Powder

Derivative but sincere, this Spielbergian parable dishes out the kind of unabashed sentiment that always goes down easier in a holiday release. It's enchanting for kids and never less than diverting for grown-ups. The title character (Sean Patrick Flannery) is a hairless, white-skinned teenager who emerges from years of seclusion in an isolated farmhouse. Ignorant of the world and endowed with mysterious powers, he's a latter-day noble savage -- the latest in a long line of persecuted innocents (see STARMAN, E.T., NELL et al.) whose sufferings are meant to be understood as an indictment of "civilized" behavior. There's nothing new here, but the performances (particul...