Digging to China

I turned this movie on about halfway through, so I've yet to see the entire thing, but I was crying within minutes. I have NEVER liked Kevin Bacon, for no real reason other than he was in "Wild Things" which I thought was absolutely horrible. His performance as Ricky had me crying in just a few minutes, at the friendship Ricky and Harriet shared that no one else could touch. The end upset me greatly as I always hope for happy endings and would've loved to see Harriet grown up and revisiting her old friendship, or something along those lines... but I'm a sap that always wants a happy ending. ;) In any case, this one movie has completely changed my opinion and made me respect Kevin Bacon utterly for not only taking such a challenging role, but moving me to tears in it. Evan Rachel Wood was awesome as well, and I had no idea she'd been "around" for this long! A wonderful movie, even though the ending left me feeling a bit ripped off.

I was never a Kevin Bacon fan until I saw "Digging to China." His portrayal of a retarded individual was wonderful and Evelyn Rachael Wood establishes herself as a marvelous actress. This movie did not get the raves that it deserves. I would suggest that anyone who has not seen this should get a copy right away.

This is a poignant film that few moviegoers are familiar with. It is redolent of such recent works as Manny & Lo (featuring Scarlett Johanssen, the girl from Horse Whisperer) and Lawn Dogs (a decidedly darker vehicle, starring Sam Rockwell). Don't pass this one by, if you have a heart.

Digging to China is an unpretentious little movie. No great moral lessons are promoted here. It plays out within the limited area of a small resort motel, an old barn, the surrounding woods and streams, an elementary school, the connecting highways, a deserted caboose, and a school bus - with brief side trips to a cemetery and a hospital. No profound messages are involved; it doesn't probe the depths of the human condition. It's merely the story of the friendship between ten-year-old Harriet, a bright, imaginative loner, and Ricky, a man with special learning and behavioral handicaps. The relationship grows as each faces a major emotional life adjustment.

For a little movie, Digging to China is loaded with fantastic, deeply affecting, unforgetable images.

Tim Hutton is to be congratulated for putting this simple story together as a, yes, classic movie. Mary Stuart Masterson, quite possibly the most under-rated actress of our time, brings dignity to the evolving character of Gwen, who is determined to learn her new responsibilities. Kevin Bacon reads the part of the hurting Ricky with great sensitivity.

By its nature, the whole movie rides on the tiny shoulders of Evan Rachel Wood, and she carries it flawlessly. She can display a range of emotions many more experienced actors would kill for. In a few short minutes Miss Wood's features can slide subtly from questioning, to hopefully anxious, to happy, to forlorn - a masterpiece of acting.

Sensitive viewers will feel better for seeing it.

I will have to say that I enjoyed this movie and that is saying something! I caught the movie on cable tv and I stayed with it to the end and I am glad that I did. Kevin Bacon not only proves he is one of the finest actors around but his young costar is a shining example of the talent in Hollywood! Check this one out, Greg