Great acting; full of plot cliches

Rating: 6/10 (19 December 1999)

This film is superbly acted and extremely well shot. The dialogue is well-written but the plot itself is cliche-ridden, and somewhat unbelievable. The film would appear to be a rather cynical attempt to appeal to a youth audience. The "heroes" are the young couple who are portrayed as deeper and more poetic than the adults. The portrayal of the Marine father is such a cliche, it's almost embarrassing. Yes, by all means see this film; it is well worth the price of admission, but it is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination unless your personal film viewing history is very short. It is merely a good film. Tops? Annette Bening's performance: big, risky, never afraid to teeter right at the edge of believability, utterly superb.