RETURN TO ME/AT FIRST SIGHT (DOUBLE FEATURE) (DVD/2 DISC) DVD

At First Sight
New York architect Amy Benic (Mira Sorvino) meets blind masseur Virgil Adamson (Val Kilmer) and falls in love. As she learns his lifelong blindness may be curable through experimental surgery, she convinces him to undergo the operation. Virgil then learns vision may not quite be what he expected. At First Sight is directed by Irwin Winkler and also stars Bruce Davison, Nathan Lane, and Kelly McGillis. At First Sight is a romance adapted by writer Steve Levitt based upon the story To See and Not See from noted writer Dr. Oliver Sacks' collection, An Anthropologist on Mars. Dr. Sacks' work is also the basis for the Penny Marshall film Awakenings, starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams and the opera The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Michael Morris with music by Michael Nyman. In his original story, Dr. Sacks tells of receiving a call in October 1991 from a retired minister in the Midwest. His daughter was about to marry a fifty-year old man, Virgil, who had been blind since early childhood. He had thick cataracts and been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a disease which slowly eats away the retinas. As he could still make the distinction between light and dark, it was found he was misdiagnosed and simple cataract extraction could possibly restore his sight. While surgery was a success, Virgil, like his cinematic counterpart, found he would have to learn to use his vision much like an infant would, even though he was adept at relating to the world through touch. In his A New Theory of Vision, written in 1709, George Berkeley concluded there was no necessary connection between a tactile world and a sight world; a connection between them could be established only on the basis of experience. This same story was also adapted into the play Molly Sweeney by Brian Friel. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide

Return to Me
In this romantic comedy, a man loses the love of his life, only to find her heart beating in the body of someone new. Architect Bob Rueland (David Duchovny) is happily married until his wife Elizabeth (Joely Richardson), a zoologist, dies in an auto accident. A year later, Bob is still dealing with his loss when he meets Grace Briggs (Minnie Driver), a shy woman who waits tables in an Irish/Italian restaurant run by her grandfather Marty (Carroll O'Connor). Bob falls for Grace at first sight, and she's attracted to him as well, but what he doesn't know is that a year ago Grace was the recipient of a heart transplant -- and that Elizabeth was the donor. Return to Me was directed and co-written by actress Bonnie Hunt, who also appears in a supporting role as Grace's best friend Megan; the cast also includes Robert Loggia, James Belushi, and David Alan Grier. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast Val Kilmer as Virgil Adamson Mira Sorvino as Amy Benic Kelly McGillis as Jennie Adamson Steven Weber as Duncan Allanbrook Bruce Davison as Dr. Charles Aaron Nathan Lane as Phil Webster Ken Howard as Virgil's Father David Duchovny as Bob Rueland Minnie Driver as Grace Briggs James Belushi as Joe Dayton Bonnie Hunt as Megan Dayton David Alan Grier as Charlie Johnson Chris Barnes as Jeff Holly Biniak as Big Hair Eddie Jones as Emmett McFadden LaTaunya Bounds as Zebra Girl Robert Loggia as Angelo Pardipillo Marianne Muellerleile as Sophie Carroll O'Connor as Marty O’Reilly Jack Cooper as Ballroom Bartender Dick Cusack as Mr. Bennington Joely Richardson as Elizabeth Rueland Rudy Gabor as Italian Singer Romano Ghini as Cappucino Man Joey Gian as Singer Austin Samuel Hibbs as Austin Dayton Brian Howe as Mike Alice Hunt as Nancy Carol Hunt as Nurse Alice Kevin Hunt as ER Doctor Patrick Hunt as Danny Tom Hunt as Tom Walter Jacobs as M.C. Franklin E. Jones as Chester Claire Lake as ER Nurse Don Lake as Transplant Man Laura Larsen as Laura Dayton Tim O'Malley as Patrick David Pasquesi as Tony Karson Pound as Karson Dayton Angelo Ricco as Italian Singer Paola Sebastiani as Nurse Tom Senderak as Paramedic Peter B. Spector as Valet Guy Tyler Spitzer as Tyler Dayton Adam Tanguay as Adam Dayton Harry Teinowitz as Ice Cream Clerk Jennie Lew-Tugend as Paramedic Tamara Tungate as Celia Becky Veduccio as Shari Tom Virtue as Dr. Senderak Lilliana Vitale as Nun Darryl Warren as Father Rudy Holly Wortell as Marsha William Zirko as Italian Singer

Crew David W. Krummel - Art Director Mali Finn - Casting Lis Bothwell - Costume Designer Artist Robinson - First Assistant Director Bonnie Hunt - Director Garth Craven - Editor C.O. Erickson - Executive Producer Melanie Greene - Executive Producer Nicholas Pike - Composer (Music Score) Brent Thomas - Production Designer Laszlo Kovacs - Cinematographer Jennie Lew Tugend - Producer Daniel Clancy - Set Designer Kerry Sanders - Set Designer Robert Grieve - Sound Editor Scott D. Smith - Sound Recordist Don Lake - Screen Story Bonnie Hunt - Screen Story Samantha Goodman - Screen Story Andrew Stern - Screen Story Don Lake - Screenwriter Bonnie Hunt - Screenwriter Joel Sill - Executive Music Producer David W. Krummel - Art Director Mali Finn - Casting Lis Bothwell - Costume Designer Artist Robinson - First Assistant Director Bonnie Hunt - Director Garth Craven - Editor C.O. Erickson - Executive Producer Melanie Greene - Executive Producer Nicholas Pike - Composer (Music Score) Brent Thomas - Production Designer Laszlo Kovacs - Cinematographer Jennie Lew Tugend - Producer Daniel Clancy - Set Designer Kerry Sanders - Set Designer Robert Grieve - Sound Editor Scott D. Smith - Sound Recordist Don Lake - Screen Story Bonnie Hunt - Screen Story Samantha Goodman - Screen Story Andrew Stern - Screen Story Don Lake - Screenwriter Bonnie Hunt - Screenwriter Joel Sill - Executive Music Producer

At First Sight
(not reviewed)
 

Return to Me
The directorial debut of respected actress Bonnie Hunt, Return to Me is a polished and skillfully realized romantic comedy that literally reverses the tearjerker formula by placing its tragic death at the film's beginning rather than the conclusion. Instead of a tale of doomed romance, Hunt has created (with her writing partner Don Lake, who also appears in a humorous cameo), a story that's not exactly the high-concept Hollywood standard: the journey of two people slowly and intelligently putting their lives back together. The director, who cast the film with many of her personal friends from the acting community, pulls fully engaged, grounded performances from her film's protagonists, David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. Driver has earned her chops in this genre with hits such as Circle of Friends (1995) and Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), but Duchovny, noted for his trademark icy reserve, is a revelation as a man with a deeply painful emotional life. An underrated gem that deserved more attention from critics and audiences, Return to Me marks the freshman project of a filmmaker with a promising future behind the camera. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, Spanish, French Subtitle Options: French, Spanish, English Sound Processing: DD: Generic Dolby Digital (unspecified format) DS: Dolby Surround (4.0) Additional Features: cc Return to Me: Audio commentay by Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake "What if, I Loved You" music video Deleted scene featuring Carroll O'Connor DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 2 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 245 min   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- Return to Me 1. Logo/Main Title [3:18] 2. Rehearsal With Sydney [1:24] 3. Mel Waits [1:39] 4. Fundraising [1:40] 5. A Bad Heart [1:39] 6. A Sizable Donation [4:25] 7. Heart Trauma [:57] 8. The Call [2:59] 9. "She's Not Coming Home" [2:24] 10. Waiting/The New Heart [3:33] 11. Best Male Singer [4:19] 12. A Great Listener [1:37] 13. To Mail or Not [4:20] 14. Old Habits Die Hard [3:23] 15. The Ticket [3:40] 16. Dating Hell [10:56] 17. Meet the Ex-Priest [4:13] 18. "His Wife Is Dead" [2:07] 19. The Shower Cap [3:44] 20. "It's Like a Garden" [2:06] 21. First Date [5:01] 22. Senior Bowling [4:17] 23. Frankie's Magic [4:00] 24. "He's No Joe" [6:35] 25. The Revelation, Part 1 [1:01] 26. What Was God Thinking? [5:36] 27. The Revelation, Part ll [1:37] 28. When in Rome... [5:56] 29. A Heart at Home [3:09] 30. ...Do as the Romans Do [4:21] 31. For Elizabeth [2:45] 32. End Credits [2:10] Disc #2, Side A -- At First Sight 1. Logos/Main Title [3:12] 2. Tension to Tears [5:01] 3. Amy Sees the Light [2:35] 4. A "Sleeping" Eye Dog [2:11] 5. A Kiss to Build a Dream On [:49] 6. Canceled Apologies [1:27] 7. "What's Out There?" [3:37] 8. Rhythm of the Rain [2:52] 9. Heavenly Memories [3:32] 10. Scorched Date [:52] 11. Second-Chance Guy [2:31] 12. A Search for Insight [2:03] 13. Cold/Hot Kisses [4:31] 14. No Changes, Please! [2:35] 15. "Some Great News" [2:23] 16. There Are No Miracles [1:47] 17. Stomping Like Bigfoot [2:08] 18. A Restless Night [:53] 19. They Can't Take That Away From Me [1:41] 20. Cataract Interaction [1:03] 21. Cool Kid [:23] 22. Obstacles/Art/Plans [2:53] 23. Surgery & Bad Coffee [1:30] 24. "Can" This Be Sight? [5:29] 25. "So This Is You!" [3:31] 26. Covering Up Holes [1:16] 27. A Beautiful Surprise [3:30] 28. No Manuel for Limbo [3:51] 29. Mixed Media [3:44] 30. Sculptured Talk [1:43] 31. Reconstructing Dad [1:18] 32. Crashing a Party [7:54] 33. Happy-Hour Therapy [3:34] 34. Easy Come Easy Go [3:15] 35. Park Perspectives [3:50] 36. Flirting With Colors [2:54] 37. The Light Grows Dim [3:35] 38. A Father Fails [2:16] 39. A Seeing Celebration [1:40] 40. A Cloudy Hockey Game [4:54] 41. Broken Dreams [3:08] 42. Reaching Back Home [4:13] 43. Seeing the Horizon [5:38] 44. Love Is Where You Are/End Credits [4:41] Disc #2, Side B -- At First Sight 1. Logos/Main Title [3:12] 2. Tension to Tears [5:01] 3. Amy Sees the Light [2:35] 4. A "Sleeping" Eye Dog [2:11] 5. A Kiss to Build a Dream On [:49] 6. Canceled Apologies [1:27] 7. "What's Out There?" [3:37] 8. Rhythm of the Rain [2:52] 9. Heavenly Memories [3:32] 10. Scorched Date [:52] 11. Second-Chance Guy [2:31] 12. A Search for Insight [2:03] 13. Cold/Hot Kisses [4:31] 14. No Changes, Please! [2:35] 15. "Some Great News" [2:23] 16. There Are No Miracles [1:47] 17. Stomping Like Bigfoot [2:08] 18. A Restless Night [:53] 19. They Can't Take That Away From Me [1:41] 20. Cataract Interaction [1:03] 21. Cool Kid [:23] 22. Obstacles/Art/Plans [2:53] 23. Surgery & Bad Coffee [1:30] 24. "Can" This Be Sight? [5:29] 25. "So This Is You!" [3:31] 26. Covering Up Holes [1:16] 27. A Beautiful Surprise [3:30] 28. No Manuel for Limbo [3:51] 29. Mixed Media [3:44] 30. Sculptured Talk [1:43] 31. Reconstructing Dad [1:18] 32. Crashing a Party [7:54] 33. Happy-Hour Therapy [3:34] 34. Easy Come Easy Go [3:15] 35. Park Perspectives [3:50] 36. Flirting With Colors [2:54] 37. The Light Grows Dim [3:35] 38. A Father Fails [2:16] 39. A Seeing Celebration [1:40] 40. A Cloudy Hockey Game [4:54] 41. Broken Dreams [3:08] 42. Reaching Back Home [4:13] 43. Seeing the Horizon [5:38] 44. Love Is Where You Are/End Credits [4:41]