Paradise

Remember "The Good Son" with Elijah Wood and Macaulay Culkin? Well McCauley was already famous, but Elijah was just starting. In this film, Elijah has a similar and very believable personality when he is stuck with a couple going through some rough times. It seems everybody seems to learn from his caring and honest manner as much as he learns from his life in the simple south. Melanie Griffith also does a good job in a very tough role, being hurt and numb after a very dramatic event in her life. Everything fits well in the plot and you can never really tell what the end will bring. Just a great all around film.

I was surprised and touched by this film, starring two actors I do not normally enjoy. The on-screen chemistry between Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, as grieving parents, isolated in their grief, was amazing. Elijah Wood is convincing in his role as a friend's child, visiting the couple, and going through his own family turmoil. Also excellent is Thora Birch, one of the most gifted child actors I have had the pleasure of watching. A wonderfully touching and uplifting film about hope and risk and coming home. One of my top five movies!

I fell in love with this movie the very first time I watched it on cable. Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith were perfect in this tale of grief in the aftermath of the loss of a child. Elijah Wood, Thora Birch, and Sheila McCarthy round out the cast and make this a poignant tale.

Melanie Griffith was never as vulnerable and powerful as she was in this movie - and I liked her in Working Girl and A Stranger Among Us. This was by far her most affecting role. And the almost always underrated Don Johnson turns in another versatile and incredibly touching performance. And the emotion between their two characters is clearly palpable throughout their estrangement in this film.

'Paradise' truly is a gem! If you haven't seen it, do so. You won't be sorry.

Paradise was a beautiful yet underappreciated movie. If it weren't for HBO I probably would have never seen it.

Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson play a married couple who's relationship is falling apart after the death of their baby son. Both are very good actors and play their parts very well. The scene in the attic when Don comes home drunk is amazing and not the mess that it had the potential of being.

Elijah Wood is playing a small a 10 year old I believe who's father says that he's away at work but is really leaving his mother. He is in private school and doesn't have any friends. One summer his mother sends him to his aunt's house, most likely to try to hide the truth from him. Elijah isn't the best actor, but he's very good for his age. Not to mention the cutest thing that you've ever seen.

Thora Birch is a little country girl who doesn't know who her father is and has a mother who really can't keep a relationship to save her life. She doesn't have many friends either but is very smart and inquisitive. Thora Birch is incredibly adorable and well on her way to her excellent role in 'American Beauty.'

The movie is somewhat slow moving at the beginning but builds up to a great movie. Everything is believable. Don and Melanie are great together. Thora Birch and Elijah Wood also make a great duo. This is definitely a film worth seeing. Don't be turned off just because you haven't heard of it. It's better than a lot of that trash that is highly advertised.

Surprisingly good. The cinematography and screenplay were excellent. Griffith played the role beautifully as did Don Johnson. This was the only movie that I liked both actors in. Elijah Wood's best performance too. This movie should have been nominated for many awards. It isn't often that the screenplay, acting, setting and theme come together so poignantly and effectively. I'd give this movie a 10.