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A lot of critics have really panned this film, many stating that they felt mentally-challenged people were being mocked by it. Not so. I have a mildly retarded cousin who is very much like Daniel.
I think Giovanni Ribisi was absolutely fantastic. It's too early to start talking Oscars for next year, but it wouldn't surprise me if he were to be nominated (probably not for best actor -- he would have a better chance in the best supporting actor category). His performance was not over-the-top at all, but rather was sincere, thoughtful and heart-breaking. The scene in which Daniel describes to Carla his first sexual experience (it was a cruel prank by some vicious boys older than himself years before), and the scene in which he asks his father if he can send him a little more money so that he might be able to stay with Carla rather than move to Florida to live with his mother, are extremely poignant. Ribisi has very expressive eyes and can project emotion quite well without being overly dramatic and without ever saying a word.
I don't often cry at movies, and when I do it is because have I been particularly moved. Ribisi's performance above all made this one worth seeing.
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