Is Anybody There? (2008)

Sir Michael Caine (Oscars for The Cider House Rules (1999) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986); my other faves include The Weather Man (2005), Little Voice (1998), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), Deathtrap (1982), and, of course, Alfie (1966)) really liked this script so he waived his regular fee to bring star power to this sweet independent British movie about a boy growing up in a retirement home and befriending Clarence (Caine), a retired magician. Young Bill Milner (Son of Rambow (2007)) is great as Edward. I predict this boy, now 14, will go far (and it's unusual for a member of his generation to have a nickname such as "Bill," isn't it?). Edward's father, whose bad '80s haircuts and wardrobe add much to the humor of the piece, is played by David Morrissey, who had the Ben Affleck role in the British TV series on which the American feature State of Play (2009) was based. Jack & I had some trouble understanding all the words; probably a combination of the sound system in the theatre, the accents of the actors, and the sound mix in post production. But we still liked it!