The War

Even though the title and plot synopsis makes the audience think they are going into an adult drama, The War is actually about children. Kevin Costner plays a Vietnam veteran who returns home to Mississippi (cue all actors have varying degrees of accents) and struggles to reconnect with his wife and children. This part of the story is much more interesting than the main storyline. If the entire movie was about his readjustment after wartime, I would have liked it much better. The kids get in a mini-war that's probably supposed to be a poignant "do as we say but not as we do" lesson for grown-ups, but it comes across as silly and annoying for viewers. I wouldn't even classify it as a coming-of-age story, even though it's probably trying to be. I'll leave you with one last fact, one that will probably steer you towards or away from the film: Jon Avnet is the director, and he directed Fried Green Tomatoes.

Sadly one of a kind. This genre was rarely represented in 1994, even more so now. Director Jon Avnet, who earlier did Fried Green Tomatoes and recently Red Corner handled it well, but brought some unneccesary melodramtic parts that nearly ruined the picture, much like Richard Donner with Radio Flyer. Elijah Wood, looking way different from his previous role in the Good Son, does unbelievably well in his part, as does the often overrated Kevin Costner. The only thing that deterred me from seeing it earlier was the box (I saw it a month ago). I probably passed by it a thousand times at the video store, but it didn't stand out at all. I only did see it when I read an internet review of it, and WOW was it excellent. Brutally realistic, especially with the academy award worthy performances.

This was one of my favorite movies as a kid. It seems like there's a lot of people who didn't see it or they saw it and they missed the point. "Didn't you hear a damn word she said?"

With solid play acting by Kevin Costner and young Elijah Wood. The storyline could have been a bit more effective, and I felt the scenes from the war were so totally separate from the rest of it, they had little meaning in the film, the "madness" of the father did not appear in the film at all. Perhaps he was cured of it then, but somehow it would have felt better to concentrate on that aspect instead of the few action scenes about the war. The end with the childrens' war was also a bit... too powerful, i.e. molotov cocktail's used by kids did seem a bit odd. All in all, a rather solid movie that you should watch if you like a drama movie, but there are some better ones around.

Today I saw this movie for the first time and I was deeply touched by it. What I liked about the movie was the way it makes us realize what's important in life. Using no great special effects and no incredible shooting technologies this movie is worth seeing namely because of the way it makes your feelings come out into the open. It makes you think of the things you rarely stop to think of. The actors' play is wonderful and I can say this is the movie where I enjoyed Elijah Wood's playing more than anywhere else. "The War" is already in my personal Best-s. Spending two hours watching a movie like this is much more worthy than spending that time thinking of all those unimportant issues we are dealing with during all our lives. So I recommend you to watch this film and wake up your feelings.

This is another heartfelt drama starring Elijah Wood, where he plays the son of Vietnam War vet Stephen Simmons (Kevin Costner) who must deal with his son's rivalries with other children and his own personal and employment problems. The title "The War" is a bit misleading for this movie, as it shows more how fighting in a war can affect a person. The consequences that follow battling in a war and, more so, the consequences of one's own personal issues are dramatically depicted here. While I do not remember much from this movie, I do recall being impressed from the acting, especially that of young Elijah Wood. Just like an earlier film he appeared in, Paradise, this movie will make you forget your troubles and inner-demons, have courage to deal with your problems and treasure your values. Costner and Wood make a great father-son team. A good little film with a mixture of humor, drama and uplifting moments, and with a pretty good-paced plot and a touching story. Grade B+