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This movie was a great surprise! I never read the Stephen King novel that this film comes from, but as always, King has crafted an intriguing and absorbing story.

Anthony Hopkins never disappoints and his performance as Ted Brautigan here is no different.

Brautigan lives upstairs from young Bobby Garfield and his widowed mother and a friendship soon develops between Bobby and Ted. Bobby knows that there is something different about Ted, and the bond between them grows when Bobby starts uncovering some of Ted's secrets. Bobby's father passed away when he was very young and he has no knowledge of who his father was except the word of his neglectful mother that his father was a drunkard and gambler. Bobby, through Ted learns a lot about his father, and more importantly, himself.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot of this wonderful movie, especially if like me you have not read the book. This is a thoughtful, insightful, well written and well acted movie and is definitely a part of my own library.

Dont miss Hearts in Atlantis.. you will be sorry if you do!! 8/10

Hearts in Atlantis is another Stephen King adaptation I wasn't aware of, it stars Anthony Hopkins, David Morse, and the taken before his time Anton Yelchin.

It tells the story of a small bullied boy, his father has passed away and his mother isn't fullfilling her duties as a parent. When a mysterious man appears in his life everything changes.

I had no idea what to expect but was quickly gripped, it was standard King stuff from small town America to flashbacks of youth to that wonderful charm they all seem to have.

The movie immediatly whispers sweet promises in your ear, you know something is coming and you'll expect it to be big! Sadly it doesn't entirely deliver, in fact I found the big "Revelation" very underwhelming. Don't get me wrong it was okay but not on the level I had expected.

Hearts in Atlantis is a beautiful quaint little tale, but is not one of those big epic life changing experiences that occasionally cross our paths.

The Good:

Cast are on point

Looks and sounds wonderful

Very charming

The Bad:

The twist is very weak

Feels like it should have been better

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Anthony Hopkins simply can do no wrong can he?

I saw Hearts in Atlantis last night, and I have to say that the more I think about it, the more I like it. After it was over, I couldn't help but remember my "Atlantis." The town in which I grew up in was certainly one of the best places in world. I lived there from the time I was born, until I was 18. Hearts in Atlantis made me remember what it was like to be a kid, and to really not have a care in the world (except what time all my friends were going to meet to play football or baseball). Of course I understand now that there is much more to life then riding bikes and playing games, but a part of me wishes I could go back, just for one more day. I loved when the Hopkins character explained how when you're a kid a day could last forever, and the place in which you lived seemed almost like a paradise...like Atlantis must have seemed. This movie made me remember my "Atlantis," and I am glad that I saw it.

Sure to be one of the best-loved films of this fall, "Hearts in Atlantis" adapted from Stephen King's best seller mines a lot of familiar territory from "Stand by Me," but that beloved film is a good model. In "Stand by Me," it was a writer reflecting back on the childhood summer "when we found the body," here it's David Morse as a photographer remembering the summer of his eleventh year "when Ted the boarder moved upstairs." Downplaying King's supernatural elements, this film slowly, but surely, builds to an emotional payoff every bit as moving as the end of Rob Reiner's gem.

This is a small, gentle film with lots of character development and period atmosphere. The tech credits such as production design and cinematography are superb and bring to life a time--1960--which, for some of us, was not that long ago. The child-actors are perfectly cast, and Anthony Hopkins as the mysterious stranger gives one of his best, most-heartfelt performances. (This guy could read USA Today weather forecasts aloud and make them sound like Shakespeare.) While others may have taken a radically different approach to the material, emphasizing action and suspense, I think screenwriter William ("Misery") Goldman and director Scott ("Shine," "Snow Falling on Cedars") Hicks ultimately hit the right notes. I will interested in seeing if this decidedly low-key approach strikes a box office chord with moviegoers frazzled by the big, dumb summer action films. If there's any fairness left in the world it will. It's that good.

One of the many acting skills Anthony Hopkins possesses is the ability to attract and disturb at the same time; he can charm you to no end with sly smiles and unspoken allure. But all the while he's hiding something unsettling that you can't ever quite figure out. In Hearts in Atlantis, the latest of what by now must be a truly massive box set of Stephen King film adaptations, Sir Anthony finds a writer perfectly suited to these unique talents. What we see is a movie eerie and enchanting, both in mood and in style -- a story that holds onto its cards throughout, letting you see each of them slowly, one by one, and only when absolutely necessary. In the end we find we have been held captive by a stunningly memorable and powerful film.

The story begins as a retrospective: Robert Morse plays the older version of Bobby Garfield, the central character of this reminiscent story. It takes a recent tragedy to send the older Bobby unwittingly in the mind to his days as an 11-year-old in 1960. There we go to a place common to almost all of King's stories: rural New England, where Bobby lives with his mother (Hope Davis), and spends his innocent, aimless days with his two friends Sully (Will Rothhaar) and Carol (Mika Boorem). His father died when Bobby was only five, and his mother is so busy hopefully tending to a real estate career that she has little time to tend to her only child. To this point nothing is out of the ordinary; this childhood is deliberately portrayed with hazy, warm undertones, akin to the sense of youth so familiar to many who look back upon it.

Fairly early on we meet Ted Brautigan (Hopkins), a boarder who shows up quite suddenly on their porch, his belongings in grocery bags. He is clean, well-spoken, unobtrusive and generally a placid sort. But he is also an instant enigma: he is of unknown origin, means, and intent, and Bobby's mother quickly decides this is a man to be viewed with caution. Bobby, on the other hand, innocently curious --and most likely desperate for anything that could spell the boredom of his uneventful summer-- decides this a man worth knowing. They become close, Brautigan dispersing kennels of wisdom and even offering young Bobby a dollar a week and cold root beers to read him the newspaper daily. But Brautigan clearly has a special quality about him: he can sense things and see things that are not readily apparent to most others. Bobby seems to have this gift as well, though in a lees pronounced way, and through this they form a bond, one Bobby's mother slowly and begrudgingly affords him. She's suspicious of this man still, while we the viewers begin gradually to glean some of the mysteries of his past. I don't dare say what they are, but they do involve "the Low Men", people, Brautigan warns Bobby, who may some day come looking for him. He tells Bobby what signs to look for about town, gently using the boy as a scout of imminent danger. Bobby does not know who they are or what they represent. Neither do we, for a long time, but the key instrument of this story is to make it intentionally vague. We are not to be concerned about these details, but rather to know that Brautigan has experienced them, and will do whatever he can to shield Bobby and his youth from the corrupting darkness looming behind them.

Stephen King has been widely read as an author of horror and suspense, but his best works --like this one-- work on a much more insidious level, evoking a sense of foreboding and unknown that manages to inform everything that happens within. The makers of this film find great success emphasizing the shady murkiness of the story, and they still manage to keep things centered. The mysteries of Ted Brautigan find parallels in the wonders of youth: Bobby experiences his first kiss, naturally, encounters a menacing bully, and learns to view his mother in evolving ways...grown-up ways. This is really a story of innocence and maturity, of youth's purity and the dangers that lurk at its end. Bobby finds that end to a certain degree, but along the way finds friendship, knowledge, and a sense of the mysteries of adulthood that await him. Ted Brautigan is really more than a friend to Bobby; he is a guide, a protector, and a teacher. These two actors provide real, natural on screen chemistry in this film, and there is one delightful scene early on where Brautigan intensely relives for Bobby a glory day of Chicago Bears football lore. This is an actor who can take any available strengths of writing and magnify them for us viewers who watch him say them aloud. As a result Anthony Hopkins anchors this infectious little film to the ground while still allowing it to soar skyward when needed.

For some, Stephen King is just a mere auteur of horror stories. If you look closer, you'll see he is much more. Nearly all his stories are melancholic tales about the loss of childhood innocence. With a paranormal twist, but that really isn't the most important. I even think that Hearts in Atlantis would have worked even better, if the whole paranormal thing would have been left out. The most interesting aspects of the story are Bobby Garfield and his relationship with his mother, girlfriend and Ted. Whenever Ted brought up the low-men, my personal interest curve got a bit of a dip, but hey it's a Stephen King movie, I guess we'll have to live with it.

As it is, Hearts in Atlantis remains a wonderful film. It's the kind of film where the scenes in the present are filmed in gloomy blue and grey tones, and all the flashbacks get a golden sepia treatment. Sure it's been done before, but rarely have the effects been of such a shattering beauty.

Anthony Hopkins, never shy of giving a bombastic performance, is remarkably soft-spoken in this one, though I doubt that he was really interested in this movie. The star of the show, however, is Anton Yelchin as Bobby Garfield. He looks like the young Elijah Wood, with the same angelic blue eyes, and he's truly captivating. He even has genuine chemistry with the girl that plays his love interest. A big fat ‘wow' is in order here, let's hope he'll get the chance to exploit his talents further.

It's a shame this movie failed at the box-office, but then again so did The Shawshank Redemption. So let's all rent/buy this wonderful film, and boost that IMDb score.

I gave this one a 9/10.

Based on Stephen King's novella, 'Hearts' is a coming of age tale; this time focusing on Bobby (Anton Yelchin), a young boy growing up in 60s America. He's without a father and has a workaholic, self absorbed mother (Hope Davis). One day, a mysterious stranger, Ted (Anthony Hopkins), arrives to rent the top floor of the house. From these on, it becomes a truly magical summer for Bobby as he begins growing into manhood, learning love, responsibility and ultimately, courage in oneself, while bonding with Ted, who seems to be in possession of certain 'abilities'.

While it won't reinvent the wheel of coming-of-age films, 'Hearts' is still a well produced tale in its own right. Huge part of this goes to.two solid leads in Hopkins and Yelchin; Yelchin is absolutely believable as Bobby, going from brash to caring to loyal to his newfound friend, as many children can be, while giving the role conviction and never sounding whiny. Hopkins is, well, Hopkins; he does great as the enigmatic but friendly stranger, and it's not hard to see why Bobby would look up to him. As for other pros, well, it is masterfully directed by Scott Hicks (Shine), making use of a warm colour palette as befitting the nostalgic-summer vibe of the tale, and Mychael Dynna's score is suitably idyllic and sweet without being overt or bombastic.

Now of course, this film's forgotten status is not entirely inexplicable; even with a few bit of great emotional 'punch' throughout, there's no getting around its somewhat formulaic nature. This is very much in keeping with all the tropes of these stories, and never really does anything to break from the mould, so a lot of things you can see coming from a mile away. That, and the wrap around stuff & bits of narration with older Bobby in present times never feels woven in often enough to really matter.

Despite that however, I was pleasantly surprised by 'Hearts in Atlantis', and if you enjoyed the more dramatic King adaptations, give this one a whirl. It's simple, sweet and exactly what it says on the tin. Nothing more, nothing less.

To many, Stephan King is a well of horror, Lovecraftian chill that creeps upon us in the dead of night. So when his fantasy of insight comes along, they are struck blind, disappointed, let down by the mildness of the tale.

Director Hicks, screenplay writer Goldman, and the superlative team of Mr. Hopkins and young Yelchin have brought alive this artist's touch of Mr. King, in a finely crafted, sensitive film that just departs from the four walls of our mundane reality. In many subtle touches throughout the film, we -- even those of us Constant Readers who would read Mr. King's laundry list if he published it -- are guided through Goldman's skillful adaptation of the original novel.

Better than the book? Worse? No, this humble viewer will just say that the film can stand on its own, if we are just willing to let our eyes be opened to what can be.

I enjoyed this movie but something felt just a bit missing. I think it could have done with another 30 mins or so and a bit more backstory on Hopkins character as well as a bit more what happened after. I felt like it finished too quick. Had potential to score much higher. A nice coming of age story with a big of King's supernatural thrown in.

It's been many years now but every once in a while I go through this story/movie again, bringing up the same emotions and fondness of it. This movie is nothing spectacular, not a major hit by any standards, but personal experience for intelligent and thoughtful people. Behind it is some brilliant work of Mr. King (at his best, when not writing horror stories), which makes him (for me, at least) one of the best writers America ever had. And this story has been told through an excellent movie, with carefully picked up cast, to give probably their best, yet simple, performances. It is a very smooth movie, very well and sensibly directed. I'm highly recommending it but not to everyone - just to the ones who know how to appreciate a little masterpiece. To them it will be timeless. Everyone else – just forget it.

Hearts in Atlantis (2001)

A nostalgia dipped story about childhood memories and a young boy (and his two friends) struggling for their places in their young world. By its nature, and with the support of some terrific acting, the story will move you. But it is also a somewhat simplified idea of a boy looking for stability and friendship without a father and with a mother more interested in her questionable career.

Writer Stephen King knows how to get a series of hooks going in a story, and the one supernatural twist here is that leading man Ted, played by Anthony Hopkins, can read minds. (This has apparently led him to enormous wins at poker, which has made him a target of angry mobsters, though this part of the story is left sketchy.) The boy senses something special in Ted, and their friendship grows to where Ted begins to look out for the boy, protecting and guiding him.

And so this is filmed in the late 1950s (or maybe 1960, judging by the most recent cars), and it has a little sweet aura to it all. There is an overlay in contemporary times that is unnecessary, though it wraps things up nicely for people who like that. It's all enjoyable but not very deep or even, surprisingly, very surprising.

There are two distinct dimensions to Stephen King's writing. On the one hand he is most widely known as the horror meister who can churn out novels quicker than most of us can go through toilet paper. Then there is the King who knows when to leave the schlock behind and tell a good, character driven, yarn.

This is the King who penned Hearts in Atlantis, along with similar captivating stories turned into film such as Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.

Told in flashback, it is the story of a young boy who is mentored by a psychically gifted border (Hopkins) with a shadowy past who is renting the upstairs room in his mother's house. He instructs the boy to be on the lookout for the "low men" who are persuing him. It tells the story of lives and loves lost in the fleeting wonder of youth. Filled with metaphor, this is a gem of a film. View it for the acting. View it for the cinematography. View it for the art direction. View it for the directing. But most of all, view it for the wonderful story that it is. It will captivate you and leave you wishing it would go on forever.

What happens to the lives of a young mother and son when a strange old man comes to live in the suite upstairs of theirs? Their lives change in ways they never imagined.

Hearts in Atlantis is about a man who has his world turned upside down when he finds out that two of his childhood friends have past away. In a trip back to his old neighborhood to see the house where he grew up, Robert Garfield (David Morse) begins to reminisce about his younger years, in particular a time when a strange old man by the name of Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins) moves into the suite above his. The old man is quiet and a bit reclusive yet Robert and Ted build a friendship that is stronger than most life long friendships. At the time, Robert's life primarily revolved around two friends. His relationship with his mom is almost non-existent as she is preoccupied with furthering her own career and lavishing herself with new clothes and socializing with corporate types. The old man becomes a more of a parental figure than his own mother but to make things even more interesting, the old man possesses psychic powers that seem to affect those around him, especially Robert.

What made this movie good? Well for one, Anthony Hopkins. There is no doubt that this man can act. He plays every character as if he has spent years researching the subject. He has a peculiar rhythm to the delivery of his lines yet it works and makes the character all the more believable. It's seldom you find something to criticize Anthony Hopkins about and in this movie there is nothing but good to say.

David Morse is another wonderful actor. Although he rarely has the lead role, his presence is never missed. In this movie, he is in the movie briefly at the beginning to establish the direction of the story and at the end to wrap it up but like Hopkins he immerses himself in the character and delivers a beautiful performance however brief it was.

However, my loudest compliments go to Anton Yelchin. This young man plays the young Bobby Garfield and plays it well. I have to be honest and admit that when I first saw the actor of young bobby Garfield, I wasn't sure about this young man but as the movie progressed, he grew on me and I found his performance to be very convincing. This is quite the achievement when you realize that this young actor is a major character and must practically carry the movie since most of the story takes place around him. Very good performance.

The pace of the movie was a bit odd but it fell in line with the plot line. If you were looking for a bit of action, you're not going to find it here. But if you want something that is intriguing this is the movie for you.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It's a slower paced introspective type of a storyline but it's beautifully done. You'll find yourself intrigued by Hopkins's character and be amazed at young Yelchin's acting.

A really nice film with a great storyline, slow paced , however with some great dramatic effect. This is a feel good film, ideal for a Sunday night. The characters are relatable, especially Ted Brautigan. The acting is of high quality, everything Antony Hopkins does is superb.

This is not bad. Steven King isn't a GREAT writer, but he's not the least bit...bad. The movie is a solid B film. I thought about giving it a B-, but then I looked back at the movie's ending. The theme. The whole childhood innocence theme reassured the movie's good grade. The whole thing is dramatic as hell, and you'll find yourself sucked in and loving it. B, 7/10

This film made me think of films like "Stand By Me" and "My Girl". It was a quiet film, rather a relief from the raucous, action-filled movies of today or the silly fluff of many others. A wonderful exploration the a child growing up, his friendships, first love and challenges he faces. The boys performance was very believable, and Sir Anthony Hopkins, as always, is wonderful. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this film.

I don't quite understand the average of a 6.8.... In my opinion this film is a high standard, dramatic production with an astonishing magical performance of Hopkins and the youngster, Anton velchin if I remembered correctly. Upcoming star I tell you, and if he won't, it's not because of his potential.

With some tearjerking scenes, which are not over dramatized, this is a great movie to watch with your lover, close to each other, desperately trying to hide your occasional tears.

Both the score and the cinematography play a good part in swallowing you up in the situations at hand.

I give it an 8.6.

If anyone is looking for some typical Stephen King fare with lots of blood and vividly imagined monsters, Hearts of Atlantis is not your film. If however your taste runs to well acted drama about growing up in the early sixties Hearts of AAtlantis is definitely the film for you. Although it's not stated my gut tells me that this tale is somewhat autobiographical.

David Morse comes back to the small town he grew up in to attend the funeral of a friend killed in action, presumably Kuwait during Desert Storm. He also learns that his first girl friend also passed on a few years earlier. They were a trio that hung out and did things together as kids. Morse's mind wanders back to those innocent days when Anton Yelchin as young Morse, Will Rothhaar as the man who was killed as a youngster and Mika Boorem as the girl friend are all of eleven.

Yelchin lives with his mother Hope Davis, a woman made bitter by the split between her and Yelchin's father. Into their lives comes a mysterious boarder whom Davis takes in because she needs the money, but remains suspicious. The stranger is Anthony Hopkins and he and Yelchin form a bond.

Hopkins is a fugitive, but not in the usual sense. As we discover he's got powers and abilities far beyond those of ordinary men which are in the mind reading field. It's a gift and a curse and Hopkins is wanted by some mysterious strangers who want to make use of his abilities. Presumably this is the Central Intelligence Agency.

Hearts in Atlantis is a tender and loving film that is made by the performances of Anthony Hopkins and the juvenile cast around him. Best scene in the film is Hopkins defusing a confrontation between Yelchin and friends and a school bully played by Timothy Reifsnyder. Hopkins reads Reifsnyder and tells him things about himself he would not want known, but they do ring true and play into the pathology of bullying.

This is an absolute must see films, one of the best screen performances by Anthony Hopkins on film.

I approached this film with caution, because King's screen adaptations vary from masterpieces to total garbage, with the lower half of the scale predominating. Fortunately, this one did not disappoint. There is no special virtuosity here, neither from the technical nor from the essential side. Okay, Anthony Hopkins gives it weight, but that's the only thing that makes the film stand out. The story is linear and simple, but lively and emotional, with a handful of strong and very true views of life. The story of growing up, with an atmosphere similar to "Stand by Me", will hold your attention, not with visual wonders or tense events, but will melt you on the couch under a flood of nostalgia. One of those films that do not have a happy ending and that many of us see off in tears, but which still fill us with warmth.

7/10

Anthony Hopkins gives a stellar performance as always--the whole movie was well crafted and meaningful. I can see why Sir Hopkins wanted to do this film, and why he considered it "gentle" and "heartwarming".

It's America in the fifties again, which as always in Hollywood films, means shiny cars, endless summers and spoonfed nostalgia. As the original author was Stephen King, it also means something of a return to Stand by Me territory. This time a wise, benevolent, but mysterious new lodger moves into the neighbourhood, and affects the characters lives in not particularly memorable ways. Luckily, the stranger happens to be played by Anthony Hopkins, who manages to bring a bit of superficial gravitas to this lightweight story. He befriends a young boy (Anton Yelchin) who, under his influence, gets to kiss the girl next door, duffs up the local bully, and of course, learns something about life in the process. This is all painless, harmless stuff and, at only an hour and a half long, at least its not over-stretched. But it's a thin story nonetheless, and with the likes of Hopkins, Stephen King, Scott Hicks (director of Shine) and top screenwriter William Goldman involved, you could be forgiven for expecting something a bit more memorable than a pleasant Sunday afternoon TV movie-style effort like this.