5/5 Inspiring tale of profound friendship.
  by R. Christenson (Pine, CO USA)
Joseph Mazzello (Jurassic Park, Simon Birch, The River Wild, Radio Flyer, Three Wishes, Star Kid) stars as 11-year-old Dexter in this wonderful but sad story of a boy who caught AIDS from a blood transfusion. Dexter is shunned by all the children in school and the neighborhood until troubled neighbor Erik, played by Brad Renfro (The Client, Sleepers, Tom and Huck, Apt Pupil, Bully) befriends him - initially as an act of rebellion! But Erik soon becomes devoted to Dexter, leading him down the Mississippi river in search of a cure. What I found most interesting and original about this movie is the notion that Erik was a rebellious kid (in the opening scene he's vandalizing his desk in school), who initially befriends Dexter because that's exactly what everyone - peers and parents - oppose. But the result is one of the most touching friendships in the movies.

5/5 Blows All Other Movies In The Dust
  by Screendoor (The Prairie)
Joseph Mazzello is 11-year-old Dexter. Dexter received the HIV virus when he was very young from a blood transfusion. He now has AIDS. And his only friend is his single mother, Linda, played by Annabella Sciorra.

Brad Renfro is Erik. Erik is a kid that is sort of a loner at school. All the other kids at the school call him bad names relating to homosexuals. They also walk on the other side of the hall when he's walking by because Dexter moved in behind his house. He has a drunk for a mother and his father lives in New Orleans with his 23-year-old girlfriend.

When summer vacation starts Dexter and Erik start up a friendship and they soon become best friends. They do fun things together and Dexter starts living his childhood as it should be lived. In their playing around they come up with unique ways for how to cure Dexter, but of course none of them work. One day they were at the supermarket and find a tabloid that says the cure for AIDS was found by a backwoods doctor in New Orleans. They tell Dexter's mom about this but she doesn't believe it.

Erik's mom Gail finds out that they two kids are playing with each other. She is misinformed about AIDS so she tells Erik that he is not to play with Dexter and that she is sending him to summer camp. So Erik got to thinking that he and Dexter could go and find the cure in New Orleans so he could be aloud to play with Dexter. They run away from their home of Stillwater, Minnesota and sail down the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers to find the cure.

This is a wonderful tale of true friendship. Erik and Dexter have a friendship more powerful than most people will ever experience in their lifetime. "The Cure" touches you deep inside and just makes you want to do something for the real children who are suffering like Dexter.

Joseph Mazzello is great in this movie. This actor is one in a million. Never once in this movie do you think of him as a child actor, you think of him as a real person. I have to say the same for Brad Renfro. Mazzello is the greatest actor of all time and Renfro is up there also.

I recommend that everyone see this movie at least once. It will appeal to everybody. It is a movie for the family despite it's PG-13 rating; that's just for some bad words. I would give this movie 100 stars if I could, but I can only give it five, and it sure earns them.

3/5 The film is good, but...
  by Jarle L. Nyvoll (RANDABERG Norway)
This was a film I discovered by accident - and fell in love with. Strong performances all around, and a captivating, yet not too sentimental story line.
But... Why has Universal not bothered to remaster this gem for DVD release? The sound is MONO, and the aspect ratio of the film is 1,33:1. (Full frame, not widescreen.)I know this was not a great commercial success, but I think Universal should have taken more care with this release.

5/5 Wapaa!!!
  by R. M. Williams (Billings, MT USA)
I was lucky enough to have first seen this movie at a special screening in San Diego in April of 1995. The theater was filled with only high school students (from around the country who were attending a journalism convention) and there was not one dry eye by the end of the credits. Even the 'jocks' were *gasp* sobbing! The next day I was able to talk with director Peter Horton which helped me come to appreciate this wonderful story even more. I've recommended this movie to family and friends and not a single person I know who has seen it has regretted it.

The cast does a superb job. All aspects of the story are believable...from the antics of eleven-year-old boys to the touching warmth of Dexter's relationship with his mom. We all know a Dexter or an Erik. We don't have to know someone living with AIDS or HIV or someone who has been bullied. It is the spirit of the two boys that Joseph and Brad are able to capture, and the incredible friendship they forge, that rings true and touches the hearts of those who have been affected by this film.

The sountrack is also amazing. Dave Grusin worked his magic with the score. Marc Cohn's 'Great Escape' is a perfect fit. My only beef is that Marc never recorded a full version of the song and it doesn't show up on the cd, even if only in its unfinished form.

Unfortunately, this film never got a wide theater release. The topic of a young child with AIDS seemed to be too 'controversial' at the time. It saw limited release on VHS and has never been released on DVD. That more people have not been able to see this film is a great injustice for which I am frustrated and greatly saddened. I feel strongly that Universal Studios has failed miserably to promote the jewel they have in this movie.

This is one of my favorite movies. If I had to pick my top ten, this one would be included. It is the simplicity with which this story is told; the warmth with which the subject is handled; and in the end, it is the bond between two friends who are told by society that they shouldn't be, that makes this film one of the best.

To anyone who worked on this film who may see this: Thank you.

5/5 Cure, The
  by Ana Santana (Cicero, Illinois)
If you want to know how loving and/or caring kids are...show them this movie. You'll learn a lot about their "true colors." I am a teacher that has shown this movie to all of my students for the past six years. I teach kids (with this movie) that even though they might have it bad because they live in rough and poor neighborhoods, they might actually have it better than others. Most of my female students cry because it is such a sad story. I've also had many of my male students cry as well. None of my students have ever made fun of each other about crying. This story brings up several topics that many people would dare not talk about. It is a great movie and if you are a teacher, this is a "must see" for all your kids!!!