mightythor47

Anyone who has ever spent any time in an office has got to love the subtext of this seriously over-the-edge movie, that secretarial work is inherently masochistic. I was hugging myself with delight through the whole hour and 47 minutes.

Resurrection is one of my favorite movies -- and I don't even believe in faith healing. I suppose in an odd way that's exactly why I like it so much. It's real theme is how people deal with something that they don't understand and can't fit into their conceptual framework. Every time I watch it, I feel that it is speaking to me personally. You can't ask for more than that from a movie.

Ellen Burstyn plays a woman who has a near death experience and is sent back. I like to think that when she returns, the portal somehow remains open, making her a channel for a supernatural power that neither she nor anyone else understands. I don't think it's giving anything away to say that her character will come to realize that she will only be able to use her gift anonymously. No matter how many times I watch it, the ending never ceases to blow me away. Ellen Burstyn is simply magnificent in this Oscar-nominated performance.

A note of caution to would-be viewers: there are many movies out there with the same title -- mostly horror films. If you rent, make sure you get the 1980 Ellen Burstyn version.

Eddie Cibrian is a janitor who recovers from an accident and discovers that he has acquired healing powers. The movie explores the implications of his new-found gift, especially the cost that it imposes on him and the people close to him. Cibrian is likeable and carries the movie gracefully, with an adequate supporting cast. "Resurrection" (1980), with Ellen Burstyn, is a superior movie that explores most of the same themes on a much deeper level, and packs a far more powerful emotional punch. But "Healing Hands" will always have a special place in my heart because of the circumstances under which I saw it -- on vacation with my 1-year old grand-daughter, who is just acquiring many of the abilities that I find myself gradually losing as a septuagenarian. "Healing Hands" resonated with that situation and gave me a perspective from which to accept generously, even embrace, the inevitable process of aging. My nine stars are a personal tip of the hat for that gift. You can't ask for much more from a movie.