" when it 's cold , molecules are n't moving .
everything is clean .
"
these are the essential words of mikey carver ( elijah wood ) , a young teenage boy living in 1973 new canaan , connecticut in the ice storm .
when mikey delivers these words to a bored science class , it is unlikely that anyone realizes how much they parallel mikey 's life and the lives that surround him .
his father jim ( jamey sheridan ) is rarely seen and his mother janey ( sigourney weaver ) is having an affair with married neighbor ben hood ( kevin kline ) .
ben 's wife elena ( joan allen ) suspects the affair , but does n't say anything .
meanwhile , ben 's 14-year - old daughter wendy ( christina ricci ) continuously lures mikey and his younger brother sandy ( adam hann - byrd ) into sexual explorations .
tobey maguire plays paul hood , the 16-year - old narrator of the story who also happens to be the least prevalent character .
we start the film with an interesting outlook on family from paul .
he compares family to the fantastic four comic book , and even goes so far as to say that family is everybody 's own anti - matter ; something everybody will return to eventually , and the farther you go , the deeper you 'll return .
the ice storm is a character piece that explores a dismal time both in america , and in the individual lives portrayed in the movie .
everything parallels everything else .
the young teenagers trying to discover who they are thru drugs , sex , and alcohol is really almost identical to the parents trying to figure out the purpose in their own lives using the same methods .
"
when it 's cold outside , the molecules are n't moving .
everything is clean .
"
everything is clean because nobody will admit what 's going on .
even the president is on tv denying his wrong - doings .
how can you expect anything more out of a couple of suburban families riding the coattails of sexual revolution ?
all the sex and drugs is so obviously empty , and i think that 's the point of the film .
at first viewing , the entire movie might seem empty , but then why should n't it parallel itself ?
you do n't get to know the characters very deeply , but i think that 's because nobody in the movie knows each other either .
we sadly watch two families go about their lives nearly oblivious to one another .
at first glance , you might think emotion is lost in the ending scenes because you have n't gotten to know the characters well enough to sympathize - then you realize that just might be the point , and then you do feel the pain .
the acting by all is quite good , but i particularly liked elijah wood .
he does n't seem to be receiving as much recognition as the others , but i still found him to possess quite a real sense of being .
christina ricci is being acclaimed for her part as the misguided teenage temptress who looks for something more to her life in the pants of every available boy .
still , i say hats off remain to wood , joan allen 's subtle but believable performance as a lonely , unappreciated wife , and the always excellent kevin kline .
tobey maguire did a fine job , but his character which , perhaps , was the most intact , sensible person in the story , seemed a little lost .
he was needed , but perhaps he should 've been used more .
the ice storm is being hailed by many as one of the best films of the year .
i hate to say that i do n't agree , but i do n't .
in fact , i can think of many other films that i would rank higher than this one .
even so , it is a very good film .
it takes a lot of retrospect to fully appreciate it 's art , but when you finally start seeing things in it that you did n't before , you start to grow even fonder of the characters and the story .
perhaps this is one to see , ponder , and then watch again with different eyes .
being hailed by many as one of the best films of the year you start to grow even fonder of the characters and the story subtle but believable it is a very good film found him to possess quite a real sense of being the acting by all is quite good i particularly liked