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Paradise (1991 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Paradise' is a 1991 drama film written and directed by Mary Agnes Donoghue. The original music score is composed by David Newman.
Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson (at the time married to each other) play Lily and Ben Reed, a young couple torn apart by a family tragedy. It would take a miracle to rekindle their love and a miracle arrives in the form of a summer guest - Willard Young (Elijah Wood).
It is a remake of the French film 'Le Grand Chemin' by Jean-Loup Hubert.
Plot
Willard Young is a 10-year-old boy who is sent by his mother to stay with her best friend Lily Reed, who lives in the Delta shrimp-fishing country in a town called Paradise. At that town, Willard meets 9-year-old Billie Pike. Despite Billie being a troublemaker, she becomes friends with Willard. Lily and Ben also become fond of Willard despite the tragedy of their 2-year old sons death. Soon, Billie teaches Willard to face his fears although Billie has troubles of her own. When Billie finds out her dad is a skater, she goes to a skating area with Willard only for her dad to tell her to leave much to Billies dismay.
Later at a party, Billie tells Willard his father left him and his mother for another woman. Upon hearing this, Willard becomes so upset that he runs away and goes missing for a while. When Ben finds him, he doesnt trust him until he saves him from a bad accident. Later in the film, Lily blames herself for her sons death but Ben reassures her. Towards the end of the film, Willard has to go home and he sees his mothers new baby. The film ends with Lily and Ben kissing under their porch. That doesnt mean that they have recovered from the tragedy but it does mean that they have regained their love.
Cast
Reception
'Paradise' received mixed to negative reviews from critics, as it holds a 36% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
References
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