Hearts in the right place
February 5, 2002 | 12:00am
Bobby Garfield (David Morse), an accomplished photographer, receives a worn-out baseball glove along with the news of his childhood buddy’s death. He takes out an old and tattered picture of a young, elfish girl and puts it in his pocket. These are Bobby’s provisions for the journey that would take him back to the time when children dwelled in a place where happiness and innocence abound, as what Atlantis probably was.
We then watch Bobby develop a unique friendship with the mysterious Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins), be infatuated with one of his best pals, Carol (Mika Boorem), and deal with the bitterness and selfishness of his widowed mother (Hope Davis). As Bobby struggles with the issues of growing up, we see how he is transformed from an innocent, wide-eyed boy to a young man with wisdom beyond his years; a legacy of his friendship with a wise man gifted with a power beyond anyone’s comprehension.
The film "Hearts in Atlantis" makes all of us want to go to that time when childhood ends. We are transported to places in our hearts we have long forgotten. When young Bobby (Anton Yelchin) celebrates his 11th birthday and is given an adult library card by his mother for a gift, we feel for him. We remember similar gifts we’ve received, a book in lieu of a bike, a birthday card instead of a tea set. And we recall being happy and disappointed at the same time but not being able to digest the emotions until we grow much older.
The first part of the movie is rather light but it gives hints of the tension that was yet to come. I have not Stephen King’s book (from which the movie was based upon) but the film is a work of art in itself and creates a story all its own. The friendship that develops between Bobby and the mysterious Ted is rare. We are pressed to recall deep friendships that we have had, bonds that have been broken and childhood memories that have been disjointed by the vagaries of maturity.
It is small and heartfelt movies like "Hearts in Atlantis" that take us back to where we once were.
We then watch Bobby develop a unique friendship with the mysterious Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins), be infatuated with one of his best pals, Carol (Mika Boorem), and deal with the bitterness and selfishness of his widowed mother (Hope Davis). As Bobby struggles with the issues of growing up, we see how he is transformed from an innocent, wide-eyed boy to a young man with wisdom beyond his years; a legacy of his friendship with a wise man gifted with a power beyond anyone’s comprehension.
The film "Hearts in Atlantis" makes all of us want to go to that time when childhood ends. We are transported to places in our hearts we have long forgotten. When young Bobby (Anton Yelchin) celebrates his 11th birthday and is given an adult library card by his mother for a gift, we feel for him. We remember similar gifts we’ve received, a book in lieu of a bike, a birthday card instead of a tea set. And we recall being happy and disappointed at the same time but not being able to digest the emotions until we grow much older.
The first part of the movie is rather light but it gives hints of the tension that was yet to come. I have not Stephen King’s book (from which the movie was based upon) but the film is a work of art in itself and creates a story all its own. The friendship that develops between Bobby and the mysterious Ted is rare. We are pressed to recall deep friendships that we have had, bonds that have been broken and childhood memories that have been disjointed by the vagaries of maturity.
It is small and heartfelt movies like "Hearts in Atlantis" that take us back to where we once were.
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