Rent A Perfect World on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: John Lee Hancock
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Kevin Costner, T.J. Lowther, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, Bradley Whitford
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law.
Verdict
While it's overly sentimental, it does such a great job with the odd couple pairing. A boy with a strict mother is on the run with a criminal who ends up being a father figure the boy never had. While Butch is the typical charismatic criminal, he resolves to be the father he never had to a boy that needs guidance. This isn't what you'd expect an escaped convict to do, but it ends up being incredibly touching.
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Review
Such an idyllic opening with Butch (Kevin Costner) lying in a field as a breeze blows money around. If you're guessing there's a twist to this, it's the how we got here trope.
Butch escapes prison with another inmate, where they steal a car and then break into a house for food and clothes. We quickly see that Butch is the reasonable one and his companion plays the typical crazy criminal that would fire his pistol into the air just for attention. Then again, Butch does kidnap a kid, Buzz (T. J. Lowther), and uses him to guard the other inmate with a pistol.
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| T. J. Lowther, Kevin Costner play Buzz, Butch |
Butch exemplifies this dichotomy of a malicious yet charismatic criminal. We've seen Butch commit multiple crimes, but he has a way of talking to Buzz, coaxing him into helping out by treating him like an adult. Buzz is a Jehovah's witness, sheltered from many things in the world, but Butch identifies with the kid. Neither of them had a present father. The criminal and the precocious kid is a bit of a fairy tale, but that also makes it endearing. Butch buys clothes from a department store for Buzz, but when the police show up Butch has to run. He stops to pick up Buzz, offering the kid a choice to stay or go.
The story gives them both someone they never had. Butch gets to be the father he wishes he had, while Buzz has someone that provides encouragement and life advice. Butch believes in making your own choices, be them good or bad. You've got to figure out who you are, and Buzz hasn't had the chance. He has a philosophy, and he tells Buzz to make a list of all the things he never got to do. Butch is smart enough to know this is his chance to be a dad, and with that he can give Buzz opportunities he's never had, free of stifling boundaries.
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| Clint Eastwood, Bradley Whitford, Laura Dern play Chief Garnett, Bobby Lee, Sally Gerber |
Chief Garnett (Clint Eastwood) chases Butch throughout the movie, and it turns out he has a past with Butch though Butch doesn't remember him. Garnett realizes Butch isn't malicious, and he feels a degree of responsibility lingering from the past. Unfortunately, the others in Garnett's party are more wary. You can't trust criminals.
This is such a touching conclusion. Butch negotiates on behalf of the boy instead of himself. Even with his mom present, Buzz is hesitant to leave Butch. They each got something they never head; one a son and the other a father. During this we see Garnett's concern for Butch's safety. This isn't what you'd expect from a movie about an escaped convict, but the emotional moments are incredibly touching. This is a great performance by Costner
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