There were once 4 actors whose movies I would attend without consulting word of mouth or critical review: Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Denzel Washington, and Robert Deniro. First there were 3 and now there is one.
Denzel Washington sucker punched me with 1995?s Virtuosity, probably the most wasteful use of his talent, not to mention Russell Crowes?s that I have witnessed since his big screen debut in 1981?s Carbon Copy ? I was embarrassed for them both.
Then there was Al Pacino?s confusing turn in 1997?s Devil?s Advocate which wasted the talents of 3 other top stars: Charlize Theron, Keanu Reeves and Judith Ivey. Just as he?d almost redeemed himself with The Insider, Any Given Sunday, Insomnia and The Recruit, he assaulted my sensibilities once more with the mega bomb, 2003?s Gili. Alas another hero bites the dust.
Now comes my biggest disappointment as of late. He strained my faith with 2000?s Analyze That, a poor follow-up to 1991?s Analyze This with Billy Crystal, which was funny and inspiring. But as one of my celluloid idols, I was more than willing to forgive and forget, even after 2002?s lackluster, Showtime with Eddie Murphy, which proved that two megastars thrown together don?t necessarily create chemistry, especially in the absence or semblance of a coherent script. This time Robert, I?m afraid you?ve gone too far.
I rented 2004?s Godsend, impressed by a roster of stars known for turning in strong performances: Deniro of course, Greg Kinear, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. To be honest Kinear and Stamos actually come off as believable and sympathetic characters, despite a lack of character development on part of the writer and director. Deniro merely seems to be going through the motions ? Turning in a performance that is so lackluster it could have been phoned in. He looks haggard, tired and bored.
Basic Storyline:
Paul Duncan, teacher, (Greg Kinear) is hurrying home, after working late to attend his son?s 8th birthday party. Along the way two thugs, one of whom he recognizes, accost him. The thug says, ?Let him go. He was one of the best teachers I ever had?. He is let go. That is the last you see of this softhearted mugger, and the scene, which one assumes will tie in somewhere, has absolutely no bearing on the rest of the movie. The following day we watch Jessie Duncan (Stamos) paying for her purchase in a store, while trying to keep an eye on her son, Adam ( Cameron Bright) outside bouncing his new basketball.
The director almost telegraphs what will happen next with nervous shots of Stamos constantly looking out the window, shots of oncoming traffic, the son and the bouncing ball, then back to Stamos, then?. Surprise, surprise, surprise, he is killed in a freak accident involving the car. Boy, we never saw that one coming.
The couple understandably grieves for the loss of their son. We soon learn, Adam was their miracle child - Jessie can never have any more children. In steps Richard Wells (Robert Deniro), a doctor who?s read of their plight. He commandeers them from the funeral to a nearby restaurant for coffee, where he tells them that he has mastered a procedure, which will allow him to clone Adam, and bring him back to life. At first the Duncan?s are repulsed and reject it, but then there would be no movie. A few more days of suffering with their grief and they reconsider.
The fertilized clone cell is implanted into Jessie uterus. The only catch is, they must sever all ties with friends and family, move somewhere else and assume different identities. The premise being, the child will look, speak and supposedly act just like the original Adam, which of course will spark questions and possibly investigations. Not to mention the fact that Jessie is supposed to be barren.
Jessie gives birth and life is rosy and predictable until the second Adam reaches his 8th birthday. Since the first Adam never lived passed his 8th birthday, no one knows what to expect. Adam begins to have nightmares in which he sees someone who looks like him, someone who does evil things. He goes into unexpected trances and exhibits violent behavior. This is where it all becomes contrived and hokey. The reason for all of this is revealed as the movie clods it’s way to the end. An end which is so far-fetched, it makes the moments that made you jump seem cheap and pointless. But since there may be a few out there who actually will enjoy this mess, I won?t reveal it here.
Director Nick Hamm seems lost in this element ? Despite a few moments of suspense, he ultimately is at a loss as to how to tell this story in an entertaining and meaningful way. Writer Mark Bomback, suffers from a lack of knowledge about stem cell research and a lack of focus. In addition, he doesn’t quite flesh out these characters enough to make you care what happens to them.
Is this movie a moral argument for or against stem cell research? Is there any moral to this story? NO. Regretfully they missed any opportunity to make any meaningful statements whatsoever. This movie ultimately becomes one of missed opportunities all the way round. They missed the opportunity to have 3 strong actors exercise their craft in an interesting vehicle.
They missed the opportunity to explore the pluses or minuses of stem cell research or cloning. And finally, they missed the opportunity to simply entertain us in the 102 minutes they held us captive. And in the end, isn?t that what a movie is supposed to do ? entertain?