The phrase "laughing through your tears" must have been invented for this little jewel of a movie. Yes, there are scenes that I would have preferred they omit (mainly the brothel scene-- oh brother). But the overriding emotion in the performances of both Dalton and Edwards is riveting. And Dalton CAN play comedy. Don't play this for the monthly meeting of the AARP; but if hope and love mean anything to you, take a couple of hours and watch it. It can be life-changing.

The hospitalized character that Timothy Dalton plays here is probably one of the most obnoxious characters I've ever seen on film. From the moment his hospital room made Anthony Edwards wakes up, giving him a hard time, even leaving him bedridden on the roof. Edwards doesn't tell the suspicious nurses what happened, but how he deals with the harassment so hideous that Edwards risks his health to get away from him. It becomes unbelievable when they start to bond, simply because Dalton never shuts up, and I guess if you're dying, you feel you can break the rules oh, so they end up stealing an ambulance and going on the run to Amsterdam and trying to find one last adventure.

I enjoyed Timothy Dalton as an actor, but his obnoxiousness in playing this character is difficult to take. He seems to be doing a Terence Stamp/Priscilla Queen of the Desert imitation, without the charm. Edwards is playing a more serious version of rules he's already played, and I truly felt sorry for his character. Why he didn't call the head nurse and ask for a different room it's beyond me. This is a difficult film to like and it takes the most patient of people to deal with this one particular patients.

"Hawks" is a film that's not for everybody. While I can appreciate some humor in a story of terminally-ill people grappling with life, I can also understand that there may be many to whom this film won't be appealing. I have known two people who have lost spouses to rare or uncommon diseases and at least half a dozen families that have suffered the loss of a young member due to cancer. While the family members all recover over time, very few, if any, would find anything funny in movies of this nature. The same might be said for close friends and associates of those families and the loved ones they lose.

And, there may be any number of others who can't enjoy humor in movies about people who are dying. Cancer alone, with its many types, has touched more lives even than all the wars since the Mid-20th century. It's doubtful that there could be anyone alive today who doesn't know someone who has had cancer, who has died from cancer, or who has a family member that has cancer. Understandably, many more people may not find this type of film of interest.

The terminal illness of the two male leads is what makes for the dark humor in "Hawks." This is not rollicking comedy but a gentle humor that can bring smiles to faces. It's a warmth in the face of cold and the hard reality of imminent death. Often times, in real life if not in the movies about such stories, a religious or faith aspect works with the humor. That's absent in this film. But what it does have is a clear, confirmation and conviction of the great glory of life, and how precious it is in living it for the present. This is a respect for the beauty of all creation and dignity of the human race - of each human being, of each person.

That is the most obvious theme of the character of Bancroft, which Timothy Dalton plays to perfection. I'm surprised he didn't receive nominations for his performance from Hollywood, the foreign press or the British film industry. Anthony Edwards does very well in his roll as Deckermensky, and Janet McTeer and Camille Coduri are very good as the two girls they befriend. The one weakness in the screenplay is the sudden change of character of Anthony Edwards. He is in the doldrums in several short scenes, one after another in the opening, and then, all of sudden he's highly animated and lively. The film needed to either tone down his doldrums or make his transition a little slower and more believable.

This is a very good movie with a simple plot. But one that develops into a story that is much more interesting than the opening intimates. It has a surprise ending, but some may guess it - as I did, before the last scenes reveal it. If one isn't put off by stories or matter surrounding death, disease or handicaps, this film may be quite enjoyable for the spark of life it celebrates. It is definitely for mature adults.