It was over 40 years ago that Caine hit super stardom with "Alfie"
and continued to stay up there for a long time just as another star hit it big
back then but sort of coasted for awhile. It wasn't until last year that Julie
Chistie made a comeback with an Oscar
nomination for her role in a 'small' picture called, "Away From Her".  Now Caine is in
a 'small' called, "Is Anybody There?"

Michael, alias Alfie, in now Clarence, a magician in
his 70s near the end of his life and unable to face up to the reality of it. His
last stop is an old age home in  a small town where the son, of the owners of
the home, is a ten year old boy interested in what happens to and after a person
dies. The boy, Edward, and Clarence, form an uneasy  relationship until 2 events
take place that change both their lives.

I had a couple of problems with this film of which I
didn't know whether one was my problem or the problem of the film. I missed a
few key moments due to not hearing the actors or the soundtrack. Yes, some of
the English accents were heavy but at points the sound was very low.

While the film tries to bring humor to the problem
of old age there really isn't that much funny about what the years do to your
body and/or brain. The fact that many known English actors play cameos doesn't
help that they are shown playing stereotypes of people in old age
homes.

Sadly issues of our ever
growing older population aren't dealt with nor does the film go into any real depth regarding what will become of
people like Clarence and the others in the old age home except for the fact that
they will all, as we will, die.

Bill Milner, playing the young boy, does
an adequate job while Anne-Marie Duff and David Morrtissey play his parents doing
their best in underwritten roles that really don't add anything to the story of
the man and the boy. It is always good to see actors of the caliber of Sylvia
Syms,
Rosemary Harris, Peter Vaughn and Leslie Phillips even though they don't have
much to do and what they have to do are mainly caricatures of the older
generation.

The main reason people
will come to see this film is Michael Caine and he delivers in his role as
Clarence--a womanizer who has lost his wife because of his ways, a magician who
is failing at his profession and an old man failing in his mental abilities--a
man who can reach out and change a young boy--a man in his 70s with the twinkle
of a much younger man in his eyes BUT, while it is an excellent performance, I
don't see an Oscar nomination next year unless there are very few male
performances that stand out.

Most people won't hear of this film, let alone see
it, which is a shame that trashy violent films, vulgar comedies and other
senseless pictures will make millions and millions of dollars and leave this in
the dust. At the same time this is not a film I can recommend for its story but
only for the leading man.