Lathe of Heaven

In most cases I figure it's a given one should read the book a film may be based on and in the case of Ursula K. Le Guin's THE LATHE OF HEAVEN it should be mandatory. I must confess I prefer the 1980 adaptation of this with Bruce Davison in the lead as opposed to this 2002 offering not that there is anything wrong with Lukas Haas in the role of Geroge Orr, in fact just the opposite. Were he not here LATHE OF HEAVEN would have been a wretched mess. Poor James Caan mails in his performance and Lisa Bonet looks like she's in a Prozac coma. Fine support work from David Strathairn and Sheila McCarthy but it is Haas who carries the feeling here, granted with some nice score work from Angelo Badalamenti to help things along. Science fiction the way it's supposed to be when an idea and story are just so strong you can't screw it up no matter how hard you try.