I loved the choice of actors, the acting itself, the art direction, costuming and most everything about this film...BUT the screenplay. I read the book and remember it as a lively, interesting fast-paced read, but the movie stays lugged down, even despite the best efforts of the actors involved. I was pleased to watch it though, I was, but couldn't help but make the same comparison most do when watching a film adaptation of a favorite book...it couldn't help but pale in contrast. Anthony Edwards did his best, and it was charming, that was worth watching. Lauren Bacall, Mary Stuart Masterson, Virginia Madsen, Anjelica Huston...all so lovely to watch. I think even if I had not read the book I would have found the film sluggish, but it was sweet to watch.

Anthony Edwards is "Mr. North" in this 1988 film with a star-studded cast that includes Lauren Bacall, Robert Mitchum, Tammy Grimes, Angelica Huston, Virginia Madsen and Harry Dean Stanton. North is a young Yale graduate who comes to Newport in the 1920s and changes the lives of those he meets in a positive way while working odd jobs. With his peculiarity of having a body that can store electrical charges, he gets the reputation of a healer, something he attempts to run from but can't escape totally. With his help, one man (Mitchum) with a bladder problem is able to finally leave his house after years of being an invalid; a young housemaid (Madsen) is reunited with her wealthy boyfriend, an elderly woman gains comfort from his words, and a young girl (Mary Stuart Masterson) is cured of her migraines.

This is a small and entertaining film with a delightful performance from Edwards as a sincere person who cuts through all of the Newport shallowness and class distinctions. The dialogue is somewhat flowery, which Mitchum had a bit of trouble handling - that kind of dialogue really needs an accent of some kind, which just about everybody else possessed.

What made Anthony Edwards so good on "ER" was his naturalness and likable personality - Mr. North is definitely a role well-suited to him.