Michelle Pfeiffer in "The Deep End of the Ocean."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer and Treat Williams Director: Ulu Grosbard Rated: PG-13, with profanity and adult issues Length: 108 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(March 12, 1999) -- A family's emotional currents ebb and flow in The Deep End of the Ocean, a new domestic drama with Michelle Pfeiffer.

Ulu Grosbard's heartfelt film exposes the pain and trauma suffered by a family when a child is lost. And even when the child is discovered nine years later, the problems aren't over.

Though the story initially unfolds with the precision of a real-life docudrama, it's based on fiction -- the best-selling novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard. And the wrenching drama of a long-missing child serves as the catalyst for exploring the dynamics of complex family relationships.

For that, The Deep End of the Ocean is largely effective, even when some aspects of the story become implausible.

Pfeiffer, though, is at the top of her game as Beth Cappadora, a wife, mother and talented professional photographer. In the film's taut, fast-paced opening, Beth is going to a high school reunion in Chicago with her three children in tow -- Vincent, 7, Ben, 3, and infant daughter, Kerry. Her husband, Pat (Treat Williams) stays home in Wisconsin.

Minutes after Beth arrives in the crowded, chaotic hotel lobby, she hands off her baby to a friend and leaves Vincent briefly in charge of Ben while she checks in. But in those few minutes, Ben disappears.

The swift, intense and broad-based police investigation is richly detailed, including the participation of a helpful, sympathetic cop (Whoopi Goldberg).

But as the trail grows colder and the volunteers diminish, the investigation fades and the Cappadoras are left to deal with their sorrow, guilt and reproaches. Dad buries himself in his work, moving the family to Chicago and opening an Italian restaurant. Mom buries herself under the bedcovers, withdrawing into a deep, sustained depression. They barely manage a day-to-day existence; recriminations and pain always hover nearby.

The little girl, who never knew Ben, is relatively normal. Vincent, though, becomes surly and rebellious, scarred by guilt because he let go of his brother's hand.

Imagine the shock nine years later when a boy turns up in the Cappadoras' neighborhood -- and may be Ben.

But even that possible salvation comes with a price. This Ben is named Sam, and has a "father" he's known and loved for as long as he can remember.

This situation, too, triggers volatile changes in the family.

If you plunge into The Deep End of the Ocean in search of a tension-filled kidnapping mystery story, you'll be disappointed. The filmmakers quickly skim over the mechanics of how Ben was taken. For this, Ocean pales beside Without a Trace, the powerful 1983 drama with Kate Nelligan as the mother of a missing child.

Director Grosbard and screenwriter Stephen Schiff clearly care more about how a family deals with loss. They're far more successful here, thanks to the first-rate cast, which includes Jonathan Jackson as the older Vincent and Ryan Merriman as Ben.

The filmmakers weren't afraid to shift the focus: At some points it's Beth's story, then Pat's, then Vincent's and Ben's.

But above all, it's Pfeiffer's show. She captures the anguish and guilt of a mother in tragic circumstances -- and the deadened glaze that comes over her as depression takes hold. Beth's gradual return to life is the most rewarding aspect of this drama.