One Last Thing... Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
A boy, Dylan (Michael Angarano), in grade ten with terminal cancer gets a last wish from the Wish Givers Foundation. His makes a new wish which seems a little inappropriate. As his last wish he wants to be with a super model (Sunny Mabrey) for a week alone. At first Nikki (Mabrey) has pity for him but soon it turns into love.
| Michael Angarano | Dylan Jameison |
| Cynthia Nixon | Carol Jameison |
| Sunny Mabrey | Nikki Sinclaire |
| Matt Bush | Ricky |
| Gideon Glick | Slap |
| Gina Gershon | Arlene |
| Wyclef Jean | Emmett Ducasse |
| Gia Carides | Madelene |
| Johnny Messner | Jason O'Malley |
| Richie Rich | Himself |
| Lucas Caleb Rooney | State Trooper |
| Dana Eskelson | Patti |
| George Seminara | Mr. Helmbreck |
| Amanda Goodman | Amy |
| Brian Stokes Mitchell | Dr. Emerson |
| Alex Steyermark |
7.00 out of 10 (2070 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Not just your average comedy...sweet and very moving!!
posted on 15 Jun 2009One Last Thing is pretty much misrepresented by trailers and even by the DVD box itself. It sort of looks like a teen comedy filled with rude jokes and a National Lampoon's type film and that isn't the case at all!! Relatively new director Alex Steyermark and TV Writer Barry Stringfellow make a very moving and touching film and best of all a very real film about a teenager with terminal cancer. On top of that he interweaves a story about a super model who lost her grip on reality and in the process lost her true love and everything she believed in. The story and film is really about life and death and the struggle with it and it's brilliant!! The lead characters are brilliant and the story is captivating and touching.Young but veteran and talented actor Michael Angarano gives an honest to God Oscar worthy performance as typical teenager Dylan Jameison. The only thing about Dylan is that he is dying of cancer. Still haunted and emotionally distraught over the loss of his father he is dealing with trying to be an average kid and deal with his death feeling as though he doesn't believe in an afterlife. Angarano is so believable and heartfelt and you really connect with him and he truly does an amazing job. Cynthia Nixon plays Dylan's Mom Carol and although she kind of has more of a supporting role does a terrific job at that. This is the second time I've seen Cynthia Nixon in a role besides Sex and The City and she has done an outstanding job (the first being the absolutely phenomenal Warm Springs.) Nixon is great and she shows being a caring and concerned mother while having to deal with losing her son and already having lost her husband. Sunny Mabrey plays the object of Dylan's obsession...his "One Last Thing.." super model Nikki Sinclaire. Mabrey is terrific as the self involved, obsessive and lonely model. She slowly begins to realize what she lost by not staying grounded and she sees that through Dylan's strength while he dies. The two of them together although they share only a little screen time is sweet and lots of chemistry between them despite the age difference. Matt Bush, and Gideon Glick play Dylan's best friends and at first I thought they were overused and out of place as the wise cracking, rather immature stoner buddies but then I realized these guys ARE your typical teenager and they were dealing with the cancer and death of their best friend as well in their own way. I do still think they might have been a little misplaced in the film but they are there and they do a decent job. Ethan Hawke plays a strangely very small cameo as Dylan's Dad in flashbacks and dreams.The film is really made by the chemistry and story between Dylan, Nikki and Carol. This film is just everything you don't expect. It's really a dark comedy and definitely no really laugh out loud moments but instead very touching elements of drama and moving moments of life lessons and clarity. This one truly is a hidden gem that might not have made a big splash but it's so definitely well worth seeing. If you love a good story, maybe even some tears and laughter then One Last Thing is the absolute must see!! It's just a warm and tender film. 9/10
Must see film of the Family variety
posted on 28 Jan 2009First of all, I am not sure why IMDb has mistakenly listed this film twice, as it is very confusing when attempting to find the reviews of it. Anyway, I heard about "One Last Thing" from a family member. I love Indie films, and am so glad I didn't wait for this one to come to Sundance or IFC! I had to travel all the way down to the Lower East Side to see it (from Harlem, that's quite a hike!). Too bad it was released in only a few theatres, as it is such a lovely film! I am looking forward to seeing future projects from the talented Barry Stringfellow. The entire cast did an exceptional job, but particularly, Michael Angarano is fabulous as the terminally ill Dylan. His moving performance was so touching at times, he brought me to tears, and then left me shaking my head after catching myself laughing! Again, kudos to Stringfellow for a beautiful script. "One Last Thing" is a really nice family film... very funny yet sensitive. A 'must see' film for the entire family!
This is quality entertainment!
posted on 29 Dec 2008Taking my girlfriend to see a movie about a teenage boy that wants to final wish in life to be having a weekend with a supermodel was a really tough sell, but after watching the movie she thanked me! We found ourselves laughing and crying, traveling on emotional journey, and contemplating our own lives, sounds like a what a movie should do to me!Personally, I don't see what's so off about the premise, sounds like exactly what I would have asked for when I was 15, if I had the gumption to ask for it. I'm not much for naming all the names of the actors in the movie, read some of the other reviews for that, though I will say I didn't really get Ethan Hawk as Dylan's dad, but if I was making a movie and Ethan Hawk wanted to be in it make a cool cameo appearance, and he was my bud, I'd say sure what the heh, let's party! Sunny Mabrey (who keeps her clothes on) is plenty hot as the babe though I'm sure if the producers had been able to land say model turned actress ANGELINA JOLIE, you wouldn't be reading this review, you'd have already seen this flick now wouldn't you!
Brilliantly deep and meaningful movie
posted on 23 Dec 2008I did not think this would be worth watching, so I avoided it. It was only last year and this was the only thing on that I attempted to watch this film. The film it self is about a terminally ill boy who's last wish is to go on a date with a model. The story is truly touching and deserves recommendation for that. Anyone who loves a movie will love this movie with its humour and dramatic experiences found all through the movie. I think this should go down as one of the better attempts from people to make Comedy/Dramas this year. The only drama I can remember that is WAY better then it in this century is Garden State. Overall this film is a good watch and I think fans of cinema will really get a kick out of seeing. You SHOULD see this film.
good TV fare - nothing more
posted on 13 Nov 2008As a made for TV movie, I would rate this an 8, but it ain't (made for TV) that is. I rented this, against my better judgment, based on a review from a credible newspaper reviewer. Normally, I would steer clear of cliché-d based features like this one, but decided to give it a chance, in the hope it would overcome its flimsy premise. Unfortunately, the writing lacked creativity and integrity, leaving the actors to do their best with some TV-quality material. The acting is fine, although I continue to fail to see any range in Cynthia Nixon. How any mature actor can fail to credibly portray a deep relationship with a dying child is beyond me. Her role is not helped by an unbelievable and shallow "relationship" with the football star/male model character. Watchable, but nothing more.
Makes me smile and wonder
posted on 17 Aug 2008I can't remember when I had the last time this much of fun and sadness in one film together, in the right balance.Michael Angarano (Dylan) shows the perfect face and attitude for his slow paced character, and I also loved her mother's play. Sunny Mabrey as the supermodel Nikki was far from authentic, but this was the only weak point of the movie. I loved the two friends together, in Dylan's room, in New York, at the funeral, they were just teens, enjoying life.Now again I remembered that I live once, so I should do what I like, and do it now... all that matters is what I think is important for me, not what others say... take things as they come and see the happiness that is around me.A slow movie for a quiet afternoon - 8/10.
Good cast wasted on terrible writing
posted on 24 Jul 2008I was extremely disappointed by this film. I thought the very able cast did the best they could with truly poor material. The film couldn't decide if it was a melodrama, a teen-coming-of-age story, a comedy, a satire of America's love of celebrity, a New-Age/M. Night Shyamalan sort of mystical thriller, or a "message" film, and this wide variance in tone really ruined it for me. I saw it in a packed-house screening at the Philadelphia Film Festival, and from comments overheard as we exited I assume I am in the minority here, but I really thought it was not worth my time or money. Cynthia Nixon and Michael Angarano, along with the two best-buds Matt Bush and Gideon Glick (who both, apparently, have limited screen experience so far), did excellent jobs of defining and delivering their characters. It's not their fault that those characters are inconsistent and stereotypical.
Reminds me the power sometimes these people have
posted on 15 May 2008I would like to vote more for the movie, but to say the truth i still don't remember much because most of the movie was like an abstract to me. It mixed my feeling watching it. Having seen some comedy elements in to the movie made it a little more lite for people to watch it. I could have vote for more but at the end the movie had me feel a little disappointed on the view of what the director wants to pass about life after death.The only thing that touched me and made me feel something different about this movie was to see that really these people have a lot of power and their attitude towards death. Especially to people that had lived a similar story in their lifes, its really touching!!
Taglines & Comments
posted on 09 May 2008"We're all born with the weight of death on our shoulders." "When you're born, you cry and the world is happy; When you die, the world cries, and you are happy" I really was not expecting all that I got from this movie. It is said to be a sad movie, but laughable all the same. I agree with that comment. It can make one think, and then re-think one's aspects on life and death. And all that life's inventory has in store for yourself.The actors/actresses surprise. You will see someone, and think to yourself, "I know that person. What show/movie was it I seen them in, or in one case, what music band." Enjoy. Truly worth its' watch.
The Hollywood Sausage Factory's Fallacious and Materialistic Interpretation of Dying
posted on 21 Apr 2008The Hollywood Sausage Factory's Fallacious and Materialistic Interpretation of Dying First of all, let me just say that with each passing day my antipathy of Hollywood and its toxic symptoms such as celebrity activism and environmentalism is growing every day.Every year the films get worse and more pornographic with violence and sex, the writing gets worse, the performances get worse, the actors who have lost all sense of reality get more obnoxious. In addition the films show an incredibly immoral and mean-spirited outlook on life.This is the same kind of mean-spiritedness on display in films like the Girl Next Door, Sin City, Boogie Nights and the show "Two and a Half Men." Michael Angarano, with his constant smirking, his sobbing and sniveling, and ultra-violent borderline personality disorder outbursts, is obnoxious and miscast. And his stoned slacker pals (in the same toxic vein as The Girls Nest Door or Knocked Up) seem to be utterly worthless and unctuous.Gina Gershon has no discernible acting ability, and like all the trash balls who were involved in the abomination known as Showgirls should be exiled for life in a Siberian labor camp.The actress who played the model was god-awful and seemed to be a third-rate Kate Bosworth (not that Bosworth is any better, when I think of her comatose and uncharismatic performance in the surprisingly dark and violent Superman Returns, only coming alive to make yuppie careerist remarks about her job at the Daily Bugle and shoving yuppie food like macrobiotic shakes down her brat of a son's throat.And Ethan Hawke has finally proved to everyone he's an utter fraud and a hack writer as well. I thought he was incredibly bad in Lord of War, a film which had potential, but even though his was a cameo role he managed to give another awful performance. It's time for him to be known only as the Guy Who Was Married to Uma Thurman and retire into obscurity.The only person involved with this drivel with an ounce of talent is Cynthia Nixon, who doesn't deserve to be in garbage like this.Also, the film makes no sense. How in the world could a terminally ill adolescent be able to get on TV, hold a press conference and announce his final wish to date a supermodel? And she would actually agree to meet with him? And what kind of values is this film sending to youth? Here's what really stuck in my crawl. What is the dying character's final wish: to go see the Sistine Chapel in Italy or the Parthenon in Greece, or meet Stephen Hawking or the Dalai Lama? No, to go on a pointless date via a stretch limo with an unlikable, anorexic, bulimic model who doesn't give a spit about him or anything other than furthering her career. And we're supposed to feel sorry for her or something, as if she and cancer-boy ultimately share some kind of universal mystic bond.Why does the world hate America and Americans so intensely? Two obvious answers: Washington and Hollywood.
What a pleasant surprise!
posted on 07 Dec 2007I have to admit that I approached this film with a little trepidation at the Tribeca Film Festival. One one hand, the plot sounded a little like it might come out of an afterschool special; but then again, the cast had Cynthia Nixon, Gina Gershon, Wyclef Jean, and I had heard a rumor about a certain movie star cameo. (Which I won't spoil here.) And I knew that Sunny Mabrey, the only thing I remember from XXX2, was in it. Certainly all of these names wouldn't have been attracted by something pedestrian, right? Right. The IMDb and other reviews summarize the plot, so I won't do that here. (Or rant that the film never got a chance to find a theatrical audience. Thanks, Cuban.) But what I will do is tell you that the writing and the acting elevate this film into something pretty special.It's not rare to find a funny film. It's not rare to find a sad film about death. What is rare is to find a film that is honest about its approach to death, and that manages to be both very funny and sad. And while some of the laughs certainly qualify as gallows humor, for anyone that has been through something like this, you will appreciate the filmmakers' open approach of looking at all the shades of this experience.It is a strong testament to the film (and especially the writing) that from the opening scene, you know how this movie is going to end, yet that end is still very affecting. It was definitely more than a little dusty in the theater, if you know what I mean. But the end is not cheap, or manipulative. The emotions that are generated are come by honestly, and true to the spirit of the characters.I'd especially like to mention the performances by all the actors playing the teenagers. These felt like real kids, who were both terrified by the situation, yet doing their best to get through it anyway they can. A lot of reviews have mentioned Michael Angarano, and rightfully so, but Matt Bush and Gideon Click are also excellent, and the three of them create a really strong dynamic. And there is a killer Wyclef Jean song over the end credits.I'll also add that this movie sparked more conversation between my girlfriend and I than any we've seen, and that's really saying something.So buy it, rent it, add it to your Netflix, tell a friend. This is a film that deserves your support. You won't regret giving it a chance.
Warning! Cancer kid film! Good though...
posted on 09 Nov 2007I wanted to rate it higher, but I found it rather average as cancer kid movies go. The movie is actually an exploration of the meaning of life and death and how it affects both the dying and ones left behind.I felt that, as the two wacky friends of the dying kid used him a little as a macabre joy ride, so the writer of the film took the tragedy of death and twisted it to fit his message on life. The result was a benign slightly dream like experience that kind of conflicts with reality. As in superhero movies, too many coincidences led to the desired result; any one missing and it would have all been a sad and depressing experience.And what is with the funeral home people trying to erase the smile of dead people? Isn't it better to go out happy?Bottom line: a mild drama, played well, directed OK, a bit over melodramatic and a bit to fantastic in some places, but hey... it's a drama.
A skilled balancing of death and humor, anchored with a terrific sense of place
posted on 04 Oct 2007Writing about death is never easy, and writing about a teenager's terminal illness is a particularly tough act. Screenwriter Barry Stringfellow skillfully weaves irreverent humor and poignant ideas, the kind that so many of us relate to but from some writers can sound so corny, into a story that moves from a gritty industrial town to the big city of New York. The locations are both supporting actors: You can tell, just from the furniture in their kitchen, the massive industry that looms over their town, and the wide-eyed looks the three kids give the Big City, what kind of lives these characters lead.The film's especially strong in dealing with unfinished business: Anyone who's ever loved and lost a parent will be touched by the boy's "sightings" of his dead father, which are half hallucination, half heartfelt wish.
Black Humor?
posted on 16 Sep 2007This film dealt with issues that people must face when fate deals a tragic illness to someone we love. It avoids mawkish sentimentality, focusing rather in presenting acceptance of inevitable loss through the warm support of family and friends. The teenage actors were very believable and delightful, skillfully handling roles that brought humor to the film. The young star was especially likable and other teens would find him easy to identify with.The writing showed insight into how difficult it is to "lighten up" when confronted with death. And if viewed as a tragi-comedy, in a kind of make believe world, the film can be viewed more lightly, as it was meant to be.
"One Last Thing" is one great thing
posted on 10 Sep 2007"One Last Thing" is that rare thing, a small film that's big on entertainment while never compromising its intimate feel. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and then you'll laugh and cry some more. "One Last Thing" takes the story of a teenager, dying of cancer, and turn it into a celebration of life that is neither sappy, nor cliché. On the verge of accepting a charitable organization's last wish of a fishing trip with his football hero, the young Dylan throws caution to the wind and states his real wish on live TV: to spend a weekend alone with supermodel Nikki Sinclair. Michael Angarano ("Seabiscuit," "Lords Of Dogstown," "Will & Grace) as the dying Dylan, Cynthia Nixon ("Sex and The City") as his widowed mom, and hot, hot, hot newcomer Sunny Mabrey ("xXx State of the Union") as the gorgeous but troubled model, bring amazing chemistry to Barry Stringfellow's remarkable script. Deftly directed by Alex Steyermark ("Prey For Rock & Roll"), the cast is rounded out by the likes of Gina Gershon, Wyclef Jean, Johnny Messner, Coati Mundi, Michael Rispoli. And added bonus is a wonderful, uncredited turn by Ethan Hawk as Dylan's father who also died from cancer a few years before. I heard about "One Last Thing," of all places, on my classical radio station KUSC here in L.A. Evening host Jim Svedja was so impressed by it at a screening that he took time from his usual musical broadcast to rave about the flick and interview Mr. Stringfellow, Mr. Steyemark and Ms. Mabrey (tough duty I'll bet). He even offered a money back guarantee. Alas, HD-Net the company that released "One Last Thing" apparently lacked his good taste and enthusiasm. After a bare bones release, the film was quickly released on DVD via their "genius" day-date release policy. Fortunately, the DVD is widely available and the small screen doesn't diminish the big pleasure that is "One Last Thing." I don't have Mr. Svedja's deep pockets, but I guarantee you it won't disappoint you.
Delightful bittersweet comedy
posted on 12 Jul 2007In telling a story which all too easily could have been an old-fashioned tearjerker, "One Last Thing" is audaciously unsentimental. (It's fair to assume a reader knows the premise.) As a person who once harbored teenagers, I was knocked out by the reality of two scenes, the first with 16-year old Dylan & his two best friends:either Mr. Stringfellow has total recall, or he's been a fly in the wall where hormone-riddled boys hang out. The other was a scene with Dylan & his mother in a car in the course of which the boy justifies smoking pot because he's terminally ill, so what more can 'they' do to him?While making us laugh, the dialogue tells us everything we should know about the son-mother relationship. The film intertwines sadness & comedy. I suspect that if "One Last Thing" were Mexican or Italian or French it would have received wider theatrical; release..
Great little movie
posted on 08 Jul 2007I thought it was awesome. Particularly the writing. At first, I was afraid that this would be some raunchy "American Pie" type of film with easy, crass jokes and gratuitous nudity. I think we have all seen enough shallow attempts at this type of entertainment. This movie however was fresh and revolved around genuine human emotion. The ups and downs of our life here on earth. In the face of death, what does a teenager do? Well, this one goes out swinging. While he cannot control what is happening to his body, this boy takes charge of the time he has left. It has a sweet, positive message. If this were a Hollywood film, I'm sure they would have found a way for the boy to miraculously live in the end. The truth is, we all die. This film embraces that and makes it entertaining. I found myself laughing one minute and crying the next. The themes in this movie were true to life. The scenes of reconnection with his father were especially touching, leaving the viewer with a bittersweet longing for a world where we live forever with those closest to us. I left the theater feeling pondering life and feeling inspired to make the most of it. Way to go!
A beautiful film that made me laugh and cry and happy to be alive
posted on 28 Jun 2007I got to see "One Last Thing..." at the Toronto Film Festival while visiting friends. I loved Alex Steyermark's previous film, "Prey for Rock & Roll" - and couldn't believe my luck that I was in Toronto during the premiere of this new film (although I missed all the fun of the premiere and saw it at the second screening). I didn't know what to expect, but this film is completely different. I don't know how to describe it without giving out spoilers - this film is a complete surprise, incredibly funny and incredibly poignant - and you feel good about laughing at the jokes and crying at the sad stuff. It made me appreciate the people in my life. All of the acting is excellent across the board - and the three kids are the most real group of teenagers I've ever seen on film. The script strikes the perfect balance of emotions without getting sappy. The music is amazing. At the screening, the director said he expected a wide release next Spring (2006), so all I can say is go see it when it comes out.
A Winning Angarano Not Enough to Offset the Uneasy Blend Between Sentimental and Raucous
posted on 25 May 2007It's a nice idea to take the standard cliché-driven movie concept of a dying boy's last wish and turn it on its head into something emotionally resonant and blackly humorous. But unfortunately, something goes awry in this oddly dissatisfying 2006 movie. The major problem is that director Alex Steyermark and screenwriter Barry Stringfellow never find a consistent tone to their story as it uneasily blends elements of "Terms of Endearment", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Six Feet Under" into an unappetizing concoction. That's a shame since a cast of solid actors has been recruited by agents I'm sure were convinced of the film's appeal.The plot focuses on an incurably ill sixteen-year old named Dylan Jameison living with his widowed mother Karen in a Philadelphia suburb. Granted a last request by a "Make a Wish"-type foundation, he goes for the more socially acceptable wish of taking a fishing trip with his favorite football player, Jason O'Malley, but he reveals during the media event that his real wish is to spend a weekend alone with supermodel, Nikki Sinclair. As it turns out, Nikki is on a nihilistic, drug-addled and alcohol-soaked slide and badly in need of a PR makeover, so her savvy agent takes advantage of the situation and turns it into a photo opportunity. An off-the-cuff comment encourages Dylan, now a media darling, to visit Nikki in New York, and the rest of the story, as you can guess, takes care of itself.Not just focusing on Dylan and his buddies, the narrative also tracks Nikki's buried past and the reasons behind her current diva behavior, as well as Karen's burgeoning relationship with Jason. Instead of adding texture to the story, these story threads feel extraneous and compound the plot contrivances. What's more, Dylan's two buddies, Ricky and Slap, are so interchangeable in look and hormone-driven behavior that they become tiresome quickly, and it is basically left to Michael Angarano to hold the movie on his shoulders.Luckily, Angarano is winning as Dylan. Most familiar to me as Jack's level-headed, biological son Elliot on "Will & Grace", he latches onto the heart of the character without getting either cloying or manipulative about his mortality. Sunny Mabrey does what she can as Nikki, but her character arc feels elliptical and disjointed. As Dylan's mother, Cynthia Nixon effortlessly finds her maternal instinct here, a role quite similar to the one she played in "Little Manhattan". Her well-honed skills at camaraderie, developed over the years on "Sex in the City", are what make her scenes with Angarano work well. Sadly though, Stringfellow shoves her character into a ridiculously conceived romance.For an indie film, there are a surprising number of high profile people in smaller roles - an uncredited Ethan Hawke in flashbacks and dream sequences as Dylan's father; the welcome Gina Gershon as Nikki's agent; Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway's favorite troubadour, as Dylan's caring doctor; hip-hop maestro Wyclef Jean as a mystical cab driver; and Michael Rispoli (also uncredited) as an urban savior heavy into mysticism. But none of them are helped by the distracting clash between the sentimental and the raucous that the filmmakers seem intent upon forcing on the actors.Released less than three weeks after its theatrical release (an arguable marketing tactic), the DVD contains a thoughtful commentary track from Steyermark, which is frankly better than listening to the film's misbegotten dialogue; a worthless series of outtakes; and the trailer which frankly says enough about the film if you want to avoid it entirely. There is a half-hour featurette of the film, mainly interviews with Steyermark and the principals, moderated by smug, self-absorbed film critic Robert Wilonsky as part of his "HDNet Higher Definition" series.
- 1
- 2
Cynthia Nixon and Michael Angarano Shine in this Tender Story
posted on 18 Aug 2009The concept for this little Indie film - the dying wish of a teenager opening spiritual doors - is far from original, but Barry Stringfellow's strong script as directed by Alex Steyermark (whose only other directorial venture was 'Prey for Rock and Roll', though he has been on the crew of some very fine films like 'Pieces of April' etc) results in a far from ordinary drama. For those who have not seen Cynthia Nixon expand beyond her 'Sex and the City' role, this performance will be enlightening! Dylan (Michael Angarano) is a young teenager diagnosed with terminal cancer, a fact that he shares with his loony buddies (Gideon Glick and Matt Bush) who support him with silly but genuine companionship. Dylan's mother Carol (Cynthia) is still reeling from her husband's death (Ethan Hawke) and facing the loss of the one remaining part of her family is devastating but her strength of character keeps a positive support for Dylan. When Dylan is informed by his doctor (Brian Stokes Mitchell) that further radiation and chemotherapy are useless, Dylan places his desire for living on one last thing...he is on a TV show where dying wishes are granted, and rather than the asking for expected fishing trip with football hero Jason (Johnny Messner), he opts for a weekend alone with supermodel Nikki Sinclair (Sunny Mabrey). Nikki, we discover, has problems and demons of her own and her agent Arlene (Gina Gershon), in trying to rescue her faltering career, advises the reluctant Nikki to visit Dylan in his home in Pennsylvania - for positive PR purposes. Once they meet Dylan is determined to have his one last thing, gains money and a room (a gift form Jason) in New York and travels with his sidekicks to the Big Apple to cash in on his prize. The Nikki he finds is the wasted girl down at heels and though she feels tenderness toward Dylan she tells him to just go home. Dylan's disease progresses to the point of final hospitalization when Nikki re-enters the sad room and changes things.The power that changes this predictable story lies in the extraordinarily sensitive performances of Michael Angarano, who plays Dylan with a twinkle in his eye and allows us to feel his burden with resorting to bathos, and the always-impressive Cynthia Nixon whose performance as Dylan's mother is the most understated and heart wrenching on film. She owns the screen whenever she is on. The supporting cast is strong (though Gideon Glick and Matt Bush are allowed to become obnoxious and would have benefited from some stronger direction). In all, this is a striking, simple, compelling film that rises well above its premise to become an important statement about death and dying and the power of hope and love and family. Grady Harp