Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 22, 1995                   TAG: 9504260025
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

`THE CURE' FILM ABOUT A CHILD WITH AIDS IS HANDLED WITH CARE

Though it's as emotionally moving as anything that's been made recently, it doesn't sugarcoat its subject - a child dying of AIDS - and hardly qualifies as a good time at the movies. That said, it's the kind of film Hollywood ought to make for kids (and for adults) but almost never does.

There's always a temptation to dismiss movies like this as ``disease of the week'' TV fodder, but ``The Cure'' takes more care with the characters, and first-time feature director Peter Horton avoids many but not all of the cliches of the genre.

Erik (Brad Renfro, last seen in ``The Client'') is an ordinary 11-year-old, maybe a little more rebellious and adventurous than some, but a good kid. In the opening shot, he's carving up his school desk with a pocket knife. His mother (Diana Scarwid) has ordered him to stay away from their new neighbor, ``that AIDS boy.'' But with the arrival of summer vacation and no other pals, a fence isn't enough to separate two active youngsters.

It doesn't take Erik long to learn that Dexter (Joseph Mazzello, from ``Jurassic Park'' and ``The River Wild'') is just another kid. Perhaps his taste for candy isn't as highly developed as Erik's, but he likes to play with model planes, toy soldiers and frogs. And he's just as lonely as Erik is.

But Erik has a lot to learn about Dexter's disease, and that's where Dexter's mother Linda (Annabella Sciorra) comes in. Though she encourages the boys' friendship, she also has to restrain Erik's impulsiveness. Dexter can't do everything he'd like to. That's hard for an 11-year-old to understand, so Erik decides that they'll find a cure.

At their best, Horton and writer Robert Kuhn capture the exuberance and unpredictability of kids' lives. Given their situation, Erik and Dexter behave realistically for the most part. For such young actors, Renfro and Mazzello are remarkably good and unaffected. In the second half, the action takes an unusual twist and the film falters. It also becomes a little pedantic then, and the boys stop sounding like boys.

Compared to the rest of the film, those are minor flaws. One big dramatic scene toward the end manages to encapsulate all of the fear, confusion and hatred - both real and irrational - that people feel in reaction to this disease. And it makes those emotions real on an individual human level.

In that regard, a good Hollywood movie can be much more effective than a thousand news stories or red ribbons ... if people see it.

The Cure ***

A Universal release playing at the Salem Valley 8. 97 min. Rated PG-13 for subject matter, strong language, some violence.