Hide and Seek (2005)

Not worth the time or effort

This film is blatanly obvious. There is no real suspense or mystery surrounding the plot. It's quite a shame that Robert De Niro would be involved in something like this. Dakota Fanning is a wonderful actress for her age and this film does not do her justice. It is a shame, really. This film does not scare, thrill or satisfy. I would stay away if you have not already watched it. August 5, 2008

HIDE AND SEEK

THIS IS ANOTHER PRETTY GOOD OLD MOVIE, OLE ROBERT IS MY FELLER IN ANY OF HIS MOVIES. April 28, 2008

Quick; hide, and stay hidden...

Sometimes a movie tries too hard to be something more than it really is. `Hide and Seek' is that type of movie. Sure, there are moments when the movie is a tad on the creepy side, but for the most part it is a bunch of clichés strung together in a tired fashion that comes across corny and out of place as apposed to genuinely scary and frightening. I had truly no desire to see this movie. Sadly Robert De Niro has fallen away from everything that made him great and so upon seeing the trailer for this movie I immediately made the connection to the debacle known as `Godsend' and figured that this would be the same kind of mess. In actuality though, I think that this was even worse. At lease `Godsend' has a somewhat original plot.

`Hide and Seek' follows David Callaway and his troubled daughter Emily as they travel to upstate New York shortly after David's wife Alison commits suicide. The tragedy has had a terrible effect on Emily who is cold and distant and destructive. Soon after moving Emily makes a new friend, Charlie, and it's shortly after this that things get weird. Emily's demeanor gets worse and worse and things start happening around the house that suggest something sinister in the works.

What irritates me the most about `Hide and Seek' is that it doesn't know when to quit. It wants so badly to keep one guessing that it veers off on what promises to be eerie subplots only to abandon them with questions left lingering and take us in a completely different direction. One wonders in the end just what Laura was talking about when she said that she's "said too much" or just what Emily said to Sheriff Hafferty or maybe even more so, what in the world Sheriff Hafferty was getting at when he was questioning Emily. These loose ends and plenty others regarding Charlie especially beg to be answered but the sloppy script leaves them all unanswered.

I think it's safe to say that the four main stars in this film are far better than this. Robert De Niro was at one time our greatest working actor. Iconic performances like that of Vito Corleone or Travis Bickle will go down in history as some of the best the world has ever seen; so why is he starring in this tripe. Elisabeth Shue, while not my favorite actress, has proven to be above this, and Famke Janssen (easily the best thing about this movie) needs to further explore the brilliance she brought to the second season of `Nip Tuck'. Dakota Fanning is decent here, not as stiff or mechanical as De Niro, yet she overdoes it quite a bit. I prefer her to play the sweet mature child (see `I Am Sam' or `War of the Worlds') to the eerie gothic girl. She comes off as trying too hard.

In the end I would stay far, far away from this film. It isn't even a decent B-Grade horror film. The chills are short lived, and in the end when Charlie is revealed you'll be let down at the fact that you guessed it way too soon in the game. March 24, 2008

Good Build Up, But All For a Cheap Twist?

I think the Amazon reviews, by and large, got it right with this film. The average rating is 3 out of 5 stars, which is where this film falls on my scale as well.

See, it started off really good. It was a psychological thriller that slowly built up, leaving clues everywhere, keeping the audience guessing throughout the whole film. Who is "Charlie," Emily's (Dakota Fanning) seemingly invisible friend? Is Emily reacting to her mother's death by turning her father's (Robert De Niro) life into a living hell, or is there more to the situation that meets the eye? Are any number of the strange townspeople involved? All these questions and more are brought up during the course of the film, which in itself makes this movie an interesting watch. However, when the 'reveal' comes, I got the distinct feeling that the entire movie really just set out to mimic the success of The Sixth Sense. The reveal makes enough sense to not completely ruin the film, but it does come off a bit cheap.

Overall, this isn't as good as the aforementioned "The Sixth Sense," nor does it deserve the critical beat down it tends to get. Overall, it's a film that had a lot of potential (about the first three fourths were really good) but pretty much tossed it away in favor of a cheap--but still interesting--twist. I'd say it's definitely worth a watch, though, if for nothing but the acting. Dakota Fanning continues to be the best actor in any movie she's in, and her performance as De Niro's daughter Emily is both chilling and heartbreaking.

PS: Skip the alternate endings. Those suck.

5/10 March 24, 2008

leaves you guessing

Robert De niro is always great and this movie is no exception.I've only seen Dakota Fanning in a few movies like the remake of War of the Worlds.She is young but already incredible.In this film she is very creepy and the story will have you guessing right up to the end and you will guess WRONG.Friday the 13th isn't scary just stupid.This movie is Hitchcock scary.It's what you don't know or can't see,the unknown that is scarier than seeing everything.I highly recommend this movie and can't wait to get it. March 22, 2008

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