The Stone Boy

Well intentioned yet pervasively dull, The Stone Boy follows farmers Joe (Robert Duvall) and Ruth Hillerman (Glenn Close) as they attempt to cope with the accidental death of their teenage son (Dean Cain’s Eugene) at the hands of 12-year-old Arnold (Jason Presson) – with the movie also emphasizing the impact that the tragedy has on several periphery family members (including Frederic Forrest’s sleazy Uncle Andy and Wilford Brimley’s kind-hearted Grandpa George). It’s clear right from the get-go that Christopher Cain is in absolutely no hurry to tell this story, as the director has infused The Stone Boy with an almost achingly deliberate pace that does prove effective at establishing the film’s very specific locale, admittedly – yet there’s little doubt that the laid-back atmosphere, when combined with the uniformly subdued performances and the less-than-eventful nature of Gina Berriault’s script, effectively ensures that the viewer’s efforts at forming any kind of emotional attachment to the characters fall flat virtually from start to finish. The movie’s problems are exacerbated by a sporadic emphasis on elements that couldn’t possibly be less interesting (ie Uncle Andy’s less-than-savory extracurricular activities), and although the narrative has been peppered with a handful of undeniably poignant moments (ie Arnold finally breaks down over his unwitting role in his brother’s death), The Stone Boy‘s inability to hold the viewer’s interest on a consistent basis ultimately negates its positive attributes.

** out of ****