Film: Is Anybody There?
Cast includes: Michael Caine (Secondhand Lions)
Producer: Peter Saraf (Little Miss Sunshine, Everything is Illuminated)
Genre: Drama, Cockney accents, no subtitles
In brief: Ten-year-old Edward has a lot to be grumpy about. His mom and dad have turned their house into Lark Hall, a retirement home, and Edward even had to give up his bedroom for the “paying guests.” It’s no wonder that Edward has developed an obsession with ghosts. He secretly sets up his tape recorder in the rooms of the just deceased so he can capture any communication they might send from the afterlife. When Clarence, a retired magician, reluctantly checks in, there’re fireworks between angry Clarence and angry Edward. But eventually, we find that Edward and Clarence have quite a bit in common. “I used to have a bedroom with Paddington Bear.” “Well, I used to have a beautiful wife and all my own teeth.”
Is it possible that a magician can help Edward in his quest to communicate with ghosts? Clarence is torn. On the one hand, it’s rather amusing to play along with the ghost adventures. On the other hand, young Edward needs to learn to connect with the living. For that matter, Clarence could use some help connecting with the living, too.
There are plenty of stories at Lark Hall. It’s just that most of them are in their final act. No matter. This quirky film weaves them all together beautifully. The dialogue is quite wonderful, which is why the garbled parts are frustrating. If you enjoyed producer, Peter Saraf’s other films, you’ll enjoy this one, too. And Michael Caine is, as always, exceptional.
2 popped kernels
Popped kernels for the interesting characters. Unpopped kernels for being a bit depressing.
