Hearbreaking yet inspirational story of a friendship that defied prejudice and overcame the greatest tragedy.Two boys found a way to make one summer last a lifetime.
One summer, two boys went in search of a dream...and found the friendship of a lifetime. Joseph Mazzello (The River Wild; The Lost World: Jurassic Park) and Brad Renfro (Ghost World, Apt Pupil) star in this heartwarming adventure story filled with laughter, compassion and the enduring power of hope.
New to a quaint, riverside community, eleven-year-old Dexter (Mazzello) and his single mom are quickly shunned when it's learned the boy has AIDS. Next door lives Erik (Renfro), a lonely latch-key bully who surprisingly initiates a friendship. But trouble soon finds the twosome after they read a tabloid that suggests a New Orleans doctor as a cure. Determined to find him, the boys build a raft and set sail down the mighty Mississippi, "Tom Sawyer" style, in a magical, often hilarious journey that gives Dexter a chance to experience life as it should be lived and will change both boys' lives forever.
Directed by Peter Horton (TV's "Once and Again," "MDs"), The Cure is a brilliantly captivating story for the whole family which KNBC-TV hails as "a testament to friendship, loyalty and love."
Review
This heartfelt drama tells us it's an AIDS movie that's not about AIDS. When this film keeps its promise (roughly the first three-quarters), it's a winner, a film about a truly notable friendship between two 11-year-old boys. Diagnosed with AIDS from a blood transfusion, Dexter (Joseph Mazzello) has gratefully bypassed most of Kübler-Ross's stages of death. He is, however, an outcast among his peers until Erik (Brad Renfro) comes along and finds him quite normal. Their bond deepens as they look for a cure for the disease using odd forms of scientific theory. Part educational text, part Mark Twain adventure, part tearjerker, the movie relies on something not found in movies these days: a love affair of male friendship. At its center are two of the best pre-actors around. Mazzello (Jurassic Park) has a professional presence on screen. The wild card is Renfro in only his second role (the other was The Client). As the outgoing, Huck Finn-ish boy, he has impressive physical abilities that communicate a naturalness on screen. The film's sappy hospital scenes bog down the picture tremendously, but they do lead to two special scenes that end the movie. The Cure is an assured directorial debut by TV actor Peter Horton (thirtysomething). An interesting note: single mothers raise both kids, a fact never lingered on--refreshingly so--in the script written by Robert Kuhn. --Doug Thomas
