Mr North

Danny Huston's first feature owes more to Frank Capra than to his dad John. Adapted from the Thornton Wilder novel Theophilus North, it's a gently moral fable about a young man (Edwards) who cycles into 1920s Newport (sun-dappled Gatsby territory) and roots out evil by virtue of his good nature, good sense and mysterious knack of dispensing static electricity at will. Kids call it magic, while adults call it faith healing and plague him with requests. Prime beneficiaries of Mr North's special powers are the town's wealthy elder (Mitchum), a shy debutante (Masterson), and a lively housemaid (Madsen). Also drifting in and out of the whimsical plot are Bacall's local madam, Stanton's fraudulent Cockney valet, and Anjelica Huston as Mitchum's loving daughter and North's heart's desire. Apart from a minor hiccup where sceptics initiate a witch hunt against our hero, there's never a moment's doubt that Good Will Out. Although delicately acted and lovingly shot, it adds up to little more than candy floss.