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The Deep End of the Ocean

Play trailer Poster for The Deep End of the Ocean PG-13 Released Mar 12, 1999 1h 45m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
42% Tomatometer 36 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
After Beth Cappadora's (Michelle Pfeiffer) youngest son, Ben, vanishes in Chicago, she slowly descends into a deep depression, affecting her husband, Pat (Treat Williams), and her other children (Jonathan Jackson, Alexa Vega). Relocating to Chicago several years later, they are shocked to discover a local boy named Sam (Ryan Merriman) who looks strikingly similar to Ben. Along with detective Candy Bliss (Whoopi Goldberg), the family must relive their trauma and find out the truth about Sam.
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The Deep End of the Ocean

Critics Reviews

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Emanuel Levy Variety Well-acted but pedestrian TV-like melodrama what what consitutes a family, or sociology versus biology in the kinship debate. Rated: 3/5 Jun 20, 2006 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The Deep End of the Ocean is unconvincing from start to finish. Rated: 1.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Barbara Shulgasser Common Sense Media The script is as oblivious as the biological parents, almost completely ignoring the trauma of the father who raised the boy in good faith from 3 to 12. May 23, 2023 Full Review CSM Staff Christian Science Monitor The subject is poignant and suspenseful, but the treatment is drab and uninvolving despite competent acting and a few well-crafted scenes. Rated: 2/4 Mar 21, 2019 Full Review Jim Lane Sacramento News & Review Rated: 3/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Maria Garcia Film Journal International Grosbard...forgets the need for character motivation, point of view, or anything else that might make this compelling subject an interesting film. Jan 12, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tim J It has Michelle so I gave something but otherwise falls flat like a cardboard box. Kept expecting a twist or maybe something but no. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/03/25 Full Review Rania k It’s my first time seeing this movie in the end of 2024 and it’s really heart melting , the idea of losing a kid every parent’s nightmare. however, i was focusing on the big brother feelings , the kid and teenager actors were more than perfect Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/30/24 Full Review Teria H This movie is amazing I’ve seen some of the comments and as a movie buff for 40 years please have a heart because a lot don’t. This is an excellent movie and the title makes sense with the film. The Deep end of the Ocean references losing their son and the hard times they went through until being reunited again. It’s a parents nightmare and this film shows that. Good job to all the actors/actresses. Michelle and Treat made the perfect couple in this movie. I still watch it 25 years later. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/27/24 Full Review Tina B Almost all the adults sucks, they never really thought about the kids. Mostly the characters are unlikable. But the the female detective is unbearable, "we'll find your son" 9years later "oh it's my fault, I should've done this very basic detective work but please comfort me bec I failed". I wish they focused on the other aspect of the story. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/24 Full Review Laura S Intriguing premise. An abducted son is raised by a stranger and he doesn't want to return to his birth parents. The film focuses on estranged brothers rather what was, at least to me, more interesting - the dynamic between the biological parent and the "foster" parent. Great start, depicting the despair of the birth parent but the rest of the movie felt shallow. Like it was afraid to tackle the parenting issues so it settled on the brother dynamics (even though it has a reason for it). Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/03/24 Full Review Test T I found this movie dull, slow and depressing. It's well made, and the acting is good, but why would anyone want to watch it? I got bored after the child's disappearance, and then it felt like I was being emotionally tortured for the rest of the film. The background music is so sad, it just makes the whole experience worse. I did make it to the end for my review, but I really struggled, and almost switched off several times. It's definitely not my idea of entertainment and I do not recommend it. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 12/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Deep End of the Ocean

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Cast & Crew

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Ulu Grosbard

Director

Michelle Pfeiffer

Beth Cappadora

Treat Williams

Pat Cappadora

Whoopi Goldberg

Candy Bliss

Jonathan Jackson

Vincent Cappadora - Age 16

Ryan Merriman

Sam Karras

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The Deep End of the Ocean

A scene from the Columbia Pictures film "The Deep End of the Ocean." A scene from the Columbia Pictures film "The Deep End of the Ocean." A scene from the Columbia Pictures film "The Deep End of the Ocean." A scene from the Columbia Pictures film "The Deep End of the Ocean." A scene from the Columbia Pictures film "The Deep End of the Ocean." A scene from the Columbia Pictures film "The Deep End of the Ocean." A scene from the Columbia Pictures film "The Deep End of the Ocean." A scene from the Columbia Pictures film "The Deep End of the Ocean." A scene from the Columbia Pictures film "The Deep End of the Ocean." A scene from the Columbia Pictures film "The Deep End of the Ocean." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis After Beth Cappadora's (Michelle Pfeiffer) youngest son, Ben, vanishes in Chicago, she slowly descends into a deep depression, affecting her husband, Pat (Treat Williams), and her other children (Jonathan Jackson, Alexa Vega). Relocating to Chicago several years later, they are shocked to discover a local boy named Sam (Ryan Merriman) who looks strikingly similar to Ben. Along with detective Candy Bliss (Whoopi Goldberg), the family must relive their trauma and find out the truth about Sam.
Director
Ulu Grosbard
Producer
Kate Guinzberg, Kate Guinzburg
Screenwriter
Jacquelyn Mitchard, Stephen Schiff
Distributor
Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 12, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$13.4M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Surround, SDDS, Dolby Digital
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