The War at Home

Rating:
Summary: This is a great movie.......
Review: I really liked this movie and was very disappointed that the
studio did not promote it. Everyone in the cast was excellent.
The subject matter was handled with honest emotions and reactions.
Emilio Estevez did a great job acting and directing.
Martin Sheen and Kathy Bates....wonderful.
High Recommend it!!

Rating:
Summary: A very well-done film, almost superb
Review: I rented this video because it deals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a relatively common and severe psychiatric disorder which doesn't get as much "press" as other ailments such as depression and phobias (not to minimize those conditions). It's extremely well-done, with many nuances to the family dynamics written very accurately; the characters are played extremely well by the various actors. The whole thing was, insofar as it dealt with this issue in the context of a Vietnam vet, almost flawless until the ending, which didn't make as much sense to me as the rest of the story. In addition, I was disappointed by the somewhat flippant conclusion when the main character's sister says in a voiceover that Emilio Estevez's character will be fine, and eventually he was. I would give my right arm for a movie which depicted realistically the recovery process for someone suffering from PTSD. I realize you can only make one movie at a time, and this movie was not about that, but it's still something I would love to see and I hope someone out there decides to take on this project.

Rating:
Summary: fantastic movie!
Review: I thought the movie was great. I am surprised that it did not get more recognition. I had never even heard of it until I accidently saw it at the video store. I thought that the acting was powerful from all involved! Emilio did a wonderful job protraying the young man home from VietNam. Martin Sheen and Kathy Bates were wonderful also. I would highly recommend this movie!!!

Rating:
Summary: UNKNOWN, UNHEARD OF AND SURPRISINGLY GOOD
Review: Kathy Bates and Martin Sheen are excellent as oblivious parents in this film about a family torn apart from the inside but completely not dealing with their problems. Emilio Estevez is a son who returns from Vietnam and obviously has some real psychological problems and cannot reintegrate himself into society and definitely not into family life. His father tries to gloss over the problems and thinks Estevez can be "normal" again if only he will go out and get a job. Bates is totally oblivious and the overbearing and overprotective and overly sensitive mother. The story is actually fairly complex emotionally and is surprising considering that Emilio Estevez directed. Not a great movie, but not a bad one either. What can I say? When we rent videos in Iceland we rent a new film and get to choose an old one free... this was a free one. It is always a pleasant surprise when the free one turns out to be something worthwhile. Happily, also, this film does not have a happy ending.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: One of the best post-war movies ever. Estevez and his father really show the conflicts that occured between a man and his family after the war. Sometimes this would make me feel uncomfortable. An Excellent movie for anyone who wants to know what it was like. Will have you on the edge of your seat until the shocking final scene. A must see movie.

Rating:
Summary: A horrible, wretched film.
Review: Overacted throughout by (first time?) director Estevez, this adaptation is painful viewing; not for any unpleasant insights into the Vietnam experience, but for Estevez screaming at his cowering family for two hours. By the end any sympathy we had for his returning vet is squandered---he deserves worse than what he gets. If only we'd seen something of his recovery, and his redemption. Instead we learn in voice over that he turned up dedication of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial...probably still screaming at somebody. Bates and Sheen are great with what they are given, as is the radiant but perenially wasted Ms. Williams. A showpiece for Estevez, this film fatally overplays its hand and probably does more harm than good in generating sympathy for Vietnam vets. A mistake.

Rating:
Summary: A hard one to critique.....
Review: The subject matter was not 5 but 10 stars, considering how 'Nam messed up so many of our soldiers. The acting was, at times, superb, excellent, overbearing, and at times, just plain flat.
Bates and Sheen were, as usual excellent, but both characters got a bit too clotting at times. Ditto Estevez. I agree with what another critic said; it was very tough to have complete or long-standing sympathy for, essentially, any character in the film, and some of their reactions, not only emotioally, but time-wise were just not believeable. And the ending did just kind of leave you hanging....

Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: The War at Home, not only gives insight into the assimilation process that a warrior must grow through in order to adjust to the society. the same society has sent him off to be forever scared by the events that shaped a nation. The film also present the conflict that a generation had with it parents over the price of ideology.

Rating:
Summary: Oscar Performances
Review: This is an unforgettable film, by great performances from Kathy Bates, Martin Sheen, Kimberly Williams, and Emilio Estevez. This timeless story is of a Vietnam veteran who has an equally difficult time adjusting to returning home as his family does. There have been many movies that depict the horror many vets and their families have had to endure. The difference, 'The War at Home' is so natural and well acted that is difficult to separate fact from fiction. You believe this is the family next door. Estevez directed as well as stared in this 1996 intense drama. For those who are sensitive to the plight of the Vietnam veteran, or this subject matter, this might be to intense. It is haunting and unforgettable. Without question an excellent movie brilliantly acted.

Rating:
Summary: masterpiece
Review: This is not just a movie about those unlucky ones that had to engage in devastating situations. It is a must see for everyone who takes a second look at their own lives. Everything about the movie is an expression of an exceptionaly deep understanding of the root of all human conflict, and our inabillity to live in that way we all know is right. The only weak moment I experienced is in the ending, where Mr Sheen, playing the father, is not 'Breaking'. It is probably a reflection of reality, but this movie could have gone that last bit, just like 'saving private Ryan' does. By going all the way, we are more strongly remembered of our own potential. I think we need to be. The War at home is an absolute document of this century.