Shine (1996)

Shine (PG-13)

"Hugs for everyone!"

Australian actor Geoffery Rush (and his butt) made his big breakthrough in this biopic of a fellow Australian and unique virtuoso David Helfgott who, due to a domineering father, rapidly descends into mental illness and obscurity.  Many years later he is found playing improvisational music on a piano in a bar, escaped from his sanitarium.  Soon he meets his future wife and starts once again to play to larger and larger audiences.

The film would be much degraded without Rush's David, a nonstop chitterchatter and hug machine full of mannerisms who is stumbling through life with a hidden intelligence until the right woman comes along to excavate him and his talent.  Rush is magnificent, and Shine is definitely his signature role and includes many of his eccentric hallmarks.  Surprisingly much of the run time is spent on the pathos of his youth and relationship with his father, handled by a younger actors who do an admirable job.  In a way Shine feels like a cleaner, less disturbing "Bad Boy Bubby," an Australian cult film from a few years prior.  However this film is differentiated by its mainstream appeal and heartfelt humanity.  It's a shiny ticket to the Geoffery Rush show, front row and center.

9 Coke Bottle Glasses and Cigarettes out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)