Is Anybody There?

Rating

: * * *

Verdict

:

One performance doesn't make a movie.

Indifferent material is only partly redeemed by a rock-solid piece of character acting from the evergreen Caine in the story of an unlikely friendship between a 10-year-old boy and an old man. The online movie database IMDB lists this as Caine's 100th role since

Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File

in 1965 and it's a testament to his craft that he has managed to incarnate such a wide range of characters over the years without ever surrendering the right to be his defiantly cheeky self.

Here he plays Clarence Parkinson, a magician whose light is fading when he arrives, in his gaudily painted van ("The Amazing Clarence") at a rickety seaside house and, by what seems like an unspoken agreement, decides to stay.

The house's owners (Duff and Morrissey) have converted it into an old folks' home and their son, Edward (Milner), is none too happy with the arrangement particularly since he often has to surrender his room to a paying customer. But he amuses himself by audio-recording the last moments of residents in the hope of capturing the soundtrack of their souls' ascension.

The relationship that develops between man and boy has none of the texture of Hal Ashby's marvellous Harold and Maude, which it inevitably recalls: Clarence's grumpiness and Edward's puzzlement seem like fixed character traits rather than starting points for a story. And when senile dementia begins to wreak havoc on Clarence, the drama takes a turn for the tear-jerkingly poignant.

It's hard not to be glib about it because the film's so glib, really. From the minute you see Clarence you know how it's all going to finish and the story is as grim as a wet weekend. Caine has his moments - a disjointed monologue, when we first realise how far gone he is, is particularly impressive - but the acting is somewhere between workmanlike and skilful rather than brilliant.

And there's something faintly depressing about seeing a cast of once-greats (Phillips, Sylvia Syms, Peter Vaughan) playing decrepit supporting roles, though young Milner is excellent.

It feels in the end like a one-note film, and no matter how sweetly that note is played, it doesn't add up to music.

Peter Calder

Cast

: Michael Caine, Bill Milner, Anne-Marie Duff, David Morrissey, Leslie Phillips

Director

: John Crowley

Running time

: 95 mins

Rating

: M (low-level offensive language)