***SPOILER***

Rating: 8/10 (28 April 2000)

Alright, I have watched this twice now and I must admit, an ending has never done more to shatter my illusion that I can't be completely fooled for 110 minutes. My hat is off to not only the director, but every friend I have that could have innocently spoiled this movie but didn't. I knew not of a surprise ending going in, and it definitely makes viewing #1 thoroughly enjoyable.
OK, now to the holes. Most of them really are covered pretty nicely. And if they're not, well, as Howard Stern once said, "For this movie, ya gotta suspend disbelief!"
Let's begin with the seemingly random use of extreme cold. This is the big, stinking, glarer of the whole film. It's used arbitrarily for effect, and omitted during scenes where had it been used, the surprise would have been wrecked early. I admit it's a bit of a cheat, so I won't use space defending it. If logic dictated all, Superman would never have gotten away with a pair of glasses and a comb-over for a suitable disguise. Forgive and forget.
Now, for the lack of a bullet hole. Cole does say that "they only see what they want to see." That explains Malcolm's not noticing he had a gaping exit wound in his lower back. As far as Cole not seeing it, well...the entrance wound was below the belt, and I never saw Cole standing behind Malcolm sans sportcoat. Shaky, I know...but how does Jimmy Stewart not notice Kim Novak #2 for God's sake! My point is, even the classics falter under the weight of heavy scrutiny.
The performances here neutral out any shortcuts taken to sustain the film. Bruce plays a low-key role with the same Everyman Having a Really Lousy Day quality he's brought to saving the world, a building, an airport, etc. Say what you want about the guy, but if the Martians showed up with space lasers cocked for real, who would you call? I really believed this character and it's a testament to his skills that he never appears to be condescending onscreen to his co-star, a common trap in adult-child pairings.
That brings me to little Forrest Gump, Jr. (Yes, THAT'S where you saw that kid before!) This was a big-time ACTING role, not a throw a cute kid into a harrowing situation and film his "horrified" reactions in cut-away shots. There were a couple of occasions where you could see him "act", but mostly, he handled quite a few different emotions with startling accuracy. I look forward to watching his career unfold. He's gonna be a good one, as long as he never, ever, ever finds himself left "Home Alone".
It's impossible to review this film without coming eventually to "The Usual Suspects." I've never cared for that film, because the ending never raises any valid questions that had never been considered before the surprise was revealed. On that count, this movie comes through in spades. After the first viewing, my head swirled with "But, wait a minute..."'s, which began overlapping into each other as pieces fell together. The number of user comments on this film supports this point: This movie COMMANDS discussion, and that is no small feat.
One more thing WHAT THE HECK IS UP WITH MOM'S SOUP? What possible back-story would motivate a woman to feed soup to her child made from Winona Ryder's "Heathers" recipe book? That was a VERY CHILLING scene, and was an interesting way to confirm to Malcolm and the audience that this ghost business was for real...but talk about coming out of nowhere!!
I give this movie an 8 out of 10.