Is Anybody There?
Eddie (Bill Milner) is a lonely kid. Because his parents run a nursing home out of their house, he is around death more than your typical kid. He’s developed a morbid fascination with it to the point where he carries a tape recorder around with him, ready to record the sounds of the near-dying around him.
Clarence (Michael Caine) is a magician, The Amazing Clarence. Well, he was a magician. Old age has simply made him decrepit, cranky, sad to watch. When we first see him, he’s just swerved his care to avoid hitting Eddie. Eddie- sullen and unapologetic- just goes on his way, unaware- and uncaring- that Clarence is to be his parent’s new tenant.
Clarence isn’t the only magician central to “Is Anybody There?”. There’s magic in the chemistry between Caine and young Milner in this thoughtful and touching drama. The writing (by Peter Harness) and directing (by John Crowley) offer nothing terribly special to the proceedings except a blueprint for Caine and Milner to develop their characters. Their bond- and they’re personal growth, finding strength in one another to live- is the soul of the movie (their rascally ways accentuated by Joby Talbot’s score), although Eddie’s birthday party, and an impromptu performance by The Amazing Clarence, sets the stage for an ending that’s impossibly moving and memorable. The film as a whole is barely worth mentioning- the friendship that grows between Eddie and Clarence is one worth remembering.
