“Ambition earns the room.”
The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

Hearts in Atlantis
Drama · 2001
A widowed mother and her son change when a mysterious stranger enters their lives.
Hearts in Atlantis
“What if one of life's great mysteries moved in upstairs?”
Critical arithmetic
The consensus, allegedly.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
IMDb
6.9 / 10
41.8K votes
Rotten Tomatoes
49 %
Tomatometer
Metacritic
55 / 100
Metascore
TMDB
6.8 / 10
Community rating
External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.
A widowed mother and her son change when a mysterious stranger enters their lives.
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Hearts in Atlantis?
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their caseThe Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Watch in your region.
Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.
Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Scott Hicks
Written by
William Goldman
Put Hearts in Atlantis on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
“Importance has entered the chat.”
The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.






