Beautiful Ohio

Set in Cleveland in the early 1970s, this film is the debut directorial effort of actor Chad Lowe, who is a native of Dayton. William Hurt and Rita Wilson are Simon and Judith Messerman – gifted and “enlightened” parents of teenage boys who invest a lot of emotional energy into seeing that their brilliant older son Clive wins math competitions. An astonishing math prodigy, Clive is otherwise unwilling to communicate except by using his own personal language. Despite the overwhelming personalities of these three Messermans, BEAUTIFUL OHIO is really the story of Clive's younger brother, William. Reasonably bright, with no visible eccentricities, William is buffeted about by the changes going on in his family. He navigates his levelheaded way through life under Clive's long shadow, coping with his dotty parents (who are a bit too modern for everyone's good) and a wayward girl who lives in the basement. This touching coming-of-age story features a strong ensemble cast that includes Julianna Margulies as a sexy neighbor and Michelle Trachtenberg as the Clive's' mysterious lover. –B.B.