Second Best

William Hurt is an interesting actor. Although he has made many money making Hollywood films, he seems to enjoy also making small artistic films that MUST bring him a lot less money but perhaps more personal satisfaction. Among these many "little" films he has done is Second Best--an odd little film well worth watching. Is it a perfect film? Certainly not. At times, it is a bit slow and emotionally sterile--though this is needed due to the type man Hurt is portraying. For some inexplicable reason (it would have been nice to know more about WHY), Welshman Hurt decides to take in a hard to adopt boy with the intention of adopting him. Because the boy has lots of emotional baggage, they do not easily bond and their relationship is strained. However, just because there are these awkward moments, do not stop watching--the payoff is there and the characters are much more realistic (with all their foibles) than what you are usually given in a typical movie!

William Hurt is very believable as a west country postmaster and the adoption process is taken apart in a sympathetic and believable manner. The film has charm and pace while dealing with a difficult subject. If it were to be made now would there be a different emphasis in the light of current obsessions with protecting children from paedophiles?

I rarely write reviews for movies. And having seen the other excellent reviews, mine is hardly needed. But I stumbled across this movie and felt I had to comment on it.

This is an excellent movie with wonderful acting, directing, writing, screen play, and filming. I saw the last 2/3 of the movie by accident and could not tear myself away from it.

William Hurt and the boy actor (sorry - forgot the name) are thrown together by life's accidents and develop bonds for one another. The rough edges on each character are worn smooth as each accommodates the other and learns of the other's trials and humanity. The acting is superb and rarely gets in the way of the content - more to the point, the acting complements the story well.

But what makes the movie special is the character development. The writing, directing, and screen play successfully convey the existential experiences of the actors as they develop and react to one another.

A good song, a good poem, a good book - are made special if they are accessible - if they evoke within you the ring of truth and personal history. This movie communicated with me extremely well on a personal basis, on many plans at the same time. Every element of this film was well crafted. The movie is cerebral and touching - with very few rough edges. I couldn't recommend it more highly for an adult audience.

This is a moving, touching film. For me a little bit frightening too. In the real world there are some people, who behave like Holt. (Unimportant, but funny that the word "Holt" means Dead in Hungarian which is my first language.) This movie is like a therapy, an advice for unhappy, lonely people. A believable film is a great pleasure nowadays, but if you meet your own life face-to-face in a script, well... it's pretty scary. If you pay attention good enough, it changes your life! Thank God for this film!

Paul wrote a beautiful review with the proper amount of reverence towards what is in our culture almost a sacred subject, the father son relationship. This is the story of two such relationships, each one gone bad, and how the two survivors find the solution in each other and could find the solution in nobody else. The filmmakers also had a problem which needed a solution and found that in the cinematography, direction and marvelous acting and casting (several actors for each character at different ages) and music you'll remember long after the lights go up. Because it's such a small scale picture I would only give it a 9/10 and BenHur and Laurence of Arabia get a 10, yet they're no better, only bigger.