Is Anybody There? Review
By David Kempler
Life and Death and Fun
If you like your characters eccentric and funny you could do a whole lot worse than catching John Crowley's, "Is Anybody There?" If you can handle cute and sweet (not overly sweet, save one or two scenes) you might even love this enticing little production that takes place primarily in a family-run old-age home in a small English seaside in the late 1980's.
What we have here is a film that could easily have fallen victim to a paint-by-numbers formula of "crotchety senior citizen befriending the cute but irascible young moppet". I'm not giving anything way by clueing you into this development in the plot. Anyone who doesn't see this coming has never seen a film before nor probably ever read anything. The fact that we know it's coming and accept it so willingly is because everything runs like clockwork.
Clarence (Michael Caine) is the crotchety ex-magician gent and his performance is one of his finest. He has clearly honed his acting chops to a place where he could have done this role in his sleep but he does anything but that here. Instead he is thoroughly believable and makes us forget we are watching Michael Caine, to me the ultimate compliment one can give to an actor. Edward (Bill Milner) is the young boy who resides in the old age home along with his parents, who run the place. He is fascinated by the question of what happens to people after they die and by the subject of ghosts, not altogether surprising since he often witnesses the residents passing on. I usually have a problem with kid actors because they usually appear to be trying too hard, but the young Mr. Milner holds his own with Sir Michael Caine. Their interactions are a thing of beauty to behold.
Add to this potent acting combo a cast of very talented senior residents who have been gifted with great line after great line and they deliver them with gusto a plenty. The funniest moments in "Is Anybody There" almost belong entirely to this near perfect group of seniors. At times they are laugh out loud.
Of course, there is a story to be told and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out where Crowley is taking us. The film has bittersweet dripping all over it yet it doesn't matter that we pretty much know what will have to happen at some point because the execution is dead on from Crowley to the dialog to the bravura acting performances turned in by the entire cast.
The end manages to tug at our heartstrings and borders upon being cloying but manages to walk that tightrope without falling apart. It's very difficult to imagine anyone not at least liking "Is Anybody There?" You might even fall head over heels for it. The year is young but this is the first thoroughly enjoyable experience of the young year in film.
