Wuchak The first half of 1991's "Paradise" is great. It's essentially a coming-of-age story of two 9 year-olds (Elijah Wood and Thora Birch) on the Atlantic coast near Chrarleston, SC (shot on location). The locations are breathtaking and illustrate that every area has its unique beauty. The film's also about a couple who Elijah is visiting for the Summer (Birch's character is a neighbor). The couple (Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith) are on the verge of divorce due to a tragedy a few years earlier. Wood's visit is instrumental in reviving them as individuals and as a couple.The first half is so well done that I thought I stumbled upon a hidden gem but, unfortunately, the second half falls into mediocrity. The awkward and contrived scenes with questionable acting/dialogue could've worked if the filmmakers simply worked out the kinks through rewriting, reshooting, better editing, etc. but it's clear that they had to finish the picture on a limited budget. They got the job done, and that's great, but if they spent a little more time, a little more money and tried a little harder they could've had a near masterpiece.This is the only movie that I can remember where Don Johnson plays a major protagonist (I've never seen Miami Vice) and it shows that he should've been a major ultra-cool masculine actor, like Clint Eastwood, Thomas Jane, Charles Bronson and a gazillion others.Sarah Trigger plays Birch's hot half-sister, but she's barely seen, which is a shame because she's so beautiful. They probably cut some of her scenes out. If you don't remember her, she played Steve Martin's redhead babe in "Grand Canyon." BOTTOM LINE: This coming of age film has numerous great moments, particularly in the first half -- moments of wonder, beauty, discovery and companionship. It's too bad they drop the ball in the second half. Regardless, it's a very worthwhile movie and Johnson shows his greatness. Like the movie, he coulda been a contenda.The film runs 111 minutes.GRADE: B

Michael Neumann The bittersweet 1987 French drama 'Le Grand Chemin' has been reworked into a vehicle for Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, taking the same story and turning it into a big screen pacifier for undiscriminating moviegoers (with an aversion to sub-titles). The original version was drawn from director Jean-Loup Hubert's childhood memories of the summer he spent with an estranged, small town couple, learning about life while they come to terms with the death of their own son. The watered-down American model is based on nothing except the overwhelming desire to make a sugar-coated box office hit, presenting the young boy as a cuddly matchmaker for his surrogate parents. Writer director Mary Agnes Donoghue does her best to make the experience as painless as possible, but in the process smooths out all the rough edges of the story. The film, as a result, should have been easy to dislike, but it really doesn't provoke any strong emotions, pro or con: it's too bland, too generic, and (thankfully, for the filmmakers) too harmless.

Lee-107 I've lost count of the number of times I've seen this film. Even among the fairly good films shown on TV nowadays, 'Paradise' stands out because of its simplicity and naturalism. The plot in itself is not new. It's about a person (a little boy in this case), who reconciles a troubled couple. And it's about the couple themselves, who have become estranged after the loss of their child. Jon Bon Jovi and Demi Moore did that turn in Jovi's 'Destination Anywhere', which was good, but I'd recommend the album not the film! What films with similar plots perhaps lacked was the gigantic effort that everyone in this film has put in - from the director to the actors, the music director, the set designer...I can go on and on... What we see seems almost not a film, the acting is so natural, it seems effortless!Perhaps the fact that Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson were married in real life at the time helped, they share a great chemistry on screen, which helps when you are playing such emotionally charged roles. Elijah Wood is absolutely angelic as Willard. I had seen him in three other movies before I saw him in this one and I was pleasantly surprised to watch what a pro he was even as a wee kid! His big break of late has of course been 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, and I hope he continues to act in more sensitively made films. About Thora Birch - boy, this has got to be her most impressive performance till date! Even bettering the ones she's given in 'Now and Then' and 'American Beauty'. She's a veritable scene stealer as the precocious tomboy Billie Pike! And never has friendship between kids been portrayed with such disarming innocence - a credit that goes as much to Wood and Birch as to the director, Mary Agnes Donoghue who has managed to get such incredible performances from all her actors. Sheila McCarthy is perfect as the single working mother of Billie who idolizes Joan Collins and for whom marriage equals security, not love. Her character though minor, is very well etched and poignant. In terms of poignancy, one might wonder at the character of Louise Latham. She makes a cameo appearance as Catherine Reston Lee, a painter living in seclusion in her little house by the lake which Billie visits on one of her wild jaunts. The only thing we hear of her later is when Billie tells Willard that she has given her some watercolors with which she is now painting. Perhaps it is an indication that Billie too will become a painter once she has grown up. The character most likely has a bigger part to play in the book on which the film is based. Even so, the screenplay of this film is one of the best. Donoghue has succeeded in really getting under the skin of her characters. This is also one of the few rare films in which natural beauty forms a part of the unfolding drama and adds a wonderful atmosphere to it. Not surprisingly, like many of its predecessors, this film was also shot in South Carolina. Last but not least, this is a bit of trivia many would be interested in - the music of this film is composed by David Newman and it is really good. What many of you might have guessed is that he's the brother of THE Thomas Newman who has has composed great music for such films like 'American Beauty', 'Little Women', 'How to Make American Quilt', 'The Shawshank Redemption','Road to Perdition' etc. Genius, I guess runs in the Newman family!'Paradise', the film IS what the title means, see it to believe it!

obi-3 I remember Siskel & Ebert giving this film a thumbs down. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it, and how moved I was by the story. Don & Melanie are wonderful together. A bit slow moving in the story department but more than makes up for it with emotion and heart.