Timothy Hutton's acting debut was 1980's "Ordinary People," which
also marked Robert Redford's first time at the helm. Now Hutton has returned
to Redford's Sundance Festival with a directorial debut of his own, the
slice-of-life drama "Digging to China." If Hutton's first feature
occasionally wallows in the disease-movie-of-the-week doldrums, then "Digging
to China" also glides on the strength of newcomer Evan Rachel Wood's
performance. The nine-year-old Wood manages to steal virtually every scene
in which she appears without dragging the film into an overly cute sitcomlike
state. She stars as the wide-eyed, imaginative Harriet, a third-grader whose
time is spent looking for UFOs and digging to China, just about anything
but helping her single mother and nasty sister manage their rustic roadside
North Carolina motel. Then along comes the mentally disabled Ricky (Kevin
Bacon) and his mother, seeking refuge for a few days after their car breaks
down. Of course, Harriet befriends Ricky and they strike up a unique relationship
overshadowed by Ricky's imminent departure to a local convalescence home.
Unfortunately, Bacon's less-than-subtle turn as the developmentally challenged
Ricky often borders on caricature. At times, one gets the feeling that Bacon's
only research for the role was watching Billy Bob in "Sling Blade"
and Dustin Hoffman in "Rainman" and then combining both into a
third-rate impersonation. Karen Janszen's script provides little help, often
ensnaring plot in the predictable. Still, that can't detract from the work
of Evan Rachel Wood or Mary Stuart Masterson as the sister (both actresses
with three names, including one masculine - only Joey Heather Adams is missing
in this movie!). Director Hutton displays a knack for creating a distinct
sense of time and place, but will he continue to choose these somewhat formulaic
"Ordinary People" tearjerker projects or stretch into more daring
territory?
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