HOLLYWOOD -
By Noah Davis & Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com Staff
From the depths of Stephen King's complex body of work comes the newest film Hearts in Atlantis, adapting from King's novel. From a stellar cast and crew, including screenwriter William Goldman (The Princess Bride), Oscar-nominated director Scott Hicks (Shine) and Academy Award-winning actor Anthony Hopkins, it's a heartwarming story about childhood and how the relationships formed then make the adult later. But does the film hold up to King's weird standards? We talked to Kit and Noah about it--here's what they had to say:
Hollywood.com: According to the conventional wisdom of the moment, sweetness and optimism is all we want from art or entertainment right now. So Hearts in Atlantis seems, at first anyway, to arrive right on schedule. Does this Stephen King offering have too much "supernatural" bite, or is it simply a sweet trifle, a la The Shawshank Redemption?
Noah Davis: Screenplay writer William Goldman has stripped most of the ominous moments of King's original out of this movie. Worse, he removed the Vietnam subtext in the book which lent not only to more ominous moments, but deeper meaning behind the relationship forged between 11-year-old Bobby and the aging Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins.) It leaves the film more whimsical than disturbing.
Kit Bowen: Yes, Goldman takes out the weird stuff but I think in this context, it made sense. To try and do the entire Stephen King book would have been too cumbersome, as well as trying to explain the "low men in yellow coats" from the book, who come from another dimension King created in his Dark Tower series. So, instead, Goldman concentrates on the children and their relationships--which isn't as whimsical as it is endearing. The problem is the film has very little tension in it, making it too sweet.
Noah Davis: Now we've done it. We've finally elicited a semi-coherent answer from my esteemed colleague. Kit must really like Stephen King.
Hollywood.com: Given the pedigree of Hearts--writer Goldman, actor Hopkins and director Scott Hicks--what are some of the high and low points of the film?
Kit Bowen: I really enjoyed watching the camaraderie between the kids. They really hit it on the nose about growing up and the relationships we form along the way. The film simply missed a true antagonist. And whether we like it or not, every film needs one to make it really work.