"Hereafter" is Too Slow and Teeters on Boredom

I love movies. I also love anything to do with the paranormal. So when I heard about director Clint Eastwood's latest film, "Hereafter", I expected to thoroughly love it. It combined both of those loves into one move. Sadly, I didn't love it at all. I actually didn't even like it.

"Hereafter" is the story of one man's search to rid himself of his psychic abilities and one woman's search to prove that an afterlife exists. One succeeds while the other fails miserably.

Matt Damon plays George Lonegan, a man with the supposed ability to communicate with those on the other side. He once embraced his so-called "gift" in an effort to try to help people deal with the loss of loved ones. However, he eventually abandoned it because he saw it destroying any chance he had to lead a normal life.

This is illustrated when he meets a girl he is attracted to in cooking school. On their first date; however, she discovers who he is and urges him to give her a reading. He tries to talk her out of it, but she insists so he finally agrees. What he tells her abruptly ends their relationship as he had predicted.

His brother, Billy (played by Jay Mohr) won't let it go. He sees it as a gravy train that can bring them both fame and fortune.

So when George loses his factory job, he tries to convince him to go back into the psychic business. Instead, George makes a run for it. That is when he meets Marie Lelay (played by Cecile de France) and Marcus (played by Frankie McLaren).

Marie is a French reporter who barely manages to survive a tsunami. She is declared legally dead for a few minutes and during that time she gets a glimpse into the hereafter. It haunts her but in a positive way. She wants to share her experience with others.

However, her television handlers want nothing to do with that and encourage her to take a break and write the book she has wanted to write for so long. She agrees and begins a political book as planned. But her afterlife experience continues to pull at her and before long she switches her subject matter.

When she presents the finished book, her publisher is shocked to see that she has changed her intent. He refuses to publish the book. In fact, he demands she repay the advance given to her. Still, he eventually comes around and suggests publishers that might want her manuscript.

Once the book is published she is invited to be a part of a London book fair. It is there that she runs into George and the two of them feel an instant connection.

Marcus is a young boy who loses his twin brother to gang mentality. His mother is unable to cope with the loss of her son and continues her downward spiral into drugs and alcohol. That forces the hand of child protective services, which removes Marcus from her care until she can get her act together.

Without his mother or his brother, Marcus is lost. He begins looking for a way to communicate with his dead sibling and seeks the counsel of psychics. Unfortunately, those he meets with are frauds that are unable to offer him any comfort at all.

He finds the website started by George's brother on the Internet and wishes he could make contact with Mr. Lonegan. That is impossible, though, since George lives in San Francisco and Marcus is in London. Or so it seems until the boy runs into George at the London book fair and immediately recognizes him.

He follows George back to his hotel and stands outside all day and night waiting for Lonegan to come back out. Eventually, George relents and gives Marcus the reading he wants. His words finally bring comfort to the suffering boy.

The story is really about people who need to be validated and who need other people to help make them feel complete. It is a universal story that applies to most human beings. That is why it has the ring of authenticity.

Having seen Damon recently in "The Adjustment Bureau" I was hoping for some of the subtle nuances he brought to that role in this one. Sadly, I saw less of that and more of a brooding character that is beneath Damon's talents.

I was; however, captivated by de France. Her Marie had all of the nuances that her character needed and rang true in a way that Damon's simply did not.

While McLaren was good in his role, he wasn't great. There was a lack of depth and reality to his character. It needed someone with a bit more range and charisma.

Mohr was belligerent, brash and unsupportive as George's brother. It is a role I've seen him play a million times before. I wasn't impressed.

The screenplay, written by Peter Morgan, was good thought a bit disjointed. The way the characters came together seemed way too contrived.

I love Eastwood's directing usually, but it fell flat here. It lacked some of the power and punch his earlier films have delivered. It wasn't bad, mind you. It just wasn't great and great is what I've come to expect from him.

The cinematography and special effects of the film were outstanding. I can't fault any of that. But the truth is I'm not a big fan of computerized special effects. I think Hollywood has come to rely on them too much.

Still, the real problem here was the fact that the movie moved too slowly. It teetered on being boring most of the time. It was hard for me to keep my focus. The story didn't carry me along the way as it should have. It is for that reason, I can only offer "Hereafter" 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was okay but I doubt I'll ever watch it again.

RATING SCALE USED:

0 = A stinker. Don't waste the money!
1 = Bad. Rent it at your own risk.
2 = Below average. See only if you have time to kill.
2.5 = Average. A toss up.
3 = Good. Worth a looksee.
3.5 = Very Good. I recommend it.
4 = Excellent. Don't miss it!
4.5 = Outstanding. What are you waiting for?
5 = Destined to become a classic. You will be sorry if you don't see it.