Digging to China

source: Digging to China

even though at first I thought it was going to be about some Chinese people digging a hole (no I didn't know anything about it before seeing it, so sue me) it's not and it's really a good movie, even if you don't particularly like Kevin Bacon (not that I don't...I just don't worship the man) because he plays a retarded man and it's hard to tell he's really kevin....so, I like the movie, yeah.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.) "You're going to grow up and I'm not." This is what Ricky Schroth (Kevin Bacon) says to Harriet Frankovitz (Evan Rachel Wood) near the end of the film, expressing both the promise of her life, and the tragedy of his. It is precisely because of the potential of this sharp spoken, sharp witted, beautiful little girl with a mind of her own that we are mesmerized by her, as we are by our own children, and why we are so deeply saddened by the young man who is not a man and never will be. This is a film that discovers itself after a clumsy start and develops until at the end we see the beauty and the tragedy of its story as an affirmation of life. Kevin Bacon starts awkwardly and has to work hard to conquer a demanding role. But so does Wood, who in the beginning at times seemed unsure of who she is and how she should feel and react. But both actors grow into their characters and become stronger and stronger as the film progresses. However, I think Director Timothy Hutton (Best Supporting Actor for Ordinary People in 1980) might have profited by re-shooting some of the earlier scenes. It is interesting to compare Bacon's performance with that of other actors who have attempted to play mentally retarded or mentally challenged characters--I'm thinking here of Dustin Hoffman in The Rain Man (1988) and Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade (1996). Dustin Hoffman was of course something close to brilliant in his Academy Award winning role. He had a charming script, and because he played alongside Tom Cruise he benefited from not having to carry the picture by himself. This was not the case for Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade, where too much was attempted without enough help so that Thornton ended up too much in front of the camera, and that was not always to his benefit. Here Bacon is wonderfully supported not only by Miss Wood, but by Mary Stuart Masterson who plays Harriet's "sister" Gwen. Some people have criticized Masterson's performance, but I think they are reacting to her non-sympathetic character, a woman, who, as Harriet says, "should have been a nurse. She's always making some guy feel better." I think Masterson was very subtle in a unrefined role, and touching as a woman who had a lot to learn. Also excellent and completely believable in a limited role was Marian Seldes as Ricky's mother. I was surprised that such an original and deeply lived script was not adapted from a novel. No writer could have just dreamed up this story. It had to have been lived in some sense. (Part of it was dreamed up of course.) So I guess, Karen Janszen, who wrote the script must have lived it. At any rate, she is to be commended for such an original conception. The setting in North Carolina at a rural motel ("Mom won it in a divorce"), and the three who ran "Mac's Indian Cabins" was perfect for the tale. Her celebration of the spirit of a ten-year-old who thinks she can dig to China was precious and warm. Some of the lines were so perfect. I am thinking of Harriet's voice over after it is revealed that she and Ricky "got married" (baptized is more like it!). The ten-year-old says, "Gwen was mostly upset cause I got married before her."

It's amazing to me that in an age when the film industry can crank out thousands of films a year, and bleed your wallet dry in the process, these films are all based on a handful of ideas. In the words of David Spade, "I loved this movie, 'Digging to China' the first time I saw it, when it starred Mischa Barton, and it was called................'LAWN DOGS'!!!"

Digging to China is a lovely, simple story, mainly about a young girl and her willingness to accept a man who is mentally disabled. While Kevin Bacon gives a solid and relatively convincing performance,Evan Rachel Wood shines. Not because she seems well trained or poised--just the opposite. She's amazingly natural, she could be nearly any kid. She's real. Digging to China is a great story. It seems, however, to skim the surface of many issues. There are a couple of other films that delve deeper. For a sensitive portrayal of the "outcast-meets-outcast" type story, or simply a glimpse of age-blind friendship, see Lawn Dogs. It is a beautiful story,deep and intense and funny. It makes you THINK, which is a rare thing these days. Beautiful. And for an honest portrayal of someone who is mentally disabled, see What's Eating Gilbert Grape? This one is full of amazing performances. While the two films above may not be as kid-friendly as DTC, they're well worth seeing. Give Digging to China a good look. Or you might be "one big sad monster."

I tried to love this movie. I really did. Kevin Bacon plays a cerebral palsy victim who is befriended by a 10-year-old girl whose fantasies of digging to China, flying away in a balloon, and so on, are her way of coping with a dreary existence. I admit I did fast-forward through one of the scenes in which the two of them share friendship and simple pleasures while soulful piano music plays in the background. Okay, three or four of those type scenes. Maybe nine or ten. Okay, okay, it was fourteen. But I did sit and watch most of them.

Just caught this on T.V. And I have to say this movie is unlike any film I have ever watched before. I'm the kind of guy who enjoys Tarantino films. I just happened to flip the T.V on when this movie started. We all know the plot for it. Evan Rachel Wood. What can I say? She is honestly one of the most dynamic actresses of our time. And she plays her role with such poise and commitment, that at such a young age, established herself as a truly gifted actress. Kevin Bacon, turns in a heart warming performance as the mentally-handicapped young man. His line towards the end of the film "You like me now, but later you won't. You're going to grow up. I'm not." made me cry. And as I wrote that it was hard to do so. This movie should be watched by every family. By every person who has a disliking for those who are different. Most people are still afraid of what they do not understand. And it is a sad truth. This movie has spoken to me on so many levels. Definitely a must-see.

I just fell in love with this movie. The story was pure and sweet. A young girl is open to another who is different from her. That is refreshing. Letting go is also something the young girl faces. This movie is great for kids, and for adults it is reminding them the feelings and thoughts from when they were young.

Kevin Bacon was phenomenon...Evan Rachel Wood was great also. Would love to see Evan do more movies. It's these kind of movies that hardly ever are talked about. People want junk movies with violence and mayhem. Bravo Kevin Bacon