''Delivering Milo'' is a 2001 American

fantasy comedy film Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on, and parodies of, other works of fantasy. Literature The subgenre ro ...

written by David Hubbard and directed by

Nick Castle Nicholas Castle (born September 21, 1947 in Kingsport, Tennessee) is an American screenwriter, film director, and actor. He is known for playing Michael Myers (Halloween), Michael Myers in John Carpenter's horror film ''Halloween (1978 film), H ...

. Anton Yelchin stars as Milo, while

Bridget Fonda Bridget Jane Fonda (born January 27, 1964) is a retired American actress, known for her roles in films such as ''The Godfather Part III'' (1990), '' Single White Female'' (1992), '' Singles'' (1992), ''Point of No Return'' (1993), '' It Could Ha ...

and

Campbell Scott Campbell Scott (born July 19, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. His roles include Steve Dunne in '' Singles'', Mark Usher in ''House of Cards'', Joseph Tobin in ''Damages'', Richard Parker in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and '' The Amazi ...

play his parents.

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining fame for movie acting during the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' ( ...

stars as Elmore Dahl, a

guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary deity, tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played ...

sent to convince a

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

that life on Earth is worth living.

Plot

Elizabeth and Kevin live in NYC in the loft above his glassblowing studio and are expecting their first child. Believing she has gone into labor, they hurry to the hospital. But, once there, the obstetrician tells her she was having

Braxton Hicks contractions Braxton Hicks contractions, also known as practice contractions or false labor, are sporadic uterine contractions that may start around six weeks into a pregnancy. However, they are usually felt in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. ...

. The reality is that in the world from which babies come, Milo is too scared to leave the comfortable place where he has lived. He looks about 11 years old in this place despite not being born yet. Since babies must be born in order, no other babies will be born until he changes his mind. The people in charge have no idea what to do as no baby has ever refused. An old man named Elmore volunteers to show Milo that life is worth it. Elmore is trapped in a sort of limbo until he is determined worthy of Heaven, though he would much rather be back on Earth as he finds limbo to be very boring. Seeing a chance, Elmore bargains with the powers that be. He must get Milo to say he wants to be born in exchange for more time on Earth. To convince Milo to accompany him, he takes advantage of the boy's love of cards games and tricks. They let the cards decide, and Elmore is triumphant. Elizabeth calls her mom, updating her. She mentions she saw a man who looked like her father who'd abandoned them years ago. Elmore and Milo exit thru a door which normally serves only as an entrance. Outside is the energetic and terrifying

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Elmore loves it, but Milo doesn't want to be in this scary place. Milo is introduced to a deli, ice cream and

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

. He initially loves food which he has never needed before. However, once his natural bodily functions kick in and he needs the toilet, he is less convinced. A call from above suggests that Elmore try to inspire Milo's soul, but a museum visit has the opposite effect. As the day goes on, the big news story seen in the background is the lack of births globally. This is a reminder of how Milo's doubt and refusal to be born has affected the world. Cleaning up the studio after a pipe burst, Elizabeth finds a bag with Atlantic City paraphernalia that belonged to her father. She plays blackjack with her husband's workmate, and doing well, she impulsively goes to

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

. Almost simultaneously Elmore takes Milo there too, as he loved to gamble when he was alive. Milo's mind has not been changed and there is a deadline: at midnight, the door that the souls go through to be born will close, and no more babies will ever be born. In Atlantic City, Milo and Elizabeth meet. Milo realizes that Elizabeth is his mother, and decides he wants to be born. He also realizes that Elmore is the father who had abandoned Elizabeth and therefore his grandfather. Elmore and Milo return to the door. Milo, however, is too weak to make it through the door on his own, as his time is nearly up. He begins to die since he will never be born. Elmore, feeling remorse for how he treated his family in life takes Milo back thru the door, giving up his chance to stay on Earth. Elmore accuses the people in charge of setting him up, as they knew Elmore would not be able to leave Milo to die. They don’t deny it, however, they remind him that he was given a choice. Milo is finally born and Elmore is finally ascends from limbo to heaven.

Cast

* Anton Yelchin as Milo *

as Elmore Dahl *

as Elizabeth *

as Kevin *

John Cho John Cho (born Cho Yo-Han; June 16, 1972) is an American actor known for his roles as Harold Lee in the '' Harold & Kumar'' films, and Hikaru Sulu in the ''Star Trek'' rebooted film series as well as '' Better Luck Tomorrow'', '' Columbus'', a ...

as Mr. Hugo * Kenny Blank as Mr. Ralph

References

External links

* {{Nick Castle 2001 films 2000s fantasy comedy-drama films American fantasy comedy-drama films Films about angels Films directed by Nick Castle Films scored by Craig Safan Films set in Atlantic City, New Jersey Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Films shot in Atlantic City, New Jersey American pregnancy films 2001 comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language fantasy comedy-drama films English-language fantasy comedy films English-language fantasy drama films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links