Hearts in Atlantis is
ranked among my favorite films I’ve seen so far this year. Set in the
early 1960s, Sir Anthony Hopkins plays the role of a boarder with
some mysterious psychic powers. He is hiding from the FBI in the home of
Elizabeth Garfield (Hope Davis) and her eleven-year-old son Bobby
(Anton Yelchin). The story is written by Stephen King and is
similar in essence to his former box office smash, Stand By Me. In this
case, the adult Bobby, Robert Garfield (David Morse) reflects on
his last summer as a kid, when he learned that both of his childhood
friends had passed away. The child actors are superb as they suffer the
usual growing pains and the tugs of first love. Sir Anthony Hopkins gave
what I thought was one of his best performances within the last decade.
The mysterious boarder hires Bobby to read him the newspaper and to keep
an eye out for the bad guys who are looking for him. Watch for this film
at Oscar time. The set design, cinematography, story, and acting were all
outstanding. The realism and content of the story certainly brought back
memories, and one scene even pulled a tear.