Based on one of the many hit books by prolific and famed author Stephen King, "Hearts in Atlantis" is an enchanting tale about a young boy named Bobby and his single poor mother who live by themselves. Bobby lost his father when he was a young boy and desperately seeks companionship. In moves Ted Brautigan played by Anthony Hopkins. He's a mysterious man who opens Bobby's eyes to friendship, the hardships of life, and love.
    This is a somewhat somber movie that shows it has a lot of heart. David Morse, the great character actor, is the narrator and provides the role of the adult Bobby. I love how this movie begins with Bobby re- visiting his old house and we go back to when he was a child. His mother is very selfish and self- centered and rarely cares much about him. The characters are interesting and likeable and we get plenty of time to know them by watching them react through life. The most interesting character, however, would have to be the Brautigan character played by Hopkins. Mr. Hopkins owns this role and seems to carry the entire movie on his back. In this movie he's a psychic on the run from the government and always tells Bobby to be careful for the "Lowmen", groups of men who wear dark clothes and travel in flashy cars. But that entire concept, believe it or not, is just a subplot to the excellent main plot where Bobby and Brautigan connect and bond. Brautigan takes Bobby throughout the entire film, to different places in the city where Bobby begins to learn that his life is basically a lie.
    How? You'll find out. The many hardships this boy encounters seem to stay with him forever, as he learns the people he puts his faith in the most, are phonies, and the people he doesn't trust, he begins to love more. The dialogue in this movie is less like real dialogue and more like poetry uttered from a Shakespeare play which I found to be excellent. Director Scott Hicks is superb by making this movie dreary yet dreamlike at the same time.

The problem with this movie is that it tries too hard to seem reminiscent of the past. The entire movie takes place in the early sixties, and the movie tries to force that upon us by putting a song from that era in every scene. This movie while sweet and enchanting is also very dreary, the beginning sequences are so depressing. There's not much emphasis on the characters either. We never fully get to know Bobby or his friends very well which makes it hard for us to ever care about them fully. Què Sera Sera.

This is an interesting if not very sad movie that features an all-star cast and a great story.