Criss Cross - Überleben in Key West

Criss Cross takes place in Key West, 1969. The biggest success of this movie is creating a realistic sense of time and place. You can practically feel the humidity and smell the ocean in this movie.

Goldie Hawn plays a divorced mother raising her 12 year old son, played by David Arnott. I don't know the full story, but I have read that quite a few critics made rather vicious comments about David's performance. Without even taking into consideration that this was his acting debut, I thought his acting was quite good. He was likable and charming. For once, we see a kid who actually acts and talks like a kid. When you see him working (three jobs, no less), it really looks like he is working, not just going through the motions.

It might have taken some work by the acting coaches to produce the performance we see on screen, but the end result is excellent.

David also narrates the movie. I liked his relaxed, laconic speaking style. It really set the tone for the movie.

Criss Cross is a movie that stays with me because it shows a vanished world, a place and time that can't be reproduced. It is a world of living simply. Life is hard, but there is a pervasive sense of hope. It reminded me of the first time I visited Spain's Costa del Sol in 1983. The "outside world" hadn't made a dent in many of the smaller towns. You could walk into a small, family run store and see merchandise that must have been on the shelves for many years. The pace was slow, and in retrospect the days all seemed sunny and warm.

That is how this movie will make you feel.

Young boy in the Florida Keys in late 1969 keeps tabs on his exotic dancer mom while mourning their separation from his Vietnam-scarred father. A curious choice for star Goldie Hawn, who must've seen this as an opportunity to stretch a little bit without verging too far from her proved persona; newcomer David Arnott is well-cast as Hawn's son and has an amazingly deep voice, a forthright manner and an easy gait (he's really the star who is born here). The script, which is likably littered with beach bums and hotel-residing characters, isn't particularly pointed, nor does it leave us with much at the end, but Chris Menges' direction pulls every ounce of beauty from it. When Goldie's car breaks down, it's on a concrete bridge overlooking a melancholy stretch of ocean; when Hawn and sports-writer Arliss Howard have a heart-to-heart, it's on the beach during a brilliant red sunset. This great-looking picture is a real beauty, although it is lackadaisically paced, extremely low-keyed and takes a while to expose its heart and reach its audience. *** from ****

Considering that the story-line sounds like the typical fodder for the women's movie networks, this film is quite well done. The characters and performances are pretty believable, the kids are fairly kid-like, and for those of you who have written off Goldie Hawn, she's quite nicely un-Goldie-Hawn-ish. This is not a great film, but it's a pretty good probability that there is nothing better on cable at that moment.

This is one of those movies where the user rating seems strangely out of step with the comments on it. With one, barely worth the mention, exception, all those who have commented liked the film. I too found it a very pleasant diversion and a film that I have happily watched several times.

To my way of thinking young David Arnott does a terrific job and is absolutely charming. He plays Chris, a completely innocent kid who gets on the wrong side of the law, when he sees an opportunity to get enough cash to rescue his mother, Goldie Horn, from her new job as a stripper. It is a big ask to take a 12-year old lad with no acting experience to play what amounts to the lead in a movie and to narrate it too. It is also asking a lot for him to have to be filmed briefly in the buff in one scene. If he had a problem or two, it is hardly surprising. Nevertheless, it is his innocent charm which carries the film. There is also a nice chemistry between David Arnott and Goldie Horn.

I sincerely hope that this was not another case of the critics massacring a movie and with it a promising kid's career.

Of course it was no blockbuster, but just a nice, unglamorized story from a page out of the life of this fractured family. You could really get a feel for the time, and the soundtrack served that well, as well as the backdrop of the moon landing. It really brought back those sweet, sultry memories of long, carefree summers and young love. I think almost every note was true to life, even if the ending was a little too pat. Goldie Hawn did a great job with this more dramatic role (and still looked great!) and her co-lead, David Arnott, gave a realistic yet understated performance. David Carradine's part was brief and somewhat shallow, but still effective in conveying the emotional fallout from the Vietnam experience, however; it certainly wasn't a "Jacknife" caliber role. The scenery and atmosphere of the movie was beautiful and really made you feel like you were right there. It made for a nice Sunday afternoon viewing.