The Cure

Rating:
Summary: A well acted tear jerker
Review: "The cure" is about a boy named dexter(Joseph Mazzello) who has aids. Then the boy next door(Brad Renfo) discovers Dexter and the two eventually become best friends. Now both boys are on a quest to find the cure for Dexter's illness. I loved this movie very much. I cried the very first time i watched it. Joseph Mazzello is superb. I have beeen a fan of his acting for years. I recommend this movie to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: A Must For Joseph Mazzello Movie Collectors
Review: (contains spoilers)

'The Cure', from 1995, was Joseph Mazzello's next major non TV role after 'The River Wild'. Brad Renfro also features in this his second major role, the first one of which was 'The Client'.

These days of course both actors are now in their 20s so this is the young Joe Mazzello and young Brad Renfro we're discussing :) The Cure is one of Joseph Mazzello's finest roles along with his performance in Jurassic Park but of course everybody does a superb job with this film.

There are no fancy visual effects or major stunts in this film, just a simple straight story of two boys, Dexter, who has AIDS, and Erik. They befriend each other through the garden fence and "hang out" a lot. Erik takes advantage of Dexter initially but the pair bond well on screen (even though Joseph and Brad didn't get along together off-screen). They eventually decide to travel to New Orleans after reading a tabloid article about a doctor who claims to have found a cure for AIDS. They meet colourful characters on the way but never reach New Orleans, instead Dexter's health takes a turn for the worse forcing Erik to take him back home. Sadly, Dexter dies from his illness but it opens up some really heartfelt scenes towards the movie's end which make the previous 90mins or so very heartwarming.

A very well recommended film that is not just worthy of rental; it's worthy of a place in your video collection. Joe & Brad both carry the film very well, Joseph Mazzello was, and still is, a very natural actor even at this young age. If you never rent/import anything else ever, do it for this movie, an all-time underrated classic movie. I've only had it three weeks and I've watched it four times already :) Rating: 5 out of 5.

Rating:
Summary: A Must For Joseph Mazzello Movie Collectors
Review: (contains spoilers)

'The Cure', from 1995, was Joseph Mazzello's next major non TV role after 'The River Wild'. Brad Renfro also features in this his second major role, the first one of which was 'The Client'.

These days of course both actors are now in their 20s so this is the young Joe Mazzello and young Brad Renfro we're discussing :) The Cure is one of Joseph Mazzello's finest roles along with his performance in Jurassic Park but of course everybody does a superb job with this film.

There are no fancy visual effects or major stunts in this film, just a simple straight story of two boys, Dexter, who has AIDS, and Erik. They befriend each other through the garden fence and "hang out" a lot. Erik takes advantage of Dexter initially but the pair bond well on screen (even though Joseph and Brad didn't get along together off-screen). They eventually decide to travel to New Orleans after reading a tabloid article about a doctor who claims to have found a cure for AIDS. They meet colourful characters on the way but never reach New Orleans, instead Dexter's health takes a turn for the worse forcing Erik to take him back home. Sadly, Dexter dies from his illness but it opens up some really heartfelt scenes towards the movie's end which make the previous 90mins or so very heartwarming.

A very well recommended film that is not just worthy of rental; it's worthy of a place in your video collection. Joe & Brad both carry the film very well, Joseph Mazzello was, and still is, a very natural actor even at this young age. If you never rent/import anything else ever, do it for this movie, an all-time underrated classic movie. I've only had it three weeks and I've watched it four times already :) Rating: 5 out of 5.

Rating:
Summary: Wapaa!!!
Review: I was lucky enough to have first seen this movie at a special screening in San Diego in April of 1995. The theater was filled with only high school students (from around the country who were attending a journalism convention) and there was not one dry eye by the end of the credits. Even the 'jocks' were *gasp* sobbing! The next day I was able to talk with director Peter Horton which helped me come to appreciate this wonderful story even more. I've recommended this movie to family and friends and not a single person I know who has seen it has regretted it.

The cast does a superb job. All aspects of the story are believable...from the antics of eleven-year-old boys to the touching warmth of Dexter's relationship with his mom. We all know a Dexter or an Erik. We don't have to know someone living with AIDS or HIV or someone who has been bullied. It is the spirit of the two boys that Joseph and Brad are able to capture, and the incredible friendship they forge, that rings true and touches the hearts of those who have been affected by this film.

The sountrack is also amazing. Dave Grusin worked his magic with the score. Marc Cohn's 'Great Escape' is a perfect fit. My only beef is that Marc never recorded a full version of the song and it doesn't show up on the cd, even if only in its unfinished form.

Unfortunately, this film never got a wide theater release. The topic of a young child with AIDS seemed to be too 'controversial' at the time. It saw limited release on VHS and has never been released on DVD. That more people have not been able to see this film is a great injustice for which I am frustrated and greatly saddened. I feel strongly that Universal Studios has failed miserably to promote the jewel they have in this movie.

This is one of my favorite movies. If I had to pick my top ten, this one would be included. It is the simplicity with which this story is told; the warmth with which the subject is handled; and in the end, it is the bond between two friends who are told by society that they shouldn't be, that makes this film one of the best.

To anyone who worked on this film who may see this: Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring tale of profound friendship.
Review: Joseph Mazzello (Jurassic Park, Simon Birch, The River Wild, Radio Flyer, Three Wishes, Star Kid) stars as 11-year-old Dexter in this wonderful but sad story of a boy who caught AIDS from a blood transfusion. Dexter is shunned by all the children in school and the neighborhood until troubled neighbor Erik, played by Brad Renfro (The Client, Sleepers, Tom and Huck, Apt Pupil, Bully) befriends him - initially as an act of rebellion! But Erik soon becomes devoted to Dexter, leading him down the Mississippi river in search of a cure. What I found most interesting and original about this movie is the notion that Erik was a rebellious kid (in the opening scene he's vandalizing his desk in school), who initially befriends Dexter because that's exactly what everyone - peers and parents - oppose. But the result is one of the most touching friendships in the movies.

Rating:
Summary: A well acted tear jerker
Review: No words can properly explain the impact of this video. It is heartwarming, breathtaking, and moving, yet funny and grasping. It's definately a film for all tastes. My highschool requires us, as a freshman to watch and write a paper on "The Cure." My freshman year I didn't take it seriously because I was "tougher than that" and I didn't find it important. I only watched half the movie and didn't write the paper. This year, since I have to retake P.E., I've chosen to stand up, not only because I now have a friend living with AIDS, but because it's important.

********I would give this movie all the stars in the sky.********

Rating:
Summary: really really good
Review: The Cure is about two friends who are told that they aren't supposed to hang out anymore once one of them has AIDS. Their mother doesn't want the one boy around the other, and it's gut-wrenching and such. Brad Renfro is an underrated actor, especially after some of the performances he has turned in on The Client and Apt Pupil. I'll always remember where I was and who I was with when I first saw this. It was January 23.

Rating:
Summary: The film is good, but...
Review: This was a film I discovered by accident - and fell in love with. Strong performances all around, and a captivating, yet not too sentimental story line.
But... Why has Universal not bothered to remaster this gem for DVD release? The sound is MONO, and the aspect ratio of the film is 1,33:1. (Full frame, not widescreen.)I know this was not a great commercial success, but I think Universal should have taken more care with this release.

Rating:
Summary: What An Excellent Movie, A Must See!
Review: What happened to great movies like this? With great stories, charaters, action, drama and more. This movie has it all it is so wonderful! I very nice family friendly movie! Not for kids younger then 13 but great for teens so they relate and understand this story! Great movie and everyone should see it.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful!!
Review: Without giving too much away, I'd just like to say I always start sobbing when the mother of the boy with AIDS lays into the mother of the other boy, and I just keep crying until the end. Easily a favorite. I adore this movie.