Clara's Heart (C or 2/4 stars)
In 'Clara's Heart' (a 1988 maudlin melodrama directed by Robert Mulligan) Leona & Bill Bart (Kathleen Quinlan, Michael Ontkean) are deep in mourning following the untimely tragic death of their baby daughter. To escape their misery & grief, they leave their luxurious Baltimore lake house abode for a faraway Jamaican resort. There, they meet Clara (Whoopi Goldberg), a spirited, but no-nonsense hotel maid who is able to comfort the bereft mother. Lifted up by her frank wisdom & warmth, Leona impulsively hires Clara to be their personal housekeeper back in the U.S.
But the Bart's pre-adolescent son, David (then newcomer, Neil Patrick Harris), is none too happy about having Clara in their home. But over time, Clara's good humor, her care & her concern for David's well-being wins him over. Soon enough, David is speaking in Jamaican jargon & joining Clara on visits to her friends in Baltimore's inner city. They become even closer after his parents' marriage crumbles; David can't believe that each parent has put their happiness above his won by dating other people right away. Clara & David bond further. Howwwever, said bond is shattered when David violates Clara's privacy by opening up a trunk full of letters that hold the key to a dark secret from her troubled past. Histrionics ensues.
Director Robert Mulligan {of To Kill a Mockingbird fame} has draws stellar performances from Whoopi Goldberg & young Neil Patrick Harris. The unabashedly sentimental script by Mark Medoff is chock full of insights into fraught families, growing up, privacy issues ... & friendship. I admire that this film centers around a woman who imparts the gift of grace on a very lonely, bewildered & needy boy, RIGHT at the time in his life when he needs to know from the most important people in his life - his parents - that he is indeed, lovable. And when Clara is vulnerable with her own tragic history, David reciprocates the kindness & grave that she bestowed to him -- they're both so important to each other. If only the movie weren't so gosh darn sappy.
Excellent performances aside, 'Clara's Heart' really isn't that great a movie. It becomes insufferably overwrought many times. Thank goodness for Whoopi Goldberg, whose strong, opinionated, self-reliant maid who befriends & mentors David is as rich as any part she has played in a film; maybe short of Celie from The Color Purple. And though Neil Patrick Harris imbues David with a near-irritating sense of neediness, it is what the character called for and, you believe him every step of the way. The characters played by David's parents are such emotionally icy monsters, that we are grateful for the warm Goldberg/Harris combo. Even so, the plot particulars & dialogues are just too ludicrous, too saccharine, & even too soapy for my liking.
But the Bart's pre-adolescent son, David (then newcomer, Neil Patrick Harris), is none too happy about having Clara in their home. But over time, Clara's good humor, her care & her concern for David's well-being wins him over. Soon enough, David is speaking in Jamaican jargon & joining Clara on visits to her friends in Baltimore's inner city. They become even closer after his parents' marriage crumbles; David can't believe that each parent has put their happiness above his won by dating other people right away. Clara & David bond further. Howwwever, said bond is shattered when David violates Clara's privacy by opening up a trunk full of letters that hold the key to a dark secret from her troubled past. Histrionics ensues.
Director Robert Mulligan {of To Kill a Mockingbird fame} has draws stellar performances from Whoopi Goldberg & young Neil Patrick Harris. The unabashedly sentimental script by Mark Medoff is chock full of insights into fraught families, growing up, privacy issues ... & friendship. I admire that this film centers around a woman who imparts the gift of grace on a very lonely, bewildered & needy boy, RIGHT at the time in his life when he needs to know from the most important people in his life - his parents - that he is indeed, lovable. And when Clara is vulnerable with her own tragic history, David reciprocates the kindness & grave that she bestowed to him -- they're both so important to each other. If only the movie weren't so gosh darn sappy.
Excellent performances aside, 'Clara's Heart' really isn't that great a movie. It becomes insufferably overwrought many times. Thank goodness for Whoopi Goldberg, whose strong, opinionated, self-reliant maid who befriends & mentors David is as rich as any part she has played in a film; maybe short of Celie from The Color Purple. And though Neil Patrick Harris imbues David with a near-irritating sense of neediness, it is what the character called for and, you believe him every step of the way. The characters played by David's parents are such emotionally icy monsters, that we are grateful for the warm Goldberg/Harris combo. Even so, the plot particulars & dialogues are just too ludicrous, too saccharine, & even too soapy for my liking.