Rating: 4/5
When a mother (Francis O’Conner) and father (Sam Robards) find their son in a coma, a scientist (William Hurt) provides them the opportunity to try out a new mecha capable of experiencing love named David (Haley Joel Osment). Through loss and time, David goes on a Pinocchio-like journey to fulfill his greatest wish: to be and to be loved as a real boy
The first act’s melodrama was overwrought and predictable but maintained an internal consistency that kept me hooked. Then, about one hour in, the movie lost me and became a cartoon — Spielberg’s notion of darkness here is closer to camp, and this becomes a less compelling movie
The film eventually returns to a more consistent tone, but I couldn’t let myself be immersed in the finale as much as I would have liked. Still, I feel like the movie captured the most human of flaws — that we would rather die in the “what if” than live to see what else life could be
Knowing what I know now, I would consider rewatching and reconsidering it further. But as for this watching: great cast, heartbreaking performance from Haley Joel Osment, mostly solid effects, and enough of a meaningful script to have emotional weight
Stray Thoughts
- Oh no, they lost Lizzie McGuire’s brother!
- The Fabelmans fucked up my ability to watch a Spielberg movie with a mother