Amazon.com video review:
John Travolta's should've-been-nominated-for-an-Oscar
performance is the best reason to see this largely moving work, which
is a little reminiscent of the novel Flowers for
Algernon (basis for the film Charly). Travolta
plays a mechanic who sees a bright light in the sky one night and
wakes up the next morning a genius, hungry for knowledge and so smart
he figures out national defense secrets in his own living room (and
gets in hot water for it). The more interesting drama, however, is not
with the government but with the character's longtime neighbors and
friends, who come to reject him for being different. Robert Duvall
gives a stirring performance as a doctor who has known the hero all
his life, and Kyra Sedgwick is very good as an ambivalent love
interest. If you missed this one in the theaters, then you haven't
seen one of Travolta's best performances since his comeback. The DVD release
presents a widescreen image, optional French soundtrack, optional
Spanish subtitles, and theatrical trailer. --Tom Keogh
