(The Disneycember logo is shown, before showing clips from The Sixth Sense)
Doug (vo): It's the good Shyamalan movie. Okay, that's not fair, he's made a few more. And honestly, I have to admit, M. Night Shyamalan has become one of my favorite directors to look forward to, because whether they're good or bad or something in between, they are always interesting. He has a distinct style and is so much fun to see when that style works, when it doesn't, and the entertaining reasons why they do or don't. I've developed different reactions to his films than, say, other ones I make fun of. Like, I don't know, if somebody once asked me to be in, like, a Disney live-action remake, I'd probably say no, I don't want anything to do with that. But if somebody asked me to be in an M. Night Shyamalan movie, I would say, "Hell, yes!" Because while the Disney live-action remakes are so cookie cutter and not interesting, Shyamalan is always interesting, doing his own thing, and going for broke, whether the majority of people enjoy it or not. And to say the majority of people enjoy The Sixth Sense would be an understatement. This film was a colossal hit when it came out, starting off okay at the box office, but as a lot of people like to talk about, which I will not be spoiling, when the twist happens, everyone wants to go back and watch it again. Don't worry, I won't say what the twist is, but I will say, even if you do figure it out, it's a good movie, even beyond that.
Story[]
Doug (vo): Bruce Willis plays a child psychiatrist who, let's say, feels like he let down a past client. Looking for some redemption, he finds another child with similar problems, played by Haley Joel Osment, who seems troubled and disturbed by something supernatural. As everybody famously quotes, he sees dead people, and our hero has to figure out if it's true or if he's imagining it and, either way, how to fix it. We get all sorts of things that go bump in the night, and sometimes, even during the day, as the kid's mother, played by Toni Colette, and Willis's wife, played by Olivia Williams, all seem to be in the crossfires of the supernatural case, even if they're not always aware of it.
Review[]
Doug (vo): So I will admit, again, without going into spoilers, I did figure out the twist pretty early...well, about the halfway point. When he's talking to him in the hospital, I finally put it together. But like I said, even if you're aware of that, that doesn't ruin the movie by any means.
(Footage focusing on Malcolm Crowe, Cole and Lynn Sear is shown)
Doug (vo): The acting from everyone is very, very good. Honestly, these are actors now we just know for quality. Toni Collette just gives a fantastic performance, Haley Joel Osment got nominated for an Oscar for this film. Bruce Willis, I feel like sometimes gets balled out from maybe underacting a little too much, but I disagree. If you want underacting that feels emotionless, go watch some of the worst of, say, Kevin Costner or William Hurt. Bruce Willis often just keeps himself very inward. There are times certainly where he'll have, like, a big freak out and stuff, but you kind of see that little smile on his face and you can tell he's not sleepwalking through this. He is in this scene, he is reacting to what's going on, it's just not overly expressive. And I think there's a value to that, especially when he's able to bring kind of the common everyman scale to this.
(Footage focusing on Malcolm's wife, Anna Crowe, is shown)
Doug (vo): With that said, I think the only other actor who probably gets overlooked even more than him is Olivia Williams. This is definitely a performance that people go back and watch her differently. And when you think about it, you got to play it two ways. And, yes, a lot of the actors in this are, but she especially has to play it both ways 100% convincingly, and she does, brilliantly so. I really feel like she doesn't get enough praise for this film.
(Footage focusing on the film's visual style and cinematography is shown)
Doug (vo): And, yeah, okay. Let's talk about the directing, 'cause, obviously, this is the start of a lot of M. Night Shyamalan tropes. And it probably goes without saying, they really work here. I remember when I first saw it, I thought some of the camera work was trying to show off a little bit, but nowadays, with modern films, and, yes, even modern Shyamalan films, I'm realizing more and more how almost subtle it is. Shyamalan in many movies likes to have long takes that seemingly have no rhyme or reason for it, but here, it does add up. I really love this scene where this couple is talking about buying this engagement ring, and it's done in one take. And you might say, "Well, what's the point? You could have cut this up". But look at the face of the future bride when the future husband is trying to negotiate down to a smaller price. If you cut away, you would not be able to look at her expression, just giving him the red eyes the entire time. The comedy of the scene is so much stronger if this is done in one shot and you can just watch her expression.
(Footage focusing on shots of Philadelphia is shown, as well as footage focusing on red structures)
Doug (vo): I like a lot of the shots of Philadelphia, particularly the architecture and the statues. It kind of reminds me a little bit of The Haunting or The Innocence, when they'll just get these shots of that scary architecture kind of watching you, which, again, is kind of the idea. The kid sees dead people and they see him. I'm sure a lot of people talk about this, but anytime there's something somewhat supernatural in the area, it's usually represented by the color red, which is not only a clever color choice, red usually indicates danger, but you can kind of play around with it a little bit. Like, the door to the church is red, like something supernatural is always in there. I kind of like that. It adds a little bit of an extra layer to the idea.
(Various scenes are shown, mostly focusing on the dialogue and two child actors)
Doug (vo): The dialogue also works in a lot of that strange Shyamalan writing without feeling out of place. Scenes like the magic penny or reading the kid's mind all add a real charm to these moments that can be very, very heavy. Even the idea of one of these kids being an actor and being in commercials, that is just so odd, but believable. It just adds a funny little element that is a touch out of place, but it's just enough that it kind of feels real. Like, you could believe there's just this Philadelphia school where there's a kid that's a child actor, and he kind of lets it go to his head and becomes a bully. I feel like today, the equivalent of that would be if a kid becomes, like, an influencer or something like that. I don't know, it adds a lot of fun and even quite a bit to the story. I kind of like the contrast between these two, like, one is always starving to be in the spotlight and the other is starving not to be in the spotlight, he doesn't want the attention. It surprisingly works itself in very naturally for something that seems very unnatural.
(Footage focusing on some of the scary scenes is shown)
Doug (vo): The film is also pretty scary without going too over the top. Some of the creepiest scenes to me don't involve a lot of gore or even that scary imagery, it's just the buildup of what's going to be there. I feel like everybody has had a moment when they're a little kid and they're afraid and they hide under the covers. Well, his literal safe space in here is just a giant blanket that, for the most part, seems to keep him safe, but we're not sure if it really can or if that's just luck or how these ghosts work or whatever. So when you actually start to see it open up, that is terrifying. I feel like if this film was done nowadays, the ghosts would probably be played up with more CG makeup or black eyes or something like that. Like, I don't mean like black under their eyes like what they have here, I mean, like, literally no pupils. But I like the fact they show these are still people, they're people who passed away, and they're just kind of lost souls. And, yes, that's very scary, but it never loses the human touch or, for lack a better way of putting it, the soul.
(Footage focusing on the more heartfelt moments is shown)
Doug (vo): And that's another really nice thing about it, there is a lot of heart and soul to this movie. Yes, there's a lot of unpleasant things happening, but the bond between Willis and Osment, the bond between Collette and Osment, the bond between Willis and Williams, there's a lot of good chemistry here, that, again, has to work on a couple different layers.
Final thought[]
Doug (vo): It's still a really good film, and well deserving of all the attention it still gets even today. Do I still make jokes about Shyamalan and probably will in the future? Yeah. But I'm not going to lie, I'm always rooting for him, whether he makes something good or bad, because there's always an entertaining identity behind it. And Sixth Sense, you could definitely argue, is the beginning of that strong identity, and some of his lesser films, you could say, is the exploiting of that identity without him even knowing it. But there's always a sense it comes from him, and not a bunch of chart guys or focus groups or audiences or anything like that. He's just making what he likes to make and likes to see, and, you know, good for him. I feel like with so many of these films that were not successes, any other director would probably be on his way out. But he's still working, he's still around, and sometimes, he does still do something that wins over a lot of audiences, and like I said, even I really get into. Even outside of that, if you have no idea who M. Night Shyamalan is or his other movies or anything, it's just a good flick. There's a lot of character, a lot of scares, a lot of heart, a lot of comedy, a lot to recommend. If you haven't checked it out yet, give it a watch, and be on the lookout for what you see.
(The film's final scene, showing Malcolm's spirit departing, is shown)