Heavy-handed melodrama that rises above its manipulative trappings on the solid performances of the cast. Based on the best-selling novel of the same title, Michelle Pfeiffer plays a mom who loses her three-year-old son, while on a trip, in the crowded lobby of a Chicago hotel. Nine heart breaking and emotionally self-abusive years later, Pfeiffer and her family move to Chicago to discover that the boy is alive and living two blocks down the street. Super cop Whoopi Goldberg — who also dispenses expert domestic advice at the oddest moments — is called in to stem the delicate divide. The story’s path is not as sinister as the set up would suggest, though the emotional healing process does become a bit arduous. Pfeiffer emotes with a restrained brilliance and the supporting cast, including Treat Williams as her husband, is able to keep stride.
