An affluent New York City couple finds their lives touched, intruded upon, and compelled by a mysterious young black man who is never quite who he says he is. New Yorkers Louisa "Ouisa" Kittredge (Stockard Channing) and John Flanders "Flan" Kittredge (Donald Sutherland) are upper-class private art dealers, pretentious but compassionate. Their prized possession is a double-sided Kandinsky: one side represents control; the other, chaos. They relay a story to their friends and acquaintances that becomes legendary over time: their encounter with a young Black stranger who came stumbling upon their front door one evening as they were courting Geoffrey Miller (Sir Ian McKellen), an important investor who could make them wealthy beyond their dreams. The young man, Paul Poitier (Will Smith), had just arrived in the city when he was mugged outside their building; he had a minor knife wound in his abdomen. He was a friend of the Kittredges' children, who are attending Harvard; more importantly, he's the son of actor and Director Sidney Poitier. Tomorrow, Paul is meeting up with his father, who is in town directing a movie of "Cats". Beyond the attraction of talking Paul into getting them roles in the movie, Ouisa, Flan, and Geoffrey all end up being captivated by Paul's charm, charisma, pedigree, and eloquence. After tending to his wounds, the Kittredges invite him to stay the night. Their encounter with him ends up being an all-too-familiar story that leads them on a search for him after he leaves their house the next morning. In that search, Ouisa in particularly starts to critically study their lives and how much compassion they actually have. —Huggo Rich New York City art dealers Flan and Ouisa Kittredge are called on one night by a young man, Paul, who professes to be a friend of their kids' from Harvard. They offer him a bed for the night. He enchants them with a home-cooked meal and magnificent conversation. The next morning, they learn that he is not all he seems to be. Their investigations are intriguing and lead them to re-evaluate their lives. —John J. Magee <magee@helix.mgh.harvard.edu> In New York City, art dealers John Flanders "Flan" Kittredge (Donald Sutherland) and Louisa "Ouisa" Kittredge (Stockard Channing) are ready to have a business dinner with their South African friend and client Geoffrey Miller (Sir Ian McKellen), when a wounded young Black man comes to their fancy apartment telling that he had been just robbed in Central Park and asking for help. He introduces himself as Paul Poitier (Will Smith), a friend of their son and daughter at Harvard and son of Sidney Poitier, and the couple invites him to stay with them. During the night, they find that Paul is not who he claims to be. When they investigate his life, they find the hidden truth. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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