Spoiler warning!
This is a mixed-bag when it comes to story-telling. Some scenes work quite well, others are totally poor. One of the weakest is the famous "engagement" scene. It is thrown away as a totally one-note sentimental piece, and misses the comic potential of the scene. The version of TOM SAWYER starring Johnny Whittaker and Jodie Foster delivered it a lot better.
Brad Renfro does a technically brilliant performance here. He can obviously relate to Huck very well and there is obviously some parallels with his own life. Unfortunately, he doesn't suit Huck as a classic story character, and he certainly doesn't suit the style of the rest of this movie. The effect is like Robert DeNiro doing his TAXI DRIVER role in the middle of a Laurel & Hardy comedy. It takes a lot of skill to make these styles fit together, and it's certainly out of the league of the production of this film.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas is fairly good as Tom. He does the climactic court scene very well, and he is generally charming and mischevious. But he lacks the depth to make the character really come alive. The whitewashing scene is fairly good, though I've seen better.
Not bad, but certainly no classic. The previous film THE ADVENTURES OF HUCK FINN is actually a far better adaptation of a famous Twain novel.
This is a mixed-bag when it comes to story-telling. Some scenes work quite well, others are totally poor. One of the weakest is the famous "engagement" scene. It is thrown away as a totally one-note sentimental piece, and misses the comic potential of the scene. The version of TOM SAWYER starring Johnny Whittaker and Jodie Foster delivered it a lot better.
Brad Renfro does a technically brilliant performance here. He can obviously relate to Huck very well and there is obviously some parallels with his own life. Unfortunately, he doesn't suit Huck as a classic story character, and he certainly doesn't suit the style of the rest of this movie. The effect is like Robert DeNiro doing his TAXI DRIVER role in the middle of a Laurel & Hardy comedy. It takes a lot of skill to make these styles fit together, and it's certainly out of the league of the production of this film.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas is fairly good as Tom. He does the climactic court scene very well, and he is generally charming and mischevious. But he lacks the depth to make the character really come alive. The whitewashing scene is fairly good, though I've seen better.
Not bad, but certainly no classic. The previous film THE ADVENTURES OF HUCK FINN is actually a far better adaptation of a famous Twain novel.