Ted Brautigan: Anthony Hopkins	Bobby Garfield: Anton Yelchin
Liz Garfield: Hope Davis	Carol Gerber: Mika Boorem
Sully: Will Rothhaar	Harry: Timothy Reifsnyder
Director: Scott Hicks	Bobby as an adult: David Morse

30 Second Bottom Line: An eleven year old boy experiences a summer that transforms him forever as he gets his first kiss, meets an old man who shares his wisdom, comes to terms with his selfish and overbearing mother, and looks the town bully straight in the eye without flinching.

Story Line: The film opens as a graying Bobby Garfield (David Morse), a noted photographer, receives in the mail a baseball glove from his childhood days, as part of the settlement of a will of his former best friend Sully (Will Rothhaar). This triggers childhood memories, which are reinforced when he visits the old neighborhood while in the area for Sully's funeral.

Flashback to young Bobby (Anton Yelchin) and we see that he lives with his mother Liz (Hope Davis) in a working class neighborhood in a home with an upstairs apartment for rent. Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins), who rents the room, tells a curious Liz that he comes from "up north" and is in retirement. After the death of her husband six years ago left them in debt along with a lapsed life insurance policy, Liz feels that she must "over extend" herself as a secretary for a boss who clearly has plans for her beyond career development. Liz finds herself making many comprises in her values because of her financial situation. Although money is tight, Liz seems to be able to dress quite well to maintain her vanity and self-image. Bobby wants a Schwinn bike for his 11th birthday but Liz declares there's no money for it and she gives him an adult library card, which, of course, is free.

Bobby is kind of bummed out with the library card until his friend Carol Gerber (Mika Boorem) convinces him to put things in perspective and Ted introduces him to some interesting writers to ask for in the adult section. Ted also engages Bobby to read the newspaper to him each day for the princely sum of $1 per week. This was 1960 and that was a nice piece of change for a kid. The top of the line Schwinn cost less than $60.00!! Bobby wants to know what the catch is and Ted tells him that he is to also look out for low men dressed in dark clothes, who travel in a pack and cast long shadows. Ted points out to the boy what signs of their presence to look for and cautions Bobby to let him know at once. These low men are looking for Ted because of his gift of clairvoyance.

Bobby and Carol have their own nemesis to look out for in the cruel bully, Harry, who fancies himself handy with a baseball bat. A telling confrontation between Ted and Harry threatens to reveal more about Harry than he'd care for people to know.

Over the course of the summer, with the exception of Ted who knows where he is today and almost literally where he will be tomorrow, Bobby, Liz, Carol, and Harry, will be very different people by the fall.

Tell Me More About It: Having listened to the unabridged audio book of the same name, read by William Hurt, I was concerned about the movie being any good with a running time of only 100 minutes. The book ties together a series of short stories with a common thread around the Vietnam War. The locales are the character's hometowns. The film however still captures the spirit and essence of the book without any of the Vietnam material. Had more of the material in the book been explored, this would have been a three-hour plus movie, and a very good, one al a (The Green Mile).

Anthony Hopkins tends to downplay his skill as an actor but anyone who sees what he does with the cerebral Ted and how he relates to the other characters, can only be amazed with how Stephen King's book has been brought to life. Anton Yelchin without doubt delivers the best acting performance by a child this year. I'd even put him on my short list as best actor as of late September. Hope Davis plays her character with flawed perfection and Mika Boorem is certainly a girl an 11 year old boy would want to get his first kiss from, at the top of a ferris wheel at the county fair. "A kiss by which all others are measured," Ted assures Bobby. Timothy Reifsnyder as Harry is a bully who is more than just mean spirited to Carol and Bobby, and who very much needs a comeuppance.

While the film revels in the past, it encourages you to open your eyes and let the future in. Hearts in Atlantis stirs your emotions without the phoniness of most Hollywood movies. I'm old enough to have forgotten some of the details of many of the experiences that every person has as a pre teen but the movie made me recall the feelings. Hearts in Atlantis truly captures what it's like to be a kid who figures out how to become a teenager who then becomes a successful adult. That's pretty cool.

Anthony Hopkins: Bad Company	Anton Yelchin: Along Came a Spider
Hope Davis: Arlington Road	Mika Boorem: Riding in Cars with Boys
Will Rothhaar: Now you Know	Timothy Reifsnyder: Wide Awake
Scott Hicks: Snow Falling on Cedars