THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN

Directed by Ulu Grosbard

Starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Treat Williams

Columbia Pictures

The Deep End of the Ocean bears a striking resemblance to the typical Sunday night movie of the week, with one important exception: it's good. Based on the New York Times best seller/Oprah Winfrey Book of the Month, this is exactly the type of movie skeptics love to criticize. With its metaphorical title and periodic, less than subtle outbursts into sappy soundtrack land, The Deep End of the Ocean could easily have degenerated into a cliched and shamelessly melodramatic style a la Stepmom. But director Ulu Grosbard thankfully manages to avoid melodrama in most (though not all) scenes. This, along with excellent performances by Michelle Pfeiffer and Jonathan Jackson, convert the Deep End into a sophisticated and genuinely touching film which manages to be interesting without the requisite sex or violence scene. How innovative, no?

The plot unfolds in 1988 in the picture-perfect suburbs of Madison, Wisconsin, where the Cappadoras lead an idyllic middle class life. Beth (Michelle Pfeiffer) is happily married to an Italian-American restaurant owner, Pat (Treat Williams), and together they have two toddler boys and a baby girl. Their picture-perfect life is shattered abruptly when Beth attends her Chicago high school reunion with the three kids. Caught up in the hubbub of the reunion, she turns away for just a few seconds and suddenly discovers that three-year old Ben is gone. Search efforts are futile, except for forging the unlikely friendship between sweet Beth and the tough, hysterical head investigator, Whoopie Goldberg. Goldberg is realistic and tactless, introducing herself to Beth as, "Hi my name is Candy, Candy Bliss. Sounds like a porn-star....What can I say, presents can be so cruel to kids." Naturally this ironic remark drives Beth to tears, and for the next nine years, angst-ridden, she tries to cope, unsuccessfully, with her guilt over Ben's loss.

Strong in its acting and plot, nevertheless has its weaker points. The Deep End follows, perhaps too neatly and predictably, the pattern of conflict and resolution typical of the "movie the week." The first half of the film, the more dynamic and believable half, presents the conflict. The second half concentrates on the characters' emotions and is less credible, although more intriguing than the beginning. The film's turning point, as promised by its commercials and trailers, is the reappearance of Ben (Michael McElroy). But if his reappearance is predictable, the plot twist regarding his disappearance is certainly unexpected.

Problems arise from the first moment Ben encounters the Cappadora family. He is no longer the carefree, blond toddler that everyone remembers. Vince (Jonathan Jackson), Ben's sullen older brother, is a high-school junior with quite a few issues himself that are aggravated by Ben's reappearance. Ben's hardworking and optimistic father, Pat, seems thoroughly convinced that if everyone could just put aside their cares over a plate of pasta and a rousing rendition of "La Tarantella," things would work out fine. But although these may seem like gross generalizations--the insecure teen, the boisterous Italian--the film succeeds in taming the stereotypes by developing its characters so effectively.

As in most mass appeal films, audiences here must contend with the "fluff," alternatively, "cheeze" factor. Sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, there's no escaping the fluff. The tattered teddy bear, the frantic race down the street and the basketball games between Ben and Vince are all perhaps a little overly sentimental. Even the ending may seem a little much for the more cynical moviegoers. But the glossy, sophisticated look of the overall film compensates for these unfortunate lapses. And the film deals with such a tangled mess of problems that a tidy resolution must inevitably entail some fluff.The Deep End of the Ocean works best in presenting family confrontations. Arguments flair up suddenly but subside quickly with no more melodrama than necessary.

Whereas the book by Jacqueline Mitchard was aimed at the +30, female audience, the film caters to a more mainstream public. Michelle Pfeiffer, even though constricted by unglamorous suburban trappings, still manages to strike a sexy, glamorous image. Treat Williams, although not the typical stud, has an earthy charm and chemistry with Pfeiffer, while Jonathan Jackson seems poised to join the ranks of beautiful young Hollywood actors. With this winning trio of actors and its subtle take on the poignant issue of child abduction. The Deep End of the Ocean offers a surprisingly refreshing change from the trashy options now readily available at movie theaters.