Sixth Sense

(1999)
I finally managed to get around to seeing what all the hullaballoo was about this weekend when I rented the DVD of Sixth Sense. I should note up front I tend to ignore (at best) the buzz that builds up around popular films, and I had heard reviews ranging from "you're an ass if you don't go see this," to "I found it so dull I left halfway through." I rarely encounter such a range of reactions, so I didn't quite know what to expect when I thumbed the 'play' button. I guess my reaction could best be summed up by saying, "People got all excited over this?" I am clearly not seeing what many others saw in this film (it made a boatload of money -not that that's any indication of quality, look at Home Alone and Titanic). I mean, okay, the performances were good. The young boy (Haley Joel Osment) gives a nice affected performance as a kid who lives in a creepy world and is scared all the time. I found his mother (Toni Collette) to be very effective in her portrayal as a woman who loves but doesn't really understand her son; she grapples with all the weird stuff that is going on, but is always sort of fumbling in the dark. Bruce Willis gives a nice, restrained performance as the kid's psychologist who is trying to help him with his "seeing dead people" issues. Okay, fine. But the plot? It drags along with the speed of a Florida retiree of his '72 Impala. Each scene just sort of sits there, while the characters tiniest little things. I know it's supposed to be 'mood' and it's supposed to but really, folks, once you've figured out what's going on in this film, it's paced and somewhat dull. behind the wheel slowly reveal the set 'atmosphere,' unbearably slow-

Now, I can't be the only person who figured out the "mystery" of this film as early as I did. Frankly, anyone who found the big revelation at the end a surprise just wasn't paying attention. All of the clues to what is really going on are there -- and I mean splashed up on a billboard there, not just lying around casually -- and I knew about a half hour into the film that a) the kid had a mission with the dead people, and b) that other big "revelation" too. Sorry. I'm not that much of a genius or a psychic, but it's really obvious. And when you put all your eggs into one big "surprise!" basket, it doesn't work when you advertise so blatantly what's beneath the wrapping. I don't get where people are lauding this as brilliant or as a classic or any of that. There are some fine performances and the romance that hovers at the edge of the film is kind of nice, but this film isn't anything to write home about. It's an average thriller that doesn't really pull it off if you have the common sense to see the one big switcheroo in the whole film. I kept getting the feeling that if I were watching an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, all of the revelations in this film would take place before the second commercial break, and then we'd actually go somewhere with the plot. I know, I know, I'm swimming against the stream with this one. What's new? But I can only recommend Sixth Sense for those who are easily fooled or having trouble getting to sleep with the clock change because of daylight's savings time. The rest of you... I dunno, but there are a lot of other videos on the wall at your local store. Try one of them. April 3, 2000