 2007

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