Recast as a tale of erotic obsession and shallow celebrity, Charles Dickens'
Great Expectations becomes director Alfonso Cuaron's sadly lush ode to exploited youth, a visual feast that never loses sight of the bitter toll the plot's twists
and turns take on its characters. Ten-year-old Finn Bell is a Florida wharf rat whose escape from his hardscrabble life lies in sketching. His uncle Joe (Chris Cooper) fishes and picks up extra cash doing odd jobs for local rich people, including aging eccentric Nora Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft),
whose portentously named estate --
Paradiso Perduto -- is slowly vanishing under a veil of Spanish moss. There Finn falls hop...
Released:
1998
Rated:
R
Length:
111 mins