A MOSTLY SOARING TALE OF A GIRL, HER FATHER AND A FLOCK OF GEESE : THE FACTS.Byline: Janet Weeks Daily News Film Critic ``Fly Away Home'' is a beautifully filmed story of a girl, her father and a gaggle of geese. The first two-thirds of the movie soars on Anna Paquin Anna Helene Paquin (born July 24, 1982) is an Academy Award-winning and Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated Canadian actress. Her breakthrough performance was in The Piano, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting actress as the second youngest winner in history. and Jeff Daniels' adept acting skills and director Carroll Ballard's abundant love of nature. But then, like the waterfowl waterfowl, common term for members of the order Anseriformes, wild, aquatic, typically freshwater birds including ducks, geese, and screamers. In Great Britain the term is also used to designate species kept for ornamental purposes on private lakes or ponds, while in it follows, the movie heads south, enmeshed en·mesh also im·mesh tr.v. en·meshed, en·mesh·ing, en·mesh·es To entangle, involve, or catch in or as if in a mesh. See Synonyms at catch. in silly plot twists and enshrouded in an eerie resemblance to the tragic story of real-life girl pilot Jessica Dubroff, who died earlier this year. Still, at a time when disaster movies reign, ``Fly Away Home'' is a serene and sane alternative. (Hint: Unlike Dubroff's story, ``Fly Away Home'' has a happy ending.) The only thing destroyed in this film is a tree (mean bulldozer!) and the ice between a daughter and her estranged es·trange tr.v. es·tranged, es·trang·ing, es·trang·es 1. To make hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent; alienate. 2. To remove from an accustomed place or set of associations. dad. Set in Ontario, Canada, ``Fly Away Home'' tells the story of a 13-year-old New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. girl (Paquin) named Amy who awakens from a car accident to find that her mother has been killed. She also learns that her father (Daniels), whom she has not seen for many years, has come to take her back to Ontario, where she was born. Amy spends her days on his messy, rain-swept ranch dreaming of her mother and rambling about the countryside alone. She is determined to keep her father, a metal artist, at arm's length arm's length adj. the description of an agreement made by two parties freely and independently of each other, and without some special relationship, such as being a relative, having another deal on the side or one party having complete control of the other. - payback for his prodigal PRODIGAL, civil law, persons. Prodigals were persons who, though of full age, were incapable of managing their affairs, and of the obligations which attended them, in consequence of their bad conduct, and for whom a curator was therefore appointed. 2. ways. On one of her long walks, Amy discovers a nest of eggs abandoned by a mother goose. Motherless, too, she takes the eggs into the folds of her clothes and brings them home, where she hatches them in a drawer of her mom's old scarves. As Amy's goslings grow, her father hatches a plan to crack his daughter's hard exterior. He learns from a wildlife expert that, without their mother to guide them, the geese will surely die in power lines while trying to migrate south for the winter. So he creates a gooselike Ultralight ul·tra·light n. A recreational aircraft constructed of lightweight materials such as aluminum, graphite composites, or high-strength plastics, having an engine of roughly 15 to 40 horsepower and often resembling a hang glider with wings. plane for his daughter, so she can guide her adopted friends to safety. Up until this point in the film, the story moves ahead as if on wings, gliding through beautiful imagery and a truly moving story. But then, sadly, it becomes a bit contrived with two plot additions: An evil developer is trying to put houses up on a game sanctuary, and Amy becomes a cause celebre in the United States as millions cheer on her gallant, never-before-tried flight with the geese. Sound familiar? Even so, there is much to recommend. Paquin's performance as the little-girl-lost is chilling and sad. Daniels is suitably frustrated as the odd introvert introvert /in·tro·vert/ (in´tro-vert) 1. a person whose interest is turned inward to the self. 2. to turn one's interest inward to the self. 3. a structure that can be turned or drawn inwards. more accustomed to stoking the flames of his forge than melting the heart of a distant child. And the combination of Ballard and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, who last worked together on ``The Black Stallion,'' makes for visual splendor. The film: ``Fly Away Home'' (PG; one usage of the S-word). The stars: Anna Paquin, Jeff Daniels. Behind the scenes: Directed by Carroll Ballard. Written by Roibert Rodat and Vince McKewin. Music by Mark Isham. Released by Columbia Pictures. Running time: One hour, 50 minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Three stars CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Anna Paquin shepherds a gaggle of geese in ``Fly Away Home.'' |
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