C'est beau la vie

Probably a bad combination: watching a movie like this while reading William Goldman's "Which Lie Did I Tell?", among other things an incisive (and often hilarious) dissection of all the things that can go wrong in the development of a screenplay. So, here I am in an airplane, with "Which Lie Did I Tell?" in my lap, and "Delivering Milo" on the screen...

If I had to give the shortest accounting of the problem with "Milo," it would be: if you know where you're going, the journey better be the part with the surprises. And there just aren't a lot of surprises. This is a screenplay that starts with a cute concept, wraps with a cash-cow ending, and leaves out anything memorable or really enjoyable in the middle.

Performances were, well, mediocre. Albert Finney was good in many places, but has morphed distractingly into William "Priceline" Shatner's doppleganger in appearance. I kept thinking this would have been a *great* showcase role for George Carlin; he would have put quite a bit more edge and humor into it.

Bridget Fonda was fine but not spectacular, the actor playing her husband veers heavily into Robert Hays territory, and Lesley Ann Warren is pretty much wasted as yet another brassy dame, a muted turn on her role in Victor/Victoria. The kid playing Milo was apparently cloned off of Elijah Wood Jr.'s genetic material, although not entirely successfully.

But the "camp counselors" ...what happened here? Did they raid a sophomore high school drama class en masse, with no consideration for who might have talent? Or did the director just think it would make things even more zany and off-kilter if everyone trotted out their most bogus, high-falutin' accent? I did think Alison Lohman was awfully pretty, though.

All that being said, I still got all watery-eyed at the ending, and the one riff I *didn't* see hurtling through the Holland Tunnel hours in advance was the very last little tidbit, which I did like. But touching family moments will do that to me every time -- you can reel me in with an AT&T ad -- that doesn't mean the filmmakers didn't waste a moderately interesting premise by forgetting to write a compelling middle.

5/10

Delivering Milo is a fantastic journey into the world that humans are unsure evens exists. What would happen if a soul refused to be born? It does get your mind turning. Granted, the plotline that the entire human race will die out is a bit tacky, but the idea is the important factor.

I personally found it wonderfully refreshing in the way the writers(David Hubbard, and Diana Wagman) criss-crossed the different character's plotlines; however, the connections could be easily seen through hints scattered throughout. The characters did seem a little slow on the draw, but what can you do.

I have to disagree with previous comments on the issue of blatantness. The plot turns were, for the most part, unexpected. Albert Finney also fills his roll as a high life gambler well. In all Delivering Milo is a good movie.

While I don't have time to go into the detail that the previous reviewer provided, I have a completely different take on "Delivering Milo." I enjoyed the film as did my children and I believe it will generate plenty of word of mouth recommendations and have a strong life in video. It is a melodrama but, hey, Stephen King calls "The Green Mile" a melodrama. Albert Finney does a great job as the n'er-do-well from Limbo and Bridget Fonda never looked more beautiful as a nine-months-pregnant woman. The supporting cast is great.

If one goes into this film knowing the plot and then complains that the concept is ridiculous, I would have to question that person's sanity. This is a fantasy; anyone taking it seriously lives in more of a fantasy world than this film.

That said, does the film deliver? Acting: excellent all the way around; all of the actors deliver. Filming, music, sound, everything his fine.

The problem is with the writing and subsequent directing. This film had a basic purpose, that purpose was well-established from the very beginning. But beyond that much of the presentation feels two-dimensional, without really getting down to the heart of the issues. The use of card reading as a major plot tool was a let-down. Instead of establishing solid, good reasons for the finale they resort to a rather lame plot device.

There is one moment in the film where an emotional connection is made. Beyond that, while the characters were enjoyable and Finney was certainly a delight to watch, the entire film misses the personal, emotional connections that were essential to a film of this nature. In short, the director was so busy taking Milo (and the audience) on a sight-seeing tour, they regularly missed the heart of the story. They tried to make up for that in the end in the diner, but still didn't quite hit the target.

This is one of those "could have been good" films, and probably one of the rare films that was 1 1/2 hours long and could have stood to be 2 hours, with more personal interaction and heart in the concept. As it is, while I enjoyed watching it, the end left me feeling somewhat let down and disappointed. They could have done better with the plot elements... and should have.

the idea is nice , Albert Finney does a decent work, Anton Yelchin is adorable, spiritual and touching, Bridget Fonda and Campbell Scott are not bad choices but that is not new discovery. the fundamental problem - something missing. short - the idea is too large for film. so, each effort seems be almost insignificant. and the good parts - no surprise because many of them are details. it is not a bad film and for children can be an interesting experience but the final taste is a mixture of honey and ash. obvious, the good intentions are the base of it and the ambition of team is not small but the cast, the story must have a better led. all seems be colored pieces from a stained glass sketch.