The Man Who Cried

A haltingly emotional saga of a young Russian refugee's sidetracked search for her missing father, Sally Potter's The Man Who Cried has a hauntingly moving first act, thanks to 5-year-old Claudia Lander-Duke's heart-rending performance. But when the film fast-forwards 15 years, Christina Ricci takes over the role and, without the intensity and substance of Lander-Duke's remarkable turn, the picture loses much of its emotional impact. Set mostly in pre-WWII Paris, where Ricci joins the opera, the filmmaking is borderline pretentious and the plot is melodramatic. Johnny Depp smolders histrionically as Ricci's over-romanticized, gypsy lover (déjà vu Chocolat). John Turturro is better as an egomaniacal tenor and Axis sympathizer who may expose Ricci's Jewish heritage. Cate Blanchett is best as a flamboyant dancer angling to become Turturro's mistress. The defining problem: Ricci seems to forget about her father until she flees occupied France for America in a finale that veers absurdly into Shirley Temple territory. Not a necessary purchase. (R. Blackwelder)