Beth Cappadora (Michelle Pfeiffer) is in Chicago for her reunion. She loses her son Ben in the crowded hotel lobby. Police detective Candy Bliss (Whoopi Goldberg) investigates but he's nowhere to be found. Many years later, young Sam Karras comes to Beth's door to offer to mow the lawn. She recognizes Sam as her long lost son Ben. It's discovered that Ben was kidnapped by a disturbed woman who has since committed suicide. His new father didn't know about the kidnapping. Ben is reunited with the Cappadoras but life with the family is problematic. Ben wants to go home. His brother Vincent is rebelling. Beth and her husband Pat (Treat Williams) are cracking under the pressure.

Michelle Pfeiffer and Treat Williams are both great. Cory Buck as young Vincent does an admirable job. Jonathan Jackson and Ryan Merriman are in a tough situation as the older versions of the sons. So much is expected but they aren't given the tools. This movie tries very hard to get emotional truths but it only gets glimpses. There is so much ground to cover. It would have been better to concentrate mostly after the reunion. Losing Ben is too alluring and takes up half of the movie. The first half is effective and traditional. The second half feels thin and more original. The movie feels split between the two.

The Deep End of the Ocean is a feeble film that comes across as a Lifetime movie but with starrier actors. It is a disappointment from the normally reliable director, Ulu Grosbard.

Beth (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Pat Cappadora (Treat Williams) are the parents to three young children. 3 year old Ben vanishes in a hotel lobby during a school reunion.

There is a frantic search assisted by a friendly detective played by Whoopi Goldberg.

The incident has been draining for the family and Beth had a breakdown. Over the years, the family seemed to have moved on.

Nine years later the family move town and Beth discovers that the young boy mowing her lawn is her son.

It seems Ben was kidnapped by an unstable former classmate at the school reunion who later killed herself. Ben has been raised by his adoptive father who knew nothing about Ben being abducted.

Of course Ben has been ripped away from his adopted father and gone to live with his real family. Ben has a hard time adjusting. So does his older brother who has always blamed himself for letting go of Ben's hand all those years ago.

The film is a trite, anodyne soap opera. It gives cursory treatment to the adoptive father who raised Ben and had his son taken away from him. Surely a welfare officer and a counsellor would had been involved for everyone concerned.

It actually lacked any drama, emotion and then the film just ends unsatisfactorily.

Noble, decent film about a crises in suburbia: a boy, kidnapped nine years ago from a nice, normal family, is returned to them--a virtual stranger. This premise was done great justice in the grittier TV-film, "I Know My First Name Is Steven". This theatrical drama has fabulous, full-throttle performances by Michelle Pfeiffer and Treat Williams as the parents, some interesting plot turns, but nowhere to go after the boy comes home. We've seen it all before--even Whoopi Goldberg as a detective seems shoehorned in from somewhere else (it's virtually the same character she portrayed in "The Player"). I would forgive the film for its assembly-line construction were it not for a downright drippy finale. Sure, it wouldn't have been as uplifting had the film ended a different way (turning on the kid's decision),but why do we always need to be uplifted at the movies? Is there some Hollywood legend that says all downbeat endings result in flop films? Well, this one did flop, so there's a double excuse not to end the thing with everyone leaking happy tears in the driveway. **1/2 from ****