Product Details

• Actors: Beau Bridges, Bruce Davison, Shelton Dane, Jena Malone, Alice Krige
• Directors: Martin Bell
• Writers: Michael De Guzman, Peter Silverman
• Producers: Jeff Bridges, David R. Ginsburg, Fred Berner, Monte Factor, Neil Koenigsberg
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Lions Gate
• VHS Release Date: September 23, 1997
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 157492463X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,447 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST-SEE independent film about poverty, pulls no punches, July 25, 2001

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Hidden in America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was absolutely stunned the first time I saw this one. DON'T pass up your chance to see this one (or better yet own it) before it fades from the market. Better yet, share it with anyone who believes those mysths about homelessness and poverty in American - that the poor are simply lazy, shiftless, unwilling to work hard and make a go of it. If anything is likely to change their minds, this movie could. Beau Bridges shines as Bill Januson, a young widower and father who is struggling to make ends meet while caring for his two children. Bridges shows the depth of pain and confusion felt by a man who has never been poor before, who has never been unemployed before and, as a result, is too proud to accept charity, even if he fully deserves a hand up. His 11 year old son decides to take on the role of bread-winner, coming up with an ambitious scheme to raise money, a courageous decision that nearly results in complete tragedy. But this is a mere bare-bones sketch of a rich, detailed movie. The pace is slow enough to show all the decisions faced by this family every day - the times when a simple meal, clean clothes and a safe, comfortable place to live can't be taken for granted. The pain, despair and self-reliance required to get through each day is portrayed without sentimentality or manipulative drama and the young actor and actress playing the children in this one are superb and keep the movie solidly grounded. A rare heart-tugging film that makes you think about deeper issues in our society and culture.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must-see, November 7, 2007

By 

Matt Kratz "c&w and books lover" (Richardson, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hidden In America (DVD)

This is the type of movie that will make you appreciate what you have in life. Beau Bridges gives a remarkable performance as a man who loses his job and wife at the same time and has to fend for himself and two small children, one of whom has a bad medical condition, and he severely struggles throughout the movie to make ends meet, and his pride prevents him from accepting handouts from a well-meaning doctor. Before you start to think that your life is too tough, watch this well-made movie.

*** out of ****

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for Classroom Use, April 26, 2002

By 

Sick of Spin (Seekonk, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hidden in America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I've used this film with high school juniors for five years, and it has been a great success every time. In fact, as much as I appreciate this film, my students love it even more, and refer back to it continually. The film is a powerful tool for teaching students about the reality of poverty and hunger in America - the reality that most who are poor in this country work full time. (I only wish it could be issued in DVD format.)