this be an adaptation of a dirk wittenborn book and which i do not read . young finn earl life with his mom liz ( diane lane ) in a cramped low east side new york apartment . he dream of join his anthropologist father study a fierce tribe in south america . liz have boyfriend and do coke . when he be catch score coke for her and one of her customer ( liz be a legitimate masseuse ) a rich mr. osborne bail her out in return for be his full time personal masseuse in his huge estate in new jersey . they be drive there in a limo with her strung out lie in the back seat with her dress hitch way up and panty show . ( this and a few low cut dress scene be the only exploitation of ms. lane . some may be disappoint but i be sorry she have to do all that stuff in unfaithful to make the a list . that lady have more talent in her little finger than streep and robert and and sally field do in their entire body and it time she be give her due . ) when they arrive finn make friend with osborne grandson bryce and and have a come of age with his new girlfriend and granddaughter maya . liz meanwhile join aa and date an aa doctor . she miraculously clean up instantly . finn however do a lot of drug along with sex with his new friend . bryce seem like an ok guy but get jealous when osborne take finn on a hot air balloon race instead of him and and this lead to tragedy . the genius of the story and ( and movie ) be that they cut from the violent act of the fierce filthy rich blysdale tribe to the yanomano warrior . it a little implausible though that when liz find out what happen to her son she merely demand action from osborne and do not either contact the authority or settle it thelma and louise style . there be element of a gothic romance with a revelation by the village idiot . also they do almost no plot or character development prior to the move to blysdale . liz and for instance and like lane pearl kantrowitz in walk on the moon have an unwanted pregnancy with finn at 18 and felt trap . this be in the book but not the movie . still and these be minor shortcoming . the movie will be in full release 12/31/05 over a year after the original release date and and i just couldn not wait . there be lot of red carpet moment in the theater i saw the movie at and with almost the whole cast . except diane lane . $ # % # q $ director dunne say she be off film a movie . i know she do not promise to be there and but i come from way out of town and it would have be such a thrill to see her in person . the movie be a definite best picture contender and a for act . sutherland be quite good and and so be the boy who play finn . lane be magnificent a always and but i only recall one or two emotional scene and when she catch finn with drug let get fd up together mother and son and with osborne your twisted grandson . she would fare well with a support actress nod but it wont work that way . unless they give it to her for a body of work .