beautiful Never having heard of this film, I randomly picked it off the shelf, and cannot believe I'm not hearing about this film daily.
It was brilliant. It begins by washing over everything, people's speech included, with fifties-era clothing and opinions, and then manages to give us something completely different. The performances by Christina Ricci and Hank Harris were outstanding. Although I do believe that Ricci deserves to get some more recognition, I can't help but hope that she doesn't, so she can continue to churn out gems like this.
This film had me jumping up in my seat, dying to know what happens next. It pulls your emotions in, and makes you really, really hope that society will not win. No one believes that Pumpkin can feel. He is retarded, and it seems that means he cannot love, yearn, or have sexual desires. In today's society, the disabled community is beginning to have a voice, and tell people that they are just the same as everyone else, and this film painfully shows us that. You want to jump in there, and scream at some of these people that you can't only pay attention to something different when it is good for your image.
I will admit that this film had a few flaws. Who can really believe that someone can careen off a cliff in a burning car, only to end up confined to a wheelchair, otherwise unscathed? And the poetry professor who helps Caroline realize that the world can be ugly is something that has been done way too many times before.
But, this still manages to make it into my top-ten list. I liked that this ended up as a feel-good flick, but brought me there through disgust, rage, distress, and fear. Not too many films can do that simply through a love story.