Tuck Everlasting

For me, this was a TV paced, bland and unbelievable story. For our 9-year-old granddaughter, it was a love story and the next thing to dessert. I was returning the VHS tape, when I met a young car salesman downtown. He remembered liking the film when he was younger last year. Maybe the difference is an age perspective, the infamous generation gap.

The plot centers on two adolescents, Winnie Foster age 15 and Jess Tuck physical age 17, chronological age 104. The gimmick that is supposed to introduce tension in the storyline is immortality. It doesnt, primarily because the actors themselves dont seem to believe their parts. This surprised me because I liked William Hurt in Body Heat (1981), Amy Irving in The Competition (1980) and Honeysuckle Rose (1980) and Sissy Spacek in The River (1984). But I guess those films were too long ago and for this story, these actors converged worn out and disinterested.

The characters were furtive about their immortality, but other than that, they didnt seem to benefit from its advantages except for a little extra travel exploration. Furthermore, the gimmick detracted from the more interesting plot issue, the attraction between a bored wealthy girl and a sensitive, woods wise young man. And to make matters worse, the filmmakers seemed to be editing in background music to produce emotion. The music wasnt enough for me.

Alexis Bledel played Winnie. She had one TV role before this film. Jonathan Jackson played Jesse. He is almost ten years older than Bledel and has appeared in a dozen TV and film performances.

The storyline lacked complexity and depth, however it did keep a 9-year-old entranced for an hour and a half. It may be what television drama viewers expect.

Reviewed June 16, 2003