Touching Home

For me this movie is a hit or miss. The pitch is coming towards the hitter and anything is possible.

Ed Harris plays the father of two boys who grow up with major league baseball dreams, only to have them crushed by their father who's alcohol problem seems to stem from, well, I don't know, it's never really dealt with. The boys are inexorably tied up with their father's problems. But what those problems stem from is anybody's guess. There's no big speech, no big explanation, no big scene which is standard in drama's like these where the characters come together, yell, and either sort things out for the better or make them worse.

If the directors/writers/producers, who are two brothers who have some personal and family stake in the film, since they dedicated it to their father, if they just went into a little more depth with the Harris character and use his acting abilities even more, maybe deal with the psychological problems that make him drink, then this movie would have been substantially better. Instead, all we see him do is drink, then not drink for awhile, then drink some more, without any rhyme or reason as to the cause.

Things go well for the boys for awhile, then bad, good again, then bad, were perpetually going back and forth from balls to strikes with no in depth pitch to drive the audience home. Were left with a full count, the pitch heading towards the batter, is he gonna hit it, is he gonna miss, and then..........the end. How we got to that point in the game, the hit, runs, errors, everything before and in between that all led us to this movie, were just not told. Watching just the end of a game is not as exciting as watching it all the way through.

This film starts out very, very vanilla...the drunken father..the twin sons working at the quarry...nothing grabs you at all. It felt very 'routine' and I nearly took the DVD out and set out to return it midway through the film.

The movie also struggles to find its identity: Is it a film about baseball, alcoholism, or a love story? When one of the twins meets and befriends his teacher girlfriend, that romantic line is quickly forgotten and thrown by the wayside later in the movie. The actress simply disappears.

The father drinks himself into a stupor, yet nothing of his background possibly explaining his alcoholism is expounded upon or explained. He's just drunk all the time. He's therefore a very unlikable and almost unnecessary character - we just see a drunk meandering in and out of his sons lives.

The cinematography/locations are beautiful at times however - but pretty pictures alone does not a good movie make. The story and characters needed to be fleshed out further, particularly the father and the girlfriend. A weak effort indeed.

I'm not a film critic, but I had to comment on this film, and urge you to see it when it's released. It's touching, sad, uplifting and very real.

Every character's performance was brilliant, from an exquisitely understated Lee Merriweather, to the "challenged" Uncle, who could have ONLY been played by Brad Doriff, to the father, played by the incredible Ed Harris. You hate him, you feel sorry for him, you hate him again and finally your heart breaks for him. Even those with smaller roles were completely believable (thanks to an outstanding script).

How did these "kids" manage to assemble such a cast for their first film! And they can act, too!

I wasn't watching a movie... I was allowed to share a family's precious and not-so-precious memories. I will not forget this experience. And I look forward to saying "I knew them when..."

Watch for it. Go see it.

A very worthwhile movie.

I was fortunate to be given a chance to see this film before its general release. By now, many of you will have heard the story about twin brothers with an alcoholic and homeless father, about how the brothers made a movie about their story etc. It might sound a little like a strawberry pie kind of scenario. No spoilers here - but you should not let past experiences influence your future opinions.

The acting in the movie takes a little while to warm-up. I do not know if the entire movie was shot in sequence (unlikely) but I found that as the movie progressed, particularly after the 30 minute mark, all the players seemed to interact more comfortably and naturally together. In other words, in the first 30 minutes, I was in the theater to watch a movie - after that time, I was completely wrapped up in the story.

The brothers did an amazing job of ignoring all those who told them that they could not do what they did. They should be considered a genuine inspiration for all film students and existing film makers who seem to find it oh so easy to complain rather than facing a situation, and dealing with it the best way they can.

Ed Harris - well, what can I say? Being from England, I have skepticism woven in to my DNA. Some people go to Disney World to see Mickey Mouse. I see an hourly wage earner in a plastic uniform. But Ed's performance was, really, incredible. Seriously, really incredible. For fans of Ed Harris, you will not be disappointed. For those who, for some reason, dislike Ed Harris, if this movie does not make you a fan, there is something wrong with you.

The casting of Ishiah Benben was also inspired. A beautifully played piece - I am sure we will see a lot more of this talented actor in the near future.

The movie locations are beautifully shot, camera work fits together very well (although some too obvious filtering was a minor distraction), and the editing and soundtrack pull it all together.

Go and see this movie - not just to support two young men who have already done more than many will do in a lifetime, but also to experience a very well executed production.

And congratulations to the sponsors of the movie, and the California Film Institute for seeing the potential, and making this production a reality.

Touching Home is just one of those movies destined to become a classic and part of Ed Harris' best work as an actor. Right along movies such as Radio, Stepmom and Pollack, this ranks among his best work as an actor and it wouldn't be a surprise if he is nominated or even wins the Oscar for Best Actor for his touching and excellent performance as Charlie Winston, an alcoholic who is struggling to keep himself alive for his day to day existence. Debut directors Noah and Logan Miller make this film as realistic as it can get and their performances as Ed Harris' sons struggling to accept their father's disease. Overall great acting and a heart tugging script make this small indie film worth seeking out and seeing.