Very well executed

Great Film overall

Absolutely Brilliant!

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Beth Cappadora (Michelle Pfeiffer) is in Chicago for her reunion. She loses her son Ben in the crowded hotel lobby. Police detective Candy Bliss (Whoopi Goldberg) investigates but he's nowhere to be found. Many years later, young Sam Karras comes to Beth's door to offer to mow the lawn. She recognizes Sam as her long lost son Ben. It's discovered that Ben was kidnapped by a disturbed woman who has since committed suicide. His new father didn't know about the kidnapping. Ben is reunited with the Cappadoras but life with the family is problematic. Ben wants to go home. His brother Vincent is rebelling. Beth and her husband Pat (Treat Williams) are cracking under the pressure.Michelle Pfeiffer and Treat Williams are both great. Cory Buck as young Vincent does an admirable job. Jonathan Jackson and Ryan Merriman are in a tough situation as the older versions of the sons. So much is expected but they aren't given the tools. This movie tries very hard to get emotional truths but it only gets glimpses. There is so much ground to cover. It would have been better to concentrate mostly after the reunion. Losing Ben is too alluring and takes up half of the movie. The first half is effective and traditional. The second half feels thin and more original. The movie feels split between the two.

Based on a true story, this film uses muted tones to express the story of a family coping when a child goes missing, then struggling even more when he returns suddenly to their lives nine years later, as a twelve-year old. The film benefits greatly from finely crafted, understated performances from Pfeiffer and Williams, as well as the moodiness of Jonathan Jackson as the older brother, Vincent, who is trying bitterly to hold things together. Look out also for Whoopi Goldberg, and for an early appearance by Alexa Vega. Prepare to cry several times during this movie. It packs a real punch, and the performances by Ryan Merriman as the abductee, and John Kapelos as his unsuspecting adoptive father, are truly moving.

All I can say is that the parents in this movie are beyond selfish and should never have been allowed to procreate. To start with it was the mother's fault that the little boy went missing in the first place and then instead of allowing herself to grieve and then pulling herself together she instead slides into a depressive state for the next 10 years, thereby permanently damaging the other kids she still has.Everybody faces horrible things in their lives but that is no excuse for the mother's behaviour. They treated the oldest son like a leaper. He was so young and did not deserve that burden. All he needed was for his parents to tell him it wasn't his fault, something so simple but they were too busy wallowing in their own self pity. Also the police detective played by Whoopi Goldberg was completely incompetent. Seriously stop focusing on the fact that your a black gay woman and maybe you would have found the kid. Worse still is when they finally find their long lost son they refuse to even care that they are now stealing him away from the only family he has ever known. His adoptive father was a good and decent parent and they owed it to their kid to at least try to work together to raise him. Along the way the parents completely forgot about every other person in their lives and only thought about themselves. Selfish!!!And finally, I know it's a movie but seriously when will parents learn that you cannot put a 6 year old in charge of a young toddler. Grow up and take responsibility for your children. Parenting is not easy. I'm pretty sure every parent in the world would agree with that but they chose to have kids, if you can't handle it then you shouldn't have had them to begin with.

I actually found this movie by accident. I purchased a bag full of VHS tapes at a church rummage sale and this was one of the selections. I understand that this movie is based on a book. I have not read the book and will not speak of the movies ability to convey the original material from the book. To me, a movie should stand on its own merits. This is NOT the usual "kid goes missing" drama which is quite common. Its not based on any particular "true" story that I know of. It presents a somewhat unique situation of "what if a missing child is found, living a very well adjusted lifestyle where nobody is aware of the missing boys past;" except for the biological parents of course. What I found amazing was the total strength of character that was given to the boy who had been kidnapped when he was only 3. It is hard to find a more loving and caring child than the one we have in 12 year old "SAM" who's birth name was Ben. You would have to believe that such a child could only be a product of a very loving and caring family. However, One of these "family" members had a deep dark secret that she struggled with until her untimely death. Nevertheless Sam, was left with a wisdom love and understanding that most adults don't have. He never knew of the deep dark secret of his abduction or had long forgotten it at least. In contrast, his biological family struggled with their own "secrets" and feelings of guilt and blame. Each had their moments of seeming to get their lives together, but never really coming to terms with the "loss" of a young child. Each seemed dysfunctional in a different way, and the dysfunctional aspects clashed with each other much of the time. Suddenly the nearly "unimaginable" event happens. Their son is found and right in their own neighborhood. The question here is how do you integrate an amazingly well adjusted child, into a family who is still torn up with feelings of blame and guilt and loss etc. What happens to this miraculous child AND what happens to the person who he loves and regards as his father. Ryan Merriman plays Sam, the lost boy who is truly not "lost" as far as having his life together. He is nearly a picture perfect child. a parents "dream come true". I marveled at the strength of character he has and the maturity well beyond his years. "Sam" is like the glue that binds everyone else together. Merriman's performance is amazing. I became very emotionally involved in the characters and the plot. I especially felt involved with Sam and his "father", George, who raised him. The movie was well acted and in my opinion it was well presented as to the storyline. I guess it may be a bit different from the book, but without reading the book, I had no preconceived ideas or expectations. In that respect, the storyline seemed fine as it was presented. I would like to have seen "George" incorporated a bit more into the ending. All in all, it was a very great movie and I plan to buy a DVD copy for my movie library.