In their first feature film together, Hollywood screen favorites Melanie Griffith (TWO MUCH, A STRANGER AMONG US) and Don Johnson (GUILTY AS SIN, BORN YESTERDAY) combine their impressive talents in the critically acclaimed... more » must-see hit PARADISE! This extraordinary film is the touching story of the lost love between a young married couple and how a visiting youngster (Elijah Wood -- THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy) rekindles that love one memorable summer. Funny, poignant, and uplifting, PARADISE is a motion picture so full of natural beauty and heartfelt emotion, you'll remember it for a long, long time!« less
"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."
Great movie!
Chris Bliss | Ontario, Canada | 07/08/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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.
"
This movie has it all
Connie S. Roberts | Sandusky, OH | 09/01/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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.
"
An Undiscovered Gem
Connie S. Roberts | 04/29/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"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."
In Paradise, indeed...
Judy K. Polhemus | LA | 01/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."