As the Academy Awards loom on the not-too-distant-horizon, the theaters are flooded with plenty of quality films. Every studio pumps out its contenders in hopes of catching the critics' eyes.

And Shadowlands certainly did.

Following in the recent trend of elegant, gut-wrenching romances (The Piano, The Remains of the Day), this Richard Attenborough film is both delightful and tragic.

And kinda slow.

Like a lengthy novel, this film unwinds slowly throughout its two-hour and 10 minute length as it follows the romantic awakening of author and lecturer C.S. Lewis.

This Anthony Hopkins-vehicle isn't quite "Masterpiece Theatre" slow, but Hopkin's performance makes it worth sitting through.

Shining as the intellectually pompous Oxford don C.S. Lewis (of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe fame), Hopkins brings out the little triumphs in an otherwise quiet life.

Lewis is the quintessential English bachelor -- a crusty, middle-aged sweater vest clone of J. Alfred Prufrock. He spends his days lecturing Oxford undergrads about poetry and his nights lecturing middle-aged matrons about God.

But Lewis' comfortable world crumbles with the arrival of peach Joy Gresham (Debra Winger). The American poet is a fan whose lengthy correspondence with Lewis brings them together.

When Gresham and her young son arrive at Lewis' home, something amazing happens -- the normally unflappable Hopkins gets flustered. Although Gresham and Lewis seem like oil and water, they breathe life into the old clich that opposites attract.

But don't think this is the perfect warm Valentine's Day flick. Soon Lewis and Gresham must deal with the specter of cancer, and Lewis is forced to realize he may lose the woman he loves.

And as we edge closer to Oscar time, this film is sure to be a contender.

Edward Hardwicke is delightful as Lewis's hot-water-bottle-toting brother Warnie. Unfortunately, Winger is the film's only weak point as her on-again, off-again Brooklyn accent and overly aggressive American manners prove irritating.

But overall, Hopkins' excellent performance and Attenborough's solid direction combine with the mahogany atmosphere of Oxford to form a polished film well worth the kudos it has -- and will --receive.