SummaryChristmas 1987 marks the one-year anniversary of Lark Hall’s opening for business as an old age home in an English seaside town. But ten-year-old Edward isn’t much in the mood to celebrate. He has had to give up his room; and his Mum and Dad don’t have as much time for him as they used to, overwhelmed as they are with the day-to-day management of... Read More
Directed By:John Crowley
Written By:Peter Harness
Is Anybody There?
Metascore
Mixed or Average
54
User score
Generally Favorable
8.0
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
47% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
47% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
90
It is also hard not to see remnants of a younger Michael Caine -- beautifully seductive and enigmatic all those years ago in "Alfie." He has said his wife cried when she saw the performance; you understand why.
75
A kid-meets-curmudgeon comedy that transcends its formulaic skeleton thanks both to the veteran actor's charm and a smarter-than-average screenplay.
63
You don't need a Ouija board to suss out where all this is heading, but Is Anybody There? counteracts its deficiencies -- predictability, sentimentality -- with a healthy dose of dark humor.
60
Caine is magnificent, and the film is worth a look for his contribution alone. But Milner is a promising actor, too, and the pairing of young and old is believable and occasionally very moving.
50
Requires us to repress any thoughts about stale material and keep Caine's heartfelt performance front and center.
45
All of this is at once predictable and implausible -- a two-hander of a story so overplotted and overpopulated that by the time it's winding up, the question isn't so much Is Anybody There? as it is, "Why on earth are so many bodies here?"
30
Even Crowley, who seems to have a knack with overloaded material, can't quite bring the thing in for a safe landing in all the slush.
User score
Generally Favorable
75% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
25% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Nov 20, 2021
9
This is a touching, amusing and sad watch. I really liked the interaction between Michael Caines character and the young boy. I could understand things from both peoples points of view and I could certainly relate to the boys frustrations and isolation. Its a bit of a weepy type watch at times but it definitely has at least a hint of typical British dark humour, which I liked. It is definitely sentimental but it doesn't shy away from issues relating to old age. This film really appealed to me.
Production Company:
- BBC Film
- Big Beach
- Heyday Films
Release Date:Apr 17, 2009
Duration:1 h 34 m
Rating:PG-13
Awards
London Critics Circle Film Awards
• 1 Nomination
Writers' Guild of Great Britain
• 1 Nomination
