Hide and Seek (DVD)

Part of me wants to say that Hide and Seek is the hit comedy of the year, but I know that's not what they were shooting for. Dakota Fanning again shows off her mad range, but Bobby De Niro makes you long for the days of Meet the Parents... and that's not a day I anticipated ever longing for again.

I guess I should disclose my dislike for horror films right of the bat. I don't enjoy them in general because they are such a hard genre to do correctly, yet they seem to be among the most attempted films. They also rarely push complexity and almost always veer directly to the closest melodrama.

Hide and Seek's loose plot opens with Dakota Fanning's (Emily) mother killing herself in the tub. Robert De Niro (David) is distraught over the loss of his wife and moves himself and his daughter out into the country to regroup. Dakota comes up with an imaginary friend named Charlie and then the horror ensues. Or is he imaginary? Well, you can see the "suspense" right there.

The redeeming part of the movie for me involves Elisabeth Shue and Famke Janssen as eye candy, err supportive female leads. When they are trying their best to coax crazy Emily out of her shell it's a somewhat interesting film. Another strange aspect of the film seems to be that the whole town is plagued by pedophiles. I mean jeez, the kid had to deal with enough and now you move her into upstate Kiddie Porn County? Now I'll grant you things are not what they seem. Stop me if you've heard this one before.

If I had a kid as creepy as Emily I'm pretty sure I'd take her to a friendly place I like to call the sanitarium. Thankfully Emily's creepiness is not the focal point of the twist, of course there is a twist. You knew it was coming. The true horror is if you didn't see it coming all along.

As far as the features go, the alternate endings are kind of interesting because they show that the filmmakers weren't sure which twist they wanted to play. Two versions show off "crazy like a fox" Emily while another goes with a "crazy happy ending" twist. The final alternate ending is my favorite, I call it the "just plain crazy" Emily ending. For me it fits with the spirit of the film.

Will I ever watch Hide and Seek again? That's a negative. Did I listen to the commentary provided by the director? Sorry, again no. Do I think Dakota can act? You bet. She's a terror.