I wish I liked it more, but there's more than whiff of worthy Irish heritage in the air, and the story drifts all over the place. I'm afraid I kept drifting off as well.

The rhythms are placid and the camerawork (by Haskell Wexler) is simple and unfussy. The film's a charm.

John Sayles' latest marks his entry into family-pic terrain, a crossing that draws pleasant but unexciting results.

It's possible that adults will be more captivated by this than children, but if you have ever moaned about the Disney empire's world franchise on modern childhood, your duty is clear.