For those of you who have been lucky enough to see the little-heard of “Son of Rambow”, you may have wondered if you would ever get to see young Bill Milner in anything else. Fortunately we now have the opportunity to see this charming young actor alongside the great Michael Caine in another little-heard of film called “Is Anybody There?” Milner stars as 10-year old Edward, who has become obsessed with aging and the afterlife after his parents turn their house into a home for Senior Citizens. Edwards becomes ever more fascinated by watching and recording many of the tenants as they deal with the ever encroaching move to the grave. Their guest list grows to include Clarence (Caine), a one-time magician who is still reeling from the death of his wife. Clarence is the living embodiment of irritable, yet he and Edward become friends as the two open up to each other, and perhaps help each other deal with what is close for one… and hopefully far, far off for the other.

“Is Anybody There?” is a fairly good film, and features wonderful performances from both Milner and Caine. Well, actually it offers wonderful performances by its entire cast, which includes David Morrissey and Anne-Marie Duff as Edward’s parents. But I say fairly good film because it doesn’t spend enough time on the most important aspect of the story, and that is Edward’s and Clarence’s relationship. For some reason, director John Crowley, opts to spend a lot of time on numerous subplots dealing with the other residents. While these are interesting stories to be sure, going off on these tangents never really allows the film to full develop the emotional impact that could have been had. So again, it is a good film, just not a great one.

Magnolia has released “Is Anybody There?” on DVD and Bluray, and we received the DVD copy for review. The overall feeling of the film is a tad bit glum, and the cinematography reflects that with a rather drab color palette. The audio fairs better, with the vocal track strong against the lighter musical soundtrack. The DVD has a few deleted scenes as Special Features, but that is all.

While I enjoyed the quiet subtlety and strong performances in “Is Anybody There,” I felt the story could have used some tightening up.

Directed by: John Crowley
Starring: Michael Caine, David Morrissey, Bill Milner, Anne-Marie Duff
Extras: Deleted Scenes
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1); 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital
Studio: Magnolia
Release Date: 12/1/2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13
http://www.IsAnybodyThereMovie.com

We'll give Is Anybody There? a C.