User Reviews

The movie concerns a little boy (Elijah Wood) who is sent by his pregnant mummy to remain the idyllic summer with a marriage of old friends (Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith) in the countryside . The couple has numerous problems caused by an unfortunate tragedy happened years earlier . Meanwhile , Elijah befriends his neighbour small girl and takes interest in Don Johnson , fishing shrimps and speaking about interesting issues . They gave a boy a summer he'd always remember. He gave them back the love they lost. It would take a miracle to save their love... and that's just what they got.

This is a brilliant and touching story , although sometimes results to be slow-moving and tiring , but is developed with real intelligence and extreme sensibility . In the picture is treated ethic and moral themes narrated with great sense of fairness and ductility . Melanie Griffith's (at the time wedded Steven Bauer , Don Johnson until Antonio Banderas) interpretation is pretty good , she plays an embittered woman who will have to face off a traumatic truth . Elijah Wood as a sensitive and agreeable boy is nice , he's a newcomer and would have much success years later , becoming himself a first-class world star (Lord of the rings) . Thora Birch is enjoyable , she is ready as a future star (American beauty , The Hole , Ghost world) . Excellent and sensitive musical score by David Newman . Besides , exceptional and awesome cinematography by Jerzy Zielinsky , being stunningly shown on the marvelous outdoors in the country . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Mary Agnes Donoghue (Beaches) . Rating : 7/10. Essential and indispensable watching . Better than average and well worth seeing.

Life is not always pretty. Neither is unresolved grief. But innocence is always beautiful. A couple in a small town lose their only child to a tragic accident. This sensitive motion picture deals with how the human soul reacts to personal loss and how it changes lives. The kind of movie you want to own so you can revisit it from time to time since its theme touches us all deeply. The scenery is gorgeous, the town is small and peaceful. The characters are meaningful and real. Unspoken bonds run deep throughout. A heartfelt film that captures our yearning for a father. This is a soul changing journey for a childless man who never got to be one. At first indifferent and angry, he inadvertently discovers something which he thought he might never experience, through the inescapable and magical innocence of a visiting young boy who seems to somehow understand his plight. Both he and his wife find themselves confronted in a way that changes them forever. This film is a forgotten gem.

I fell in love with this movie the very first time I watched it on cable. Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith were perfect in this tale of grief in the aftermath of the loss of a child. Elijah Wood, Thora Birch, and Sheila McCarthy round out the cast and make this a poignant tale.

Melanie Griffith was never as vulnerable and powerful as she was in this movie - and I liked her in Working Girl and A Stranger Among Us. This was by far her most affecting role. And the almost always underrated Don Johnson turns in another versatile and incredibly touching performance. And the emotion between their two characters is clearly palpable throughout their estrangement in this film.

'Paradise' truly is a gem! If you haven't seen it, do so. You won't be sorry.

The first half of 1991's "Paradise" is great. It's essentially a coming-of-age story of two 9 year-olds (Elijah Wood and Thora Birch) on the Atlantic coast near Chrarleston, SC (shot on location). The locations are breathtaking and illustrate that every area has its unique beauty. The film's also about a couple who Elijah is visiting for the Summer (Birch's character is a neighbor). The couple (Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith) are on the verge of divorce due to a tragedy a few years earlier. Wood's visit is instrumental in reviving them as individuals and as a couple.

The first half is so well done that I thought I stumbled upon a hidden gem but, unfortunately, the second half falls into mediocrity. The awkward and contrived scenes with questionable acting/dialogue could've worked if the filmmakers simply worked out the kinks through rewriting, reshooting, better editing, etc. but it's clear that they had to finish the picture on a limited budget. They got the job done, and that's great, but if they spent a little more time, a little more money and tried a little harder they could've had a near masterpiece.

This is the only movie that I can remember where Don Johnson plays a major protagonist (I've never seen Miami Vice) and it shows that he should've been a major ultra-cool masculine actor, like Clint Eastwood, Thomas Jane, Charles Bronson and a gazillion others.

Sarah Trigger plays Birch's hot half-sister, but she's barely seen, which is a shame because she's so beautiful. They probably cut some of her scenes out. If you don't remember her, she played Steve Martin's redhead babe in "Grand Canyon."

BOTTOM LINE: This coming of age film has numerous great moments, particularly in the first half -- moments of wonder, beauty, discovery and companionship. It's too bad they drop the ball in the second half. Regardless, it's a very worthwhile movie and Johnson shows his greatness. Like the movie, he coulda been a contenda.

The film runs 111 minutes.

GRADE: B

I wrote a short essay after watching this movie, not because it affected me, but that it left such a great impression. To me, the use of 'Paradise' as title is apt, as the movie goes to show how many people continue to live in their private hells, when all around them is a place which seems like paradise. These people, though socially interactive at times, seem more preoccupied with the ghosts of their pasts rather than the blessings of the moment. Only when these characters are able to let go of the demons that haunt them are they able to once again experience the joys of love and intimacy.

This film can help us to evaluate the things that we allow to control us, and help us to understand that instead of examining our lives under a microscope, we should allow ourselves to look up and out sometimes, and maybe discover all those things missing in our lives but which were right by us all the time.

The bittersweet 1987 French drama 'Le Grand Chemin' has been reworked into a vehicle for Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, taking the same story and turning it into a big screen pacifier for undiscriminating moviegoers (with an aversion to sub-titles). The original version was drawn from director Jean-Loup Hubert's childhood memories of the summer he spent with an estranged, small town couple, learning about life while they come to terms with the death of their own son. The watered-down American model is based on nothing except the overwhelming desire to make a sugar-coated box office hit, presenting the young boy as a cuddly matchmaker for his surrogate parents. Writer director Mary Agnes Donoghue does her best to make the experience as painless as possible, but in the process smooths out all the rough edges of the story. The film, as a result, should have been easy to dislike, but it really doesn't provoke any strong emotions, pro or con: it's too bland, too generic, and (thankfully, for the filmmakers) too harmless.

Surprisingly good. The cinematography and screenplay were excellent. Griffith played the role beautifully as did Don Johnson. This was the only movie that I liked both actors in. Elijah Wood's best performance too. This movie should have been nominated for many awards. It isn't often that the screenplay, acting, setting and theme come together so poignantly and effectively. I'd give this movie a 10.

The acting is fair, mostly Elijah Woods and the story too predictable.

I was surprised and touched by this film, starring two actors I do not normally enjoy. The on-screen chemistry between Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, as grieving parents, isolated in their grief, was amazing. Elijah Wood is convincing in his role as a friend's child, visiting the couple, and going through his own family turmoil. Also excellent is Thora Birch, one of the most gifted child actors I have had the pleasure of watching. A wonderfully touching and uplifting film about hope and risk and coming home. One of my top five movies!

This is a very sweet movie I have watched 3 times since renting it, and would have watched it more if I didn't have to take it back. I would love to own this movie so I could watch it at least once a week! Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson are wonderful as a married couple in a lot of pain, but still very much in love. Elijah Wood is excellent in his role. Both Melanie and Don do a wonderful job. Don Johnson is so gifted as an actor who can show so much emotion without ever uttering one word, it never ceases to amaze me. I highly recommend this movie to anyone.

I saw this film years ago and still remember it. I remember Elijah Wood and Thora Birch were in this film. I remember that the film dragged on and on, and I turned it off about halfway through.

Elijah Wood and Thora Birch give good performances as the young children. In my opinion, they are the only bright spots in this film. They are cute, and I wish the film could have focused on them more. In fact, I think the plot would have been much better if the story had been told from their point of view. Doing that would have brought an innocence and purity that this movie sorely needed.

Instead, the movie focuses on Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith's adult characters. It seems like the writers rushed this into production with a weak story, and the plot suffers for it. I think a few more revisions of the screenplay, with a tighter script, would have made this movie so much better.

The movie overuses music. Music is like sugar. A little adds sweetness, but too much makes you sick--less is more. It is like the director realized that each scene was weak and hoped that a swelling musical score would save it. Instead, the music overpowers each scene and becomes annoying. Then, as the director repeats this for every scene, the whole movie becomes annoying.

Finally, it seems like the movie is missing some key scenes. For example, the adults lost a child, so what about a few scenes where they show the child in flashbacks, describe the child, or share pictures of the child. As another example, what about flashbacks to when they were in love or about what events led to them losing that love.

In conclusion, this movie did leave enough of an impression to remember it, probably because Elijah Wood and Thora Birch were cute. I felt hopeful that the movie would go somewhere; however, I turned it off about halfway through with frustration. Poor plot and pacing is what hurts this film the most.

I remember Siskel & Ebert giving this film a thumbs down. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it, and how moved I was by the story. Don & Melanie are wonderful together. A bit slow moving in the story department but more than makes up for it with emotion and heart.

Paradise was a beautiful yet underappreciated movie. If it weren't for HBO I probably would have never seen it.

Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson play a married couple who's relationship is falling apart after the death of their baby son. Both are very good actors and play their parts very well. The scene in the attic when Don comes home drunk is amazing and not the mess that it had the potential of being.

Elijah Wood is playing a small a 10 year old I believe who's father says that he's away at work but is really leaving his mother. He is in private school and doesn't have any friends. One summer his mother sends him to his aunt's house, most likely to try to hide the truth from him. Elijah isn't the best actor, but he's very good for his age. Not to mention the cutest thing that you've ever seen.

Thora Birch is a little country girl who doesn't know who her father is and has a mother who really can't keep a relationship to save her life. She doesn't have many friends either but is very smart and inquisitive. Thora Birch is incredibly adorable and well on her way to her excellent role in 'American Beauty.'

The movie is somewhat slow moving at the beginning but builds up to a great movie. Everything is believable. Don and Melanie are great together. Thora Birch and Elijah Wood also make a great duo. This is definitely a film worth seeing. Don't be turned off just because you haven't heard of it. It's better than a lot of that trash that is highly advertised.

I've lost count of the number of times I've seen this film. Even among the fairly good films shown on TV nowadays, 'Paradise' stands out because of its simplicity and naturalism. The plot in itself is not new. It's about a person (a little boy in this case), who reconciles a troubled couple. And it's about the couple themselves, who have become estranged after the loss of their child. Jon Bon Jovi and Demi Moore did that turn in Jovi's 'Destination Anywhere', which was good, but I'd recommend the album not the film! What films with similar plots perhaps lacked was the gigantic effort that everyone in this film has put in - from the director to the actors, the music director, the set designer...I can go on and on... What we see seems almost not a film, the acting is so natural, it seems effortless!

Perhaps the fact that Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson were married in real life at the time helped, they share a great chemistry on screen, which helps when you are playing such emotionally charged roles. Elijah Wood is absolutely angelic as Willard. I had seen him in three other movies before I saw him in this one and I was pleasantly surprised to watch what a pro he was even as a wee kid! His big break of late has of course been 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, and I hope he continues to act in more sensitively made films. About Thora Birch - boy, this has got to be her most impressive performance till date! Even bettering the ones she's given in 'Now and Then' and 'American Beauty'. She's a veritable scene stealer as the precocious tomboy Billie Pike! And never has friendship between kids been portrayed with such disarming innocence - a credit that goes as much to Wood and Birch as to the director, Mary Agnes Donoghue who has managed to get such incredible performances from all her actors. Sheila McCarthy is perfect as the single working mother of Billie who idolizes Joan Collins and for whom marriage equals security, not love. Her character though minor, is very well etched and poignant. In terms of poignancy, one might wonder at the character of Louise Latham. She makes a cameo appearance as Catherine Reston Lee, a painter living in seclusion in her little house by the lake which Billie visits on one of her wild jaunts. The only thing we hear of her later is when Billie tells Willard that she has given her some watercolors with which she is now painting. Perhaps it is an indication that Billie too will become a painter once she has grown up. The character most likely has a bigger part to play in the book on which the film is based. Even so, the screenplay of this film is one of the best. Donoghue has succeeded in really getting under the skin of her characters. This is also one of the few rare films in which natural beauty forms a part of the unfolding drama and adds a wonderful atmosphere to it. Not surprisingly, like many of its predecessors, this film was also shot in South Carolina.

Last but not least, this is a bit of trivia many would be interested in - the music of this film is composed by David Newman and it is really good. What many of you might have guessed is that he's the brother of THE Thomas Newman who has has composed great music for such films like 'American Beauty', 'Little Women', 'How to Make American Quilt', 'The Shawshank Redemption','Road to Perdition' etc. Genius, I guess runs in the Newman family!

'Paradise', the film IS what the title means, see it to believe it!

This movie is one of my favorites. When I came to see it I was by no means expecting a movie that would capture and inspire me the way 'Paradise' actually did.

As with many other extraordinary movies, both the plot and the actors have managed to leave a lasting impression on my mind.

First of all, the four protagonists of the story are simply wonderfully cast. There is hardly any movie in which the main characters manage to interact in a more sophisticated and authentic manner as in this one. Elijah Wood as young Willard has a gift of working so impressively with facial expressions and has genuine, very subtle acting skills that allow him to act as if he would not act. He has acquired a level of acting many average actor never attain in their entire lives. Willard is very much an outcast figure, with a strained mother, bullied at school and somehow too smart to be a normal kid. Now he has to spend the summer on the countryside, in a sleepy fishing village with the Reeds family.

The Reeds are played by Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. They portray a couple that has to live with a deep scar, a huge burden of the past, which gradually destroys their relationship. Now in real life, the two of them were married twice – and actually married during the shooting, which adds a very spicy element to the movie itself. Their private relationship might have had some sort of influence on their acting performances, and maybe this aspect caused the tremendously strong quality of the interactive scenes between the two of them.

Now as Willard enters into the lives of the Reeds, their problems resurface and the friction intensifies as both of them discover a very honest affection towards the charming boy. This is an affection that makes the old wounds hurt and leads to an emotional climax that is simply one of the finest I have ever seen in a movie like this one which is not primarily arranged as a real-life drama, but rather meant to provide some light entertainment.

The Reeds' painful struggle with their past's legacy is the strongest aspect of the movie, and as stated above, brilliantly elaborated on. Elijah's adventures with Thora Birch, the fourth main character, makes up the second major theme of 'Paradise', a theme that has much more light-heartedness and is both funny and sweet in the most positive aspect of the word. They discover the bonds of friendship and experience the inspiring magic of one summer in Paradise.

The storyline, based on the French production 'Le Grand Chemin', is very sophisticated and convincingly transformed. Willard has to face challenges and the hardships of life, he learns lessons and has to proof his courage and character more than once. The movie features outstanding character portrayals and profound emotions which pervade the atmosphere and make you identify with the protagonists as if you were there and knew them – an incredible accomplishment. I fell in love with it at the first glance, and it truly deserves a solid 9, if not a 10.

This is a heartfelt drama starring Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, who play couple Lily and Ben Reed, who having experienced a family tragedy. With their love for each other on the rocks, their relationship may be rekindled with the visit of young Willard Young (Elijah Wood).

The title "Paradise" is fitting for this movie, as it is filmed in the quiet countryside by the lake, making you forget your troubles and inner-demons, which is exactly what Lily and Ben are trying to do in the story. Many people live seemingly happy lives, but are still haunted by past mishaps, missed opportunities and mistakes. However, it is when you live and learn and let go could you enjoy the many blessings life has to offer in the present time, elements which is beautifully depicted in this film.

Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson had great on-screen chemistry and young Elijah Wood did a heartwarming job in his Williard Young role. The story is a little slow at times, but the overall message of letting go and enjoying the finest things in life (in a Paradise setting) would resonate in your mind and make you appreciate this film.

Grade B+

This movie was very touching, bringing up past memories from the viewer with an innocent and heartfelt storyline. The ten year old Willard Young, played by Elijah Wood, similar to his role as Frodo Baggins of Lord of the Rings becomes the protagonist of the movie. His unconditional love and affection to the surrounding cast leave a trail of transformational outcomes beyond rigidity and indifference to life. At the same time the viewer has the opportunity to relive their childhood experiences and reflect on what is valuable. Each of the characters learn to confront their biggest fears: loss,feeling of being unloved, inadequacy, and brokenness.

Remember "The Good Son" with Elijah Wood and Macaulay Culkin? Well McCauley was already famous, but Elijah was just starting. In this film, Elijah has a similar and very believable personality when he is stuck with a couple going through some rough times. It seems everybody seems to learn from his caring and honest manner as much as he learns from his life in the simple south. Melanie Griffith also does a good job in a very tough role, being hurt and numb after a very dramatic event in her life. Everything fits well in the plot and you can never really tell what the end will bring. Just a great all around film.

it's a great movie,i enjoy to watch it and Don Johnson is a great actor and he's still my favorites i been a fan a long time, and that not gonna chance, i hope that can see his new movie,berry soon moon-dance Alexander so for you and all the fans off Don Johnson i hope that he's also ferry happy that he have Manny great fans stuck and still faithfully and

i'm looking for his new song-album too so faithful to him,

i now that his passion is singing

and he never let his fans down.

So what can i say more,

that great fans off him will understand my point off view

greetings to all,

katia

I consider this movie a 'forgotten little gem'- intelligent and moving screenplay- very good acting by Johnson & Griffith , also by the two children. Very sweet human storyline, great photography and many memorable moments. I have watched this movie about 20 times ! Can't say any better.

Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith, Elijah Wood, Thora Birch, and Sheila McCarthy star in this beautiful movie on how love can come through the most horrible of situations. Ben and Lily Reed (Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith) are a couple that have lost the spark in their marriage since their young son died. When a friend of Lily's asks that they watch him over the summer Lily agrees. Willard (Elijah Wood) is the loving child who starts to forge friendships with both Ben and Lily. This movie is truly wonderful. Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith give outstanding performances in this funny, touching, and wonderful film.

This is a film that falls right in to the category "For the Movie Lover in All of Us", unless you are heartless or dead.

"Paradise" starring Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson and is the very touching story of a young couple torn apart by the loss of their only child and how the summer visit of a young boy helps them regain their perspective on life and love. This is a very dramatic movie and you will be touched not only by the outstanding performances by a great cast, including Elijah Wood and Thora Birch, but in the very effective way the story unfolds before your eyes!

For those of you that like a "tear jerker" with a happy ending, see this movie.