Overrated and overhyped

Absolutely amazing

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

At face value, this is a decent film. The relationship between Bobby Garfield and Carol Gerber (a brilliant performance from Mika Boreem)) is the centerpiece of the film, and will really tug at your heartstrings as the film comes to a close. Also, the eccentric Ted Brautigan is perfectly cast in Anthony Hopkins, while Bobby's mother Liz Garfield adds a dark aspect. So, all in all, the film is a decent little story that, while never really resolving itself fully, does capture your interest and really make you feel for the protagonists.However, titling the film "Hearts in Atlantis" in trying to capture the essence of Stephen King's masterful novel was an injustice to King's original story, which tells 5-6 different stories and weaves recurring characters into each. In fact, the "Hearts" in the title of King's book is actually a play on words for the card game that Carol Gerber's college friends play relentlessly, day and night.Thus, this film really should have been called "Low Men In Yellow Coats", as that is the King tale that really is being told. Even if that would have happened, though, I think that telling this singular tale does a great injustice to King's great novel. Whereas in the book the story just sets the stage for the drama to come, the film tries its best to inject that drama into only the one story, which is sad. A great attempt is made to do so, but ultimately it will leave you wanting, as it seems (for much of the film) that it is building towards a bigger resolution that never comes.If you read the book, I wouldn't spend too much time/effort acquiring this film, as it doesn't come close to equaling the success of the original novel. However, if you didn't read the book and are a sucker for a good love story, you very well may like this movie much more than I.

Another of the many Stephen King adaptations, and one of the better ones, Hearts in Atlantis is taken from a short novel, Low Men in Yellow Coats. A man, Bobby Garfield, reflects back to his days as an eleven year old boy living with his single mother, Liz, a self centered woman who has an affair with her boss in order to pay her bills. She takes in a boarder, Ted(Anthony Hopkins), who becomes a father figure to Bobby. He has psychic powers which he passes on to the boy. He helps him by reading the thoughts of a neighborhood bully. Ted pays Bobby one dollar a week(1950s money) to read him the newspapers, as his eyes are not good. He also asks the kid to watch out for the low men who are hunting him from town to town. There is a sub plot involving a bet on a boxing match that I loved, and Hopkins is as commanding as ever as Ted. This belongs in the top tier of King's works; along with The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.

I remember reading this book by Stephen King and thinking at the time that if they ever make a movie of it, they should leave out other aspects of the story (stories) and concentrate just on the story about the man with psychic powers and the boy he befriends, which is exactly what they did.However, the film suffers from one great miscalculation. The "low-men", who are after Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins)...well, we never quite figure out who they are or why they are after him; it's left very nebulous. Are they actually "bad guys", government agents, or what? Beyond that, it's a rather charming story (and not very Stephen King-ish) about a meaningful relationship between a strange man and a boy who needs a father figure in his life. But that missing information about the "low-men" prevents us from ever understanding exactly who Brautigan is.Anthony Hopkins is perfect here, although there are times he seems to mumble, and you may miss a bit of dialog. The boy -- Anton Yelchin -- has been fairly active in films, although I did not recognize the name. He's superb here. Hope David (the boy's mother) did okay, but I was not particularly impressed, although admittedly her role was not very sympathetic. Mika Boorem, a young actress I have not kept up with, is superb as the boy's "girl friend". David Morse is very good as the boy grown up (the whole movie is a sort of flashback), and he is a busy, but in view underrated actor.Do I recommend this film? Well, yes and no. The story portrays relationships very sensitively, but that missing info about the "low-men" leaves a huge gap. I enjoyed watching it even a third time, but I won't be tempted to buy it for my DVD shelf. I'd give it a sold "7" if we learned who the "low-men" really were; instead, I'll give it a "6" -- a low rating for me.Nevertheless, I do recommend you watch this film.

It's been many years now but every once in a while I go through this story/movie again, bringing up the same emotions and fondness of it. This movie is nothing spectacular, not a major hit by any standards, but personal experience for intelligent and thoughtful people. Behind it is some brilliant work of Mr. King (at his best, when not writing horror stories), which makes him (for me, at least) one of the best writers America ever had. And this story has been told through an excellent movie, with carefully picked up cast, to give probably their best, yet simple, performances. It is a very smooth movie, very well and sensibly directed. I'm highly recommending it but not to everyone - just to the ones who know how to appreciate a little masterpiece. To them it will be timeless. Everyone else – just forget it.