Synopsis

When three-year-old Ben Cappadora disappears from a Chicago hotel, his family is devastated. Nine years later, Beth and Pat Cappadora discover that a boy living nearby may be their missing son. As the family tries to reconnect with Ben, they must confront the emotional consequences of his disappearance and the difficult question of where he truly belongs.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is based on Jacquelyn Mitchard's 1996 novel, which became the first selection for Oprah Winfrey's Book Club.

• Stephen Schiff adapted Mitchard's novel for the screenplay.

• Principal photography took place from October 27, 1997, through January 30, 1998.

• Although the story begins in Chicago, filming also took place in Los Angeles, Madison, Wisconsin, and Foxborough, Massachusetts.

• Elmer Bernstein composed the film's original score.

• The movie was released theatrically by Columbia Pictures on March 12, 1999.

• The story's central conflict focuses less on the mechanics of the kidnapping than on the lasting psychological effects of separation, reunion, and divided family bonds.