Is There Anybody There?

Given that John Crowley’s last film was the masterful and thoroughly compelling Boy A, Is There Anybody There? subsequently can’t help but come off as a slight disappointment – as the movie, though entertaining and exceedingly well acted, is simply unable to impact the viewer with the same sort of emotional resonance as its predecessor. The film tells the awfully slight story of a young boy (Bill Milner’s Edward) who comes to befriend a grumpy old magician (Michael Caine’s Clarence) over the course of a few eventful weeks, with Clarence’s penchant for dropping pessimistic nuggets (“you accumulate regrets and they stick to you like old bruises”) proving instrumental in Edward’s journey from child to adult. There’s nothing particularly innovative or unexpected within Peter Harness’ screenplay, as the writer offers up a pretty standard coming-of-age story – though the film’s locale of a house-turned-old-age home does provide the proceedings with sporadic doses of freshness. And while the relatively plotless nature of the script does ensure that one is never entirely riveted to the screen, it’s impossible to understate the effectiveness of Caine’s work here – as the actor, in addition to perking up the movie with his mere presence, offers up an affecting, flat-out mesmerizing performance that’s as strong as anything he’s done in the past. The inclusion of a few tear-jerking elements within the movie’s third act does assure that the whole thing ends on a positive note, yet it’s ultimately impossible to overlook the feeling that Is There Anybody There? would hardly be worth mentioning were it not for Caine.

*** out of ****