William Hurt plays a present-day bachelor-postman in his 40s, living a lonely life in a Welsh village, who wants to adopt a 10-year-old boy. Is he a pervert? No, he just wants to do father-and-son things, like fishing and camping. I haven't a clue as to what this movie is trying to say...and I feel even more helpless trying to summarize its plot. The tough little kid he's matched with temporarily is a mercurial tyke who seems to want to manipulate Hurt and exploit his open heart--but for what purpose? (If it's for personal gain, he's going about it the wrong way). Director Chris Menges, working from a screenplay by David Cook, adapting his novel, gets very fine work from his star, but the picture is a curious one, melodramatic and somewhat off-putting. The story's main themes--childhood vs. Adulthood, rebelliousness vs. Allowing yourself to be loved--cover familiar territory, while Chris Cleary Miles as the lad (despite being a natural child performer) is stuck with impossible scenes such as breaking a window and screaming at Hurt, "The honeymoon's over!" John Hurt is very funny in a brief supporting bit, but Alan Cumming is unintentionally villainous and theatrical as an adoption caseworker. Menges fiddles around with camera tricks and other artistic flourishes that wouldn't have been necessary had he been given a script with clearer intentions. Despite all this, Hurt's performance as a man who desires to be a good father is touching and expressive, but it isn't enough to save the picture. ** from ****
Review of Second Best
