Directed by Ulu Grosbard, "The Deep End of the Ocean" stars Michelle Pfeiffer as Beth, a young mother whose son Ben mysteriously disappears. Nine years later Beth finds Ben living with another family, with whom he's formed familial attachments."Ocean" boasts an interesting narrative structure. Its opening scenes sketch a ridiculously cheerful suburban idyll. Such idealisations are shattered when Beth's son goes missing. Henceforth Beth becomes suicidally depressed. Her domestic fantasies are rekindled when Ben returns. Henceforth Beth sets about (re)creating what is essentially a simulation: a facsimile of what she thinks the "perfect American nuclear family" should be like (or would have been). The film's big irony is that this facsimile, the very idealizations which bring Beth out of her depression, promptly forces her newfound son into depression; the kid misses his surrogate family, a family which his biological mom deems "fake" but which is nevertheless "real" to Ben."Ocean" has fleeting moments of truth. Some scenes between mother and son, and between brother and brother, are genuinely powerful. The film also works well when touching upon the ways in which happiness oft depends upon shared delusions, and the ways in which what we deem to be "true love" and "true familial bonds" are subject to arbitrary social/environmental coding. Actress Whoopi Goldberg is also interesting as a lesbian police officer.Unfortunately, much of "Ocean" is also unbearable. This is a formulaic and safe film which too hastily rushes through its plot points and which becomes increasingly incredulous as it progresses. The way in which Beth ejects Ben's "surrogate" family from his life is also frustratingly tactless. Designed to whip up easy drama, this is a narrative gimmick found in many similar movies of the era, most of which saw families unnecessarily fighting over cute kids. Based on a novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard.7/10 - See "Birth (2004), "Like Dandelion Dust" and "Shadow of a Doubt".

This movie is so famous, and has so many great actors in it, that I had expected more from it. As it was, it had some heart-warming moments, handsome people and beautiful exteriors and interiors - but all in all it was not very exciting. The story was the kind of sentimental family drama one would expect on Hallmark television in the afternoon - not a big cinema movie with famous stars.By the way, I think it is not possible to place a lost-and-found kid drama in present times, because DNA technique, finger prints etc. can prove the identity with almost hundred per cent's certainty. The interesting thing in the lost-and-found stories, is to guess if the person found is who he/she claims to be, or an impostor. As in "Anastasia".And YES I understand that this kind of mystery was not the major issue here, but the reactions of all the family members afterwards. But it is that kind of story that one expects, when one reads about this movie or watches the trailer. So - it was a bit of a disappointment.

I saw this movie on HBO a few years ago, and even though I saw it only from the time when Sam comes back, I found it to be a wonderful movie. I recently watched this movie again, and I found that the movie was just as great on the second view. That's because the movie is not about the story, but about human emotions, which don't depend on a plot. This does not mean that there is no story or plot here. Indeed the story is something anyone can identify with... Losing someone you love... and finding them all over again.The director does not use cheap dramatics or hysterics to make you feel the loss that the family, especially the mother goes through. There are scenes in the movie where I was moved to tears. Not to suggest that this is a tear-jerker. On the contrary, it has some really uplifting moments to it.I rate this a solid 10/10. Watch this movie! You won't regret it.

In 1988, a woman attends a school reunion with her three young children. Even as she arrives at the hotel, a moment's distraction leaves her middle child missing. 9 years later, she still hasn't quite adjusted to the loss... Rather than examine the impact of an abducted child on the entire family, this unwisely focuses almost exclusively on the mother, and as the mother is played by Pfeiffer, all other characters become mere backdrops for her performance. With the odd exception, Pfeiffer tends to try too hard, especially in dramas, and here is a case in point. Practically every scene makes her the subject, her emotional state, her actions, her reactions. This quickly becomes tiresome, especially as we are asked to accept that her husband has adjusted much more healthily to the boy's disappearance without really being allowed to know how or why. Thus, Williams is given little to do. Jackson fares better, but again he mostly serves to allow Pfeiffer to 'act' and/or 'react'. Other characters are cardboard cut-out (wise-cracking, tough but tender cop, insensitive mother-in-law, two dimensional best friend etc.). This could have been a fascinating and harrowing study in loss and hope, but as a vehicle for Pfeiffer, it never really moves beyond TV movie territory.