# Deep End of the Ocean, The (1999)

### reviewed by
Susan Granger

http://www.speakers-podium.com/susangranger.

Susan Granger's review of "THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN" (Columbia Pictures)

Based on Jacquelyn Mitchard's 1996 deeply moving novel, this family drama revolves around every parent's worst nightmare: losing a child. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Beth Cappadora, a loving, devoted mother who juggles the demands of caring for her family with a career as a photographer. With her three small children, she arrives at a Chicago hotel for her 15th highschool reunion weekend and, when she glances away for a moment, her three year-old son disappears in the middle of a crowded lobby. Despite a desperate search, he vanishes without a trace. This tragedy has a devastating effect on Beth, her husband (Treat Williams), and family but, eventually, their lives return to some degree of normalcy - until, nine years later, a 12 year-old boy (Ryan Merriman) knocks on their door. Could it be he? With the help of a tenacious police detective (Whoopi Goldberg), they unravel a tangled web leading to a reunion which, in turn, raises another emotionally wrenching dilemma. The boy has no memory of his biological family, having been raised by a loving, adoptive father (John Kapelos). What should they do?

Director Ulu Gossbard handles the melodramatic story with sensitivity and the cast is superb. I find fault with the stereotypical Hollywood ending but any other resolution might also not play well. Problem is: there is no credible, satisfying answer for everyone involved, which was the problem with "Losing Isiah," a previous film that tackled the same subject matter. Three-time Oscar nominee Michelle Pfeiffer delivers another memorable performance, and she spear-headed the development of this film through her company Via Rosa. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "The Deep End of the Ocean" is a powerful, thought-provoking 7, a heartbreaking story.

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