Hearts in Atlantis

"What if one of life's great mysteries moved in upstairs?"

2001 1h 41m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 652

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A widowed mother and her son change when a mysterious stranger enters their lives.

“What if one of life's great mysteries moved in upstairs?”

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Cast

Anthony Hopkins
Ted Brautigan
Anton Yelchin
Robert 'Bobby' Garfield
Hope Davis
Elizabeth 'Liz' Garfield
Mika Boorem
Carol Gerber
David Morse
Adult Bobby Garfield
Alan Tudyk
Monte Man
Tom Bower
Len Files
Celia Weston
Alana Files

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Scott Hicks
Writers: William Goldman
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 78% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

25 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Scott Hicks, shot by Piotr Sobociński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mychael Danna. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Pip Karmel shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anthony Hopkins and Anton Yelchin and Hope Davis carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "What if one of life's great mysteries moved in upstairs?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0252501 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Scott Hicks directs. Piotr Sobociński behind the camera. Mychael Danna scores. Pip Karmel cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 78% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
225 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Scott Hicks, shot by Piotr Sobociński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Mychael Danna. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Pip Karmel shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Anthony Hopkins and Anton Yelchin and Hope Davis carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "What if one of life's great mysteries moved in upstairs?".
8IMDB entry: tt0252501 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 23 themes, including "rape", "pool billiards", "baseball bat", "richard nixon".

The technical file

Cinematography: Piotr Sobociński
Original score: Mychael Danna
Editing: Pip Karmel
Production design: Barbara Ling
Costume design: Julie Weiss
Stunt coordinator: Mickey Giacomazzi
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $31,000,000
Box office: $24,185,781
Return: 78% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Hearts in Atlantis (2001)

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Scott Hicks

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-09-02
★ 7/10
This is certainly a case of less is more from Sir Anthony Hopkins. His considered performance as "Ted" lends much to this otherwise rather simple story of a widow (Hope Davis) and her young son "Bobby" (Anton Yeltsin). He befriends the young boy - much to the suspicion of the rather selfish, but loving, mother - and soon they are sharing confidences and the odd secret power as their bond gradually cements. It looks at the story from the older man's perspective as he reminisces about his own youth and from an engaging, enthusiastic Yeltsin's as the kid having his first love, dealing with school bullies etc.. It's delicately delivered: it has pace, but it is slow and thoughtful - and is a fairly faithful rendition of Stephen King's original story. Michael Danna's gentle accompaniment helps the story nicely, too.

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