Matthew Modine plays Sammy Ayers, a handyman in a small Georgia town, where everyone believes he is a deaf mute because he hasn't spoken since his mom (Bernadette Peters) was abducted when he was ten. But, as the title implies, he only appears to be deaf and doesn't talk because she told him not to just before she vanished, apparently for ever. Now, he is able to overhear all the town gossip, and learns all the home truths of the world. This splendid, handsome period (Forties) production is a real eye-opener, with Modine (in a part ideally tailored to his special talents) and Frankie Muniz splendid as the adult and kid versions of Sammy, and Tom Skerritt outstanding as the station manager who befriends him.

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