Nine-year-old Emily (Fanning) witnesses her mother's bloody suicide. Her father (De Niro), a psychologist, decides to take the traumatized girl from bustling Manhattan to a peaceful, rural community to help her cope. Once settled in, it's pretty clear that Emily isn't coping very well. Her issues manifest in the form of an imaginary friend named Charlie, who does some rather scary things when he's angry. Stellar cast and high production values can't hide the fact that it's still a run-of-the-mill horror movie. Fanning sports the best child goth look since Christina Ricci's Wednesday Addams.
Poor, but entertaining. NWRdr4 at 2010-01-31 15:55:31
A thriller largely lacking in substance (due to its sometimes weak script, et al.), but Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning give surprisingly good performances. I would never claim that it's a great movie, but it's still a highly enjoyable one.