The Waterdance

Stars: Eric Stoltz (Mask, Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Helen Hunt (Only You), Wesley Snipes (Passenger 57, White Men Can't Jump, Jungle Fever), William Forsythe (American Me, The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag, Raising Arizona). Based on his own experiences writer/co-director Neal Jimenez's story of life in a physical rehabilitation center stars Eric Stoltz as Joel Garcia, a writer who breaks his neck in a hiking accident, and becomes permanently paralyzed. Angry and bitter, Joel has an uneasy relationship with his girlfriend Anna (Helen Hunt), who was planning to leave her husband prior to the accident. On the ward, he is befriended by other wheelchair warriors: Raymond (Wesley Snipes), a teller of tall tales; and Bloss (William Forsythe), a racist biker who's waiting for his (insurance) ship to come in. The crux of the plot rests on whether Raymond has, in fact, slept with a stripper at a local strip joint, and eventually the boys all pile into the hospital van to check Raymond's story out. If this sounds like a rather lame plot, it is. The Waterdance is not watchable because of its rather feeble story and aspirations toward being a One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Jr.; on the contrary, it is the fine acting of Stoltz, Snipes, Forsythe and Hunt which bring the film's characters to life that is worth watching. The truly powerful scenes are those which explore the gaps both great and small between these characters from diverse backgrounds, and the way they cross those gaps. Audience: Those looking for an engaging character drama with a few good laughs will find it in this sensitive and uplifting film.