The Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
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A family must navigate the emotional complexities of reuniting with a son who was kidnapped nine years prior.
The story
During a high school reunion, Beth Cappadora's three-year-old son, Ben, vanishes after her older son fails to watch him. While the police search is unsuccessful, Beth suffers a breakdown and struggles to care for her remaining children. Nine years later, the family moves to a new home and encounters a boy who offers to mow their lawn. Beth becomes convinced the boy is her long-lost son, Ben, and alerts the police to begin an investigation into his identity and the circumstances of his disappearance.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After nine years of believing their son Ben was lost forever, the Cappadora family encounters a boy named Sam who they believe is Ben. Investigations reveal Ben was kidnapped by a mentally unstable woman, Cecilia Lockhart, who raised him as her own until her death. He was then adopted by her husband, George. The reunion of Ben (now Sam) with his biological family causes significant strain on the parents' marriage and the siblings' relationships. Amidst the turmoil, the older brother, Vincent, becomes a troubled teenager and ends up in jail for a driving incident. During his incarceration, Sam visits Vincent and shares a memory of their time together before the abduction. Ultimately, the family reconciles their internal conflicts, and Sam decides to move back in with the Cappadoras, leading to a final moment of reconciliation between the two brothers.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ulu Grosbard
- Writers
- Stephen Schiff · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Michelle Pfeiffer · Beth Cappadora; Treat Williams · Pat; Jonathan Jackson · Vincent; John Kapelos · not specified; Whoopi Goldberg · Candace "Candy" Bliss; Ryan Merriman · Sam
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- family dynamics; grief; guilt; reconciliation
- Tone and mood
- melodramatic; somber
- Premise and plot tags
- child abduction; dysfunctional families; missing persons
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1996 novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard
- Reception
- The film received mixed to poor reviews and was a box-office flop.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 42% · scale: percentage · review count: 36; Metacritic · score: 45 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
- Awards and nominations
- Young Artist Award · Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor · win
- Production trivia
- The novel was the first selected for Oprah's Book Club in 1996.; Oprah Winfrey was considered for the role of Detective Candy Bliss.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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