Customer Reviews

Paradise

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a "Collector" movie to buy and watch again and again when the mood strikes you. It is about "Life" which is never pretty all the time. It is about coming of age, it is about love (good and bad love). It is a movie that causes you to think about your own life and your own relationships. And I agree with the gentleman from Michigan in the sense that this is a small town person movie. I grew up in powdunk Texas and really relate to the dirt road mentality and the peacefulness of the lake and woods. It has been said that when you are young you want to leave home and as you get older you want to return there. I agree wholeheartedly. What we seek is the peacefulness of home and the support of family there. This movie also deals with "Loss" very well and how different people react to loss and how you never know how you will react to loss and how that will change your life. If you dont agree with my rating I suggest you watch the movie again with a new perspective and I think it will speak to you differently. Happy Day.

someone reviewed this movie and said that it didn't flow well. Well I disagree. This movie is about life in a small town which is different from big budget movies about living in places like Los Angeles. I relate to this movie as well and it has a great love story. Nobody wants to see a boring story about things that always go right. BOOOOOORING! when you live in a small town and you're a young kid, your main concern is finding things to do. You don't always find the most POLITICALLY CORRECT things to do, you do whatever is fun. Whether it be getting into some trouble, or rebelling or whatever. I can relate to peeping on people, and just wanting to be out of the house all summer long. Maybe that's why I like this movie so much. I live in Northern Ontario on the border of Ontario and Michigan, and I heard somewhere that this movie was filmed in Paradise, Michigan. Don Johnson's character even talks about meeting his wife in Brimley, which is in Michigan and I've been there. It's a pretty nice place. I find that when you can relate to a movie, or have been to the city that it's filmed in, it makes it a lot more fun to watch.

I give the movie a 5, I'd give it more if I could. There's nothing boring about this movie. Not even for a millisecond.

Great acting, story, and scenery. This has to be one of the most overlooked movies in history. I owned it originally on Laserdisc and was hoping for an eventual release on DVD. I imagine the popularity of Elijah Wood has a lot to do with this.

As previously stated, the cinematography in this movie is outstanding. The acting by both, and very young, Thora Birch and Elija Wood is incredible. Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith also give high caliber performances and the chemistry between them is superb. I can't say enough about the acting as the supporting cast is also very good. Why there were no academy award nominations for this movie is a mystery to me. It most likely has to do with the lack of respect for Don Johnson's acting ability and the fact that he is not on the A list.

The story is also well written and quickly drags you in.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and on my 10 best list.

It amazes me that a film like this passed by virtually unnoticed. The drama is, for the most part, understated yet heartfelt and captivating. Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith do an excellent job of portraying a couple's different coping mechanisms for grief. That the audience is able to see their deep love through their non-existent communication, rancor, indifference, and pain is a tribute to the depth of their performance. On par (yes, on par) with the adults' acting is that of the children's. Never once do Elijah Wood and Thora Birch overact in that cloying, cute way that some child actors do -- this, despite the fact that both are too adorable for words. They give natural, believable performances that effectively capture the beautiful innocence of childhood, as well as its joyful mischief. Elijah and Thora's chemistry is something to behold. This movie will transport you to a time when telling someone "You're my best friend" was the most important thing in the world. A touching ending... a lovely film.

"Paradise" reveals much about children of people who don't take the time to care/supervise their kids and have no father. While the film is basically a drama, its strength comes from dealing with the conflict of being forced into a lifestyle one would not voluntarily choose after a parent's remarriage. Nevertheless, the film portrays children as resilient, capable of not only facing such challenges, but mastering them.

This is definitely a movie parents should view and discuss with their kids. So many topic are presented, some directly and others in a more subtle manner, including, authority, creativity, punishment, rebellion, justice, discipline, practice, seeking approval, friendship, becoming part of something larger than yourself, pride, and lessons one learns outside of the classroom. The camera work and direction is superb and worthy of larger budget films, the acting is outstanding in word and deed. And the sound track, including music and sound effects is one of Donoghue's best efforts.

There is a certain "cuteness" to it, but the overall tone of the film is super and the presentation by the young people makes you proud of their efforts. Every 11-year-old must learn to make his or her way in the world by fitting in. However painful the experience of growing up is, we tend to forget it as the years pass.

This movie makes adults ponder the uncertainty of youth and many will have had the revelation of Billie by the end of the film. If you are capable of serious thought, "Paradise" will make you think about life differently.Paradise is a great movie. is an up and rising movie sensation. The rest of the cast isn't bad either. If I could buy this movie I would. It is the story of a boy named Willard who is sent to his aunt and uncle's, who are trying to survive a tradgedy in the summer. The rest you'll have to see for yourself. Once again Thora Birch shows us that she is an awesome actress. She plays all her parts so well and I know she works hard for what shes earned. She's pretty and a talented actress. Elijah Wood is great in this movie and makes it enjoyable to watch. .I think that Paradise was awesome.Melanie Griffith did a great job. Elijah Wood was great. He worked hard and he looked great in the movie. You would love it. The chemistry between Elijah's character and Thora's character was the best I've seen.

(Warning: Contains plot spoilers, but if you haven't seen this film, read this review anyway. You'll be convinced that this movie is a film you should see.)

I remember, back in 1991, when I was sitting in a theatre, watching as the end credits rolled, thinking to myself: "This film is going to be a huge hit, and it'll go on to be a classic."

Well, it wasn't much of a financial success; after about a month, it was gone from the theatres. To the best of my knowledge, neither Roger Ebert nor any other critic of note thinks of this film as a classic.

Funny thing is, everyone I've ever showed this film to, especially those of the feminine persuasion, has been entralled by this film.

Go figure.

Elijah Wood is perfectly cast as Willard in this role; he plays something of a noble innocent, much like he does in "TLOTR" trilogy. His best buddy, enacted by a very spunky, outspoken Thora Birch, wins over the audience almost instantly, as we come to know her as a very intelligent and kind-hearted young lady. And yet Miss Birch never steals the spotlight from Elijah; even back then, she was such a good actress that she could play her part most effectively and still not step on the other actor's toes.

That brings us to the adults; Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith play Ben and Lily Reed, a couple in the aftermath of their son's accidental death. Ben is a man trying to reach out to his wife, while his wife Lily punishes herself by refusing any comfort her husband may be able to offer.

Don Johnson very much does NOT play Sonny Crockett here. There's none of Crockett's cockiness, nor is he a jaded man-of-the-world like Nash Bridges. "Ben" is a shrimp boat captain, estranged from his wife after the accidental death of their son; he's a good-natured man eternally in a foul humor. And yet he is harboring hope that somehow, a way forward, beyond trajedy, shall be found.

Melanie Griffith plays her part more quietly and more subtly than anything else I've ever seen from her; her portrayal of Lily as a woman of great emotional depth who is, at the same time, very much someone you'd converse at the local coffee shop; she seems to be everyone's friend, yet she is alone in her suffering.

Enter Willard; both adults form a deep bond with him, which stands in stark contrast to the gulf that exists between themselves. This bond that Ben and Lily form with Willard, both individually and together, helps them to draw a bit closer to one another, and to begin to confront the pain that is tearing their home, and their marriage, apart. The issue confronting each of these three is courage; Elijah must find the courage to face issues in his life back home, and Ben and Lily have to find the courage to face the pain that is destroying so much of their lives.

The great thing about this film is that, in the end, all loose ends are NOT tied up. There's issues in Elijah's life he still must face, but he leaves Ben and Lily with a better understanding of who he is, and what sort of courage lies within him. As you'll see in the film's conclusion, things are not "all fine and dandy" for Thora Birch's character either; and Ben and Lily, whilst having found one another again, still have a life to try to rebuild.

And that's the point: There are no perfect fixes, and things don't always end happily, if they ever find their conclusion at all. The point here is that sometimes we meet people who help us to better know who we are, and that we have what it takes to face the things that scare us. Victory, of course, is still quite uncertain, but at least we have the courage to stand, rather than run. That, by itself, says something.

So why wasn't this wonderful film more successful?

My theory is that this just isn't the project that folks were expecting from Sonny Crockett teaming up with his wife, Tess McGill. People just were NOT expecting this film, especially not from these two, and taking too much of a hard turn can turn you right over. Perhaps that's what happened here.

This is a film that shall always be in my DVD collection; I can't imagine a film library that didn't include this movie. It's great for family viewing, and it's also something of an educational film to show teens, as it is demonstrative of how to cope with unimaginable trajedy. The characters don't pretend to be perfect, there's no "now everything will be o.k." ending, and all loose ends aren't tied up. Yet this film does have something important to say, and it is something many people would do well to hear.

Perhaps if this film came out today, in 2010, rather than in 1991, it might find a bigger audience. Granted, it would be promoted almost exclusively to women, but if a girlfriend dragged her man to see this, he'd most likely leave the theatre saying the following in a rather surprised, unsettled tone: "You know ... that was a really was a good movie."

This film came out at the wrong time, and tried to find an audience amoungst those who were expecting something much different. Perhaps that's why it never got a fair shake, but watch it anyway; you'll never forget it, and it will find a place to reside in your heart, as great films always do.

This video is wonderful. It displays the stresses of life that some people face. It shows that holding your feelings inside dosen't make the situation any better. The main point in this video to conquer your fears.

A simple, old-time movie about the simple life in a small town does not change the fact that grief and estrangement are universal and cannot be ignored as if they will tippy-toe away. Secrets gnaw from the inside out.
Ben and Lily (Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith) lost a young son two years earlier, so when Willard (Elijah Wood) arrives, he steps right into this scenario of estrangement and unresolved grief.

Ten-year-old Willard has come to visit because his pregnant mother wrestles with her own potential loss--Willard's father has run off with another woman--and she needs time to figure out what to do. Willard's father becomes a pivotal point later in the story. Willard is sent to Lily because she was his mother's best friend in their girlhood days.

A bright boy, Willard senses that things are not well in this house. He makes friends with Billie, the wild girl next-door, nine-years-old and daughter of the town floozie, making this viewer ask, as always, why children must also suffer the problems of their parents.

Yes, Paradise, is an apt name for a perfect setting--fishing, swimming, warm summer days, tree rafts, boating. But, of course, it is not paradise. What then is this story about, if not an idyllic setting? It is about the daily-ness of life and how each little act leads to the next for good or bad, in the case of unresolved grief, out of avoidance, out of ignorance, out of now a set routine. That's where Willard's role is apparent. His presence presents a new paradigm, breaking the unhappy flow of energy. Not that he does this intentionally--he doesn't. He simply is a new factor to alter their energy, refocusing it back into this couple, who are so hopelessly lost in their grief.

"Paradise" is a quiet drama, a family drama, and one that ends well.

If you have never been introduced to Thora Birch-this is the one to see. I don't know if this was her first movie or not but she is really young in this film. If there were ever a star born "this is it". She is just unbelievable. Griffin and Johnson are really great too. This movie is actually worth watching for the scene location alone.

When I first watched this movie, I was a little kid. It took me time to understand the movie but it made a big impression in my heart. I watched it again when I grew 18+ and it actually added another layer of respect for the writer of this film. "Sometimes wounds don't heal and one only need a miracle to heal them. Through this movie it is so clearly proven that one mustn't look for miracles or for answers, one must just look wide open that little wonders around can coach one, through their mere innocence. I have always admired Don Johnson's work and Melanie Griffith's work in all of their movies and to see them perform with such simplicity but so brilliantly; it touched my heart. Presently I live in India it costs me a lot to purchase through net but I purchased this movie only because I adored, admired, loved and immensely respected every character of this Movie and the effort of the writer... markrenfro@yahoo.ca