THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF (1998) ** Old Americana feel, admirable replication of early '70s Walt Disney look, classic O. Henry plot...the film has a lot going for it. I also really like Christopher Lloyd in roles that can't be overplayed, where any exaggeration is appreciated and no exaggeration could be too great. He must have control over nearly ten times as many facial muscles as the rest of us. He quivers them, hesitantly flexes, and creates swaths of bandwidth. And, on this occasion, into the receptacle of an elegant and bedraggled beard! I also like the opossum, and Haley Joel Osment's portrayal of a kid with more to say than virtually any adult is entirely winning. There is, however, a danger inherent in the transformation of literary legend into moving pictures, and that danger is not reduced in making the film take up four times the time required to complete reading the text. O. Henry's story is embellished in ways that are appropriate and amusing-so well done, in fact, that's it's not obvious that they're just stretching things out. They are, however, putting more distance between O. Henry's grandest nuggets, and the worthy cadence of the visual tale is nonetheless not the one bestowed by its master. It is also true to say that they entirely miss several of the most savoury lines. It's something of a genetically modified tale, then. A good short story for people who don't read.
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