Synopsis
When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.
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Cast
- Kevin KlineGeorge Monroe
- Hayden ChristensenSam Monroe
- Kristin Scott ThomasRobin Kimball
- Jena MaloneAlyssa Beck
- Mary SteenburgenColleen Beck
- Ian SomerhalderJosh
- Jamey SheridanPeter Kimball
- Scott BakulaOfficer Kurt Walker
- Sandra NelsonNurse
- Sam RobardsDavid Dokos
Recommendations
- 70
The New Yorker
Just when this sunshiny and affectionate comedy is beginning to bloom, the inevitable, tear-jerking conclusion closes off the fun like a Venetian blind blocking the light. (29 Oct 2001, p.93) - 63
Chicago Sun-Times
Because it is slick and classy and good to look at, and the actors are well within their range of competence, you can enjoy the movie on a made-for-TV level, but you wish it had been smarter and tougher. - 60
Film Threat
With nothing in the way of inspiration coming on either the writing or directing end, it's up to the actors to maintain audience interest and emotional engagement, and two members of the cast rise to the occasion: Kline and Christensen. - 58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The real bottom line here is that the character just doesn't make much sense. - 50
Charlotte Observer
I heard a moviegoer calls this drama "a feel-good `American Beauty,'" which is like saying "a hot bowl of gazpacho" -- the point has completely been missed. - 50
TV Guide Magazine
The phrase "Everything happens for a reason" is heard more than once, a risibly simplistic cliché that not only stands as this film's hackneyed theme but also as a surprisingly honest confession as to just how calculated the entire film is. - 40
Salon
Forget about cancer -- it's weepy movies like this that are the real scourge. - 40
The New York Times
Doesn't trust the audience enough to keep from laying on the schmaltz.
