Product Details

• Actors: Robert DeNiro, Dakota Fanning
• Directors: John Polson
• Producers: Barry Josephson
• Format: Color
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
• Run Time: 101.0 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (244 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000AO2A1S
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,794 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon: Dakota Fanning--the elfin star of Uptown Girls, The Cat in the Hat, and Man on Fire--trades in her blond locks for a semi-gothic brunette do in Hide and Seek. Fanning plays Emily, a young girl whose mother commits suicide. To help Emily through the trauma, her father David (Robert DeNiro), a psychologist, takes her to an isolated house in upstate New York. But instead of healing, Emily gets dark circles under her eyes, mutilates her favorite doll, and develops an imaginary friend named Charlie. In no time at all, things get spooky and David suspects this imaginary friend isn't so friendly. Hide and Seek owes a lot to The Shining, but whether the creepiness is borrowed or not, there's a decent dose of it (though the twist at the end is unlikely to surprise many viewers). DeNiro does his job with professional gloss, but Fanning carries the movie; she's got the kind of charisma that goes beyond acting ability--that ineffable glow that makes an audience want to watch her. Hide and Seek also features Famke Janssen (X-Men), Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), and the ever-dependable Dylan Baker (Happiness). --Bret Fetzer --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars FATHER KNOWS BEST..., July 28, 2005

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Hide and Seek (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

Let me cut to the chase. This film did not, at all, meet my expectations. The trailers lead one to believe that it is a film with supernatural overtones, but it turns out to be something else all together. The story line seems simple on its face. Alison Callaway (Amy Irving), a wife and loving mother, unexpectedly decides to slit her wrist in the bathtub one night, killing herself. Her husband, psychologist David Callaway, comes upon her lifeless body, and so does their beloved daughter, Emily (Dakota Fanning). Emily goes into shock and comes under the care of a therapist named Katherine (Famke Janssen).

Sometime later, when Emily's condition seemingly improves, her father then decides to leave New York City, where they live, and relocate to a small upstate town. No sooner do they move there, they meet the real estate agent and the town's sheriff, both of whom seem a tad peculiar. Moreover, there appears to be something not quite right with the couple next door, especially the husband. When Emily starts talking about an ostensibly imaginary friend named Charlie, the viewer knows that something is afoot. When David develops a new friend of his own, Elizabeth (Elizabeth Shue), trouble lies ahead, as Emily exhibits bizarre behavior towards her, as well as towards Elizabeth's young niece who is trying to befriend her.

As Charlie appears to be becoming an ever present and ominous entity in their lives, and Emily's odd behavior continues unabated, David remains the most kind, concerned, and understanding of fathers. He contacts Emily's therapist Katherine, who is very concerned about the eccentric behavior Emily is exhibiting. Meanwhile, the male neighbor interjects himself into the picture in a seemingly ominous way. So, David, who is also having flashbacks of events involving his wife, appears to have his hands full on the home front. By the time things start to go totally askew, the viewer can pretty much guess what the final denouement will be.

Despite its great cast and excellent performances, the script is weak and leaves a lot to be desired. It cheats the viewer with its subplots that go nowhere and are used merely to create red herrings for the sake of creating them. The film ends up being no more than total nonsense. Ari Schlossberg, the screenwriter, has made the mistake of underestimating the intelligence of the average viewer who would go to see a film starring Robert De Niro. Not even De Niro's otherwise fine performance can elevate this film to more than what it is, which is a far cry from what it promises in its trailers.

The DVD provides clear audio and visuals. It also provides four alternate endings that are moderately interesting, at best. What it does not provide is a film worth adding to one's personal collection. This is a film that is worth a rental, when you have nothing better to do.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ghost of greatness, March 5, 2006

By 

John E. Lawson "bizarro author" (Hyattsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hide and Seek (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

Fanning is brilliant in her role as a haunted young girl. DeNiro, as mentioned elsewhere, is all wrong for the part of her father. Not because he can't act, but because these days he can't keep from impersonating himself - a condition afflicting most established stars. It's kept in check throughout most of the picture, but once the disappointing ending is set into motion his hammy performance summons to mind Analyze That, Meet the Parents, etc., completely killing the tension built early on. Just an average thriller overall.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If I could, I'd give this movie a zero star rating, August 18, 2005

By 

D. Schaller (Sunnyvale, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hide and Seek (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

I am so agitated after renting this movie last night, I had to google the reviews and see what other people were saying about it. I am not only frustrated because it left a lot of unanswered questions, but because the story has you believing that David Callaway (played by Robert De Niro) is doing one thing (i.e., when Elizabeth (played by Elisabeth Shue) arrives with daisies for Emily, he is listening to music with headphones and doesn't hear her come into their house), when in actuality, he is acting as his alter ego. You've gotta wonder, so did he imagine that he was listening to music as Elizabeth headed up the stairs for Emily's room, or was he in Emily's room when Elizabeth entered the room, hiding in Emily's closet, playing Charlie, David's alter ego. This stupid movie just pulls the rug from under your feet, and they purposely try to direct you to thinking that the so-called imaginary friend is something supernatural (i.e., from a take when Emily enters the room behind the hall closet and finds an old empty rusty bed and personal belongings of the previous occupant of the house).

I feel like I was cheated. And, I have one question for actor Robert De Niro: What were you thinking when you accepted this script? I am sometimes so astonished when high level actors accept an acting position with a lame storyline!

My advice to others: Don't waste another buck on the decade's worst movie.