Blue-collar lineman Kevin Bacon (as Tom Witzky) would have rather become a rock musician. Instead, Mr. Bacon has settled for a more ordinary life. He has just moved to a modest Chicago house, in a "decent" neighborhood. Bacon, and sexily pregnant wife Kathryn Erbe (as Maggie Witzky) have a mildly creepy (but innocent looking) young son, Zachary David Cope (as Jake Witzky). Young Cope can see, and talk to, dead people. Ms. Erbe looks good in denim. She has a witchy sister, Illeana Douglas (as Lisa Weil), who gets the story going, after hypnotizing Bacon into seeing dead people, too
David Koepp's "Stir of Echoes" is a mostly effective ghost story. Bacon and the cast are terrific. Thankfully, the focus is on Bacon's protagonist, rather than kid Cody, who does not (also, thankfully) portray the usual annoying devil movie tot. The story is intriguing, well-paced, and nicely detailed. The "aborted kidnapping" of Cody, and "foreshadowed suicide" of Chalon Williams (as Adam) are two highlights.
The story starts to falter when Erbe goes to find mysterious Eddie Bo Smith (as Neil); you expect the film to advance to a higher level, but the sequence ends up giving away too much. Dig it.
For the "Talk About Good Taste" department: Bacon searches for the lost chords of the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black" (a great version is sound-tracked, by Gob). Cody can't get George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" off of his television set. And, babysitter Liza Weil (as Debbie Kozac) reads dog-eared paperback writer Richard Matheson's incredible "Shrinking Man".
******* Stir of Echoes (7/28/99) David Koepp ~ Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Zachary David Cope
David Koepp's "Stir of Echoes" is a mostly effective ghost story. Bacon and the cast are terrific. Thankfully, the focus is on Bacon's protagonist, rather than kid Cody, who does not (also, thankfully) portray the usual annoying devil movie tot. The story is intriguing, well-paced, and nicely detailed. The "aborted kidnapping" of Cody, and "foreshadowed suicide" of Chalon Williams (as Adam) are two highlights.
The story starts to falter when Erbe goes to find mysterious Eddie Bo Smith (as Neil); you expect the film to advance to a higher level, but the sequence ends up giving away too much. Dig it.
For the "Talk About Good Taste" department: Bacon searches for the lost chords of the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black" (a great version is sound-tracked, by Gob). Cody can't get George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" off of his television set. And, babysitter Liza Weil (as Debbie Kozac) reads dog-eared paperback writer Richard Matheson's incredible "Shrinking Man".
******* Stir of Echoes (7/28/99) David Koepp ~ Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Zachary David Cope