A GREAT movie in spite of the holes.

Rating: Null/10 (21 April 2001)

I first saw this film when my wife rented it. I loved it enough to buy the DVD version with production footage added. It was these that tainted the film for me as I will explain in a minute. Please... DO NOT READ ON IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM!! The movie was superbly acted by both Willis and Osment (Cole). The plot had great potential, but the story flow was flawed. The characters were inconsistent both before and after Dr. Crowe's getting shot: Crowe gets an award from the Mayor for his work with emotionally disturbed youths, and he wants to hang the award "in the bathroom." (Duh!) OK, OK, he was drunk from celebrating, but c'mon! Crowe was a professional. The vulgar side of his character was inappropriate at best. ("Cheese d---"???) He gets shot by a patient he failed, and his wife never calls 911! Instead of running to the phone, she runs to him looking for blood. After finding it, she just lies there with him, crying. Not realistic. The mother of the dead girl near the end wears a RED dress(?!) to the funeral? (This was supposed to be a hint to us that she had a brush with the next world.) It was a blind and no-brainer hint. NONE of the uses of red were clear enough for us see that hinting was even going on! BUT... believe it or not, I am going to close with both my thumbs UP. In spite of the holes, this was one of the best films I have ever seen and I am glad I own. I will happily watch it again and again, holes and all.