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Memorable, crazy movie

Excellent but underrated film

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

This movie is better than the rating suggests. Patrick Swayze displays some tremendous acting skills as the ever blue Jack McCloud, a tramp and thorough loner. He is sincere and pervasive, as is Joseph Mazzello as Tom. The evolving relationship between the two of them is one of the three major themes of the movie. It is a relationship propelled by Tom's dear wish to have some male person around he can relate to and rely on, as his father is apparently absent. Jack, who joins the family as a stranger, develops a kind of deep and caring commitment towards the three family members. He doesn't push for it, it just happens. The second theme focuses around M.E. Mastrantonio's brilliant performance as Jeanne Holman, Tom's and Gunny's mom. Her despair mingled with hope and confidence makes her the archetype of the single parent of the Mid-50s, the era which is so superbly revived as the movie's setting. The third theme centers around Gunny, Tom's little brother, his belief in magic and fairies as well as his fears. This is the movie's underlying main theme, as the title itself suggests. The end, which makes you feel good and renews faith in what we have and ought to preserve and care for, reveals the message of the title and grants this movie an inspiring and deeply human message. Magic is out there - in everything we do and everything we dream of. It is the little things, the little signs of love and affection, of hope and endurance. Tom himself, as an adult, receives reassurance in his faith and his values by what Jack has done to his family when he was a young boy. The message is brilliant and makes this movie a solid 8/10. "Be yourself", Jack advises Tom. "And be happy with what you have" he adds much later in the movie. Hope and love will endure against all odds, if we allow magic into our lives. The same magic we believed in as kids. It is still there. You just have to admit it.

The wonderful thing about this movie is that the feel of the 1950's cookie cutter lifestyle is iconic and authentic without all of the gritty realism. For a fantasy, it's fantastic in scope, well written, and well acted. The perfect movie for a box of tissues and an evening with your daughter or your girlfriends. It's a good kid-family movie as well. It immediately requires you suspend your jaded new-millennium lifestyles and your disbelief in all things magic. I caught this on tbs today and loved it. I think it's the only other movie with the boy from the Jurrassic Park franchise I've ever seen.My favorite portion was how the younger boy gets to enjoy *his* wish.

I picked this up at Walgreens for $4.00 *. I was taken! Again we have a movie with lots of talented people but, with a disappointing story. The climax (and we're looking for the final revealing moment)or coup de grace was probably the biggest or dumbest ending to a movie. If The young son realized this wish and the mother realized her wish, why could'nt the oldest son realize his wish (I know he did'nt wish anything, and that it was wished for him)? I mean the wish should have been self evident. And was Jack (Swayze)the White Sox pitcher or not and what was the story behind the last revelation about Jack supposed to mean? Maybe I was sleeping (Zzzzzz)and not the movie? Long, boring with a story not fully realized.

Although I must admit I cried several times towards the ending of this movie (probably a highly emotional day for me), I really thought there were a lot of missing pieces in it. The most predominate I suppose is the almost total absence of the plot containing "Gunny" youngest son after we learn he has cancer. The mother continues to date and socialize, even bed a drifter. The audience finds themselves wondering what happened to the young child and filling in blanks themselves. (all the while the child is day dreaming in his bedroom? No wonder he talks to the dog since everyone else has forgotten him...