Customer Reviews

The War at Home

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This movie blows me away! Martin Sheen and Kathy Bates, (my favorite actress,) both play roles totally unexpected and suprising as husband and wife.

The acting was believable of all characters, and it really makes you stop and think about the horrors that our soldiers had to endure in Vietnam, God bless them! This is a wake up call addressing our need to honor our vetrans and their families.

I highly reccommend this flick!!!

I first saw _The War At Home_ by accident on television. I was about 16 at the time. I loved it mainly because I thought it was a true story, since I had turned it on after the first 15 minutes & missed the opening voice-over. (Just to clarify: five million Americans served in Vietnam over the course of that long war, therefore a good chance exists the events in this movie happened to thousands of young vets--so I'm hesitant to call it FICTIONAL)

Watching it four years later, I felt very sad at the end. Which I actually DIDN'T feel the first time I saw it. The characters were both likeable & unlikeable; I love a movie where you can resent one character you've known all of two hours, or be on the verge of tears when another is facing a difficult time.

Bob seemingly acknowledges his son has changed for the worse when he gives his "draft card speech" at the Thanksgiving day table, but he does nothing to help Jeremy. At the same time, Karen is a psych student, but she can be a little too harsh on Jeremy in certain moments. But the characters are humans, they make mistakes.

The only real problem I had was with the ending voice-over. It gave too much away. I would have been happier wondering what became of Jeremy. (I wonder why they had Karen, of all the characters, doing the voice overs?) Still, it's worth 5 stars.

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!!!

Excellent movie.......Worth seeing over and over.....One of the most underated films of our time.

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.

As a peace time veteran I have always been interested in the elements that made up the Vietnam war. No movie spoke to me more than Born on the Fourth of July because it explored the naive patriotism so often held by the young and inexperienced (such as I) and the disillusionment born of societal apathy and disdain as well as the pathetic way our vets are 'cared for' and utterly disregarded by the military itself. That's not an endorsement of the Vietnam war itself but merely a commentary on the condition of our so underappreciated veterans.

That being said 'The War at Home' explores (quite adeptly if I might add) many of the psychological effects suffered by those brave men and women who so gallantly served in addition to the heartache and responsibility of the families involved.

It's a masterful work. Unfortunately most who have never served or put their own well being on the line for a cause they believe in can not even begin to understand or empathize with the inner plight of the Vietnam veteran.

A must see film!

I just watched this movie on TV and all I can say is wow. The characters all play out like real family members. Kathy Bates is just brilliant in her role as the mother. I think there are many families who can relate to these people. I don't know how anybody can watch this movie and not think about our troops coming home from Iraq.

This movie shows the way war veterans feel out of place once they return from war. Although we could never truly feel how the veterans from Vietnam feel, it gives us somewhat of an insight, and especially since we have people fighting in a war that some people don't understand..it's almost like history is repeating itself.

Emilio Estevez does a fine job as both star and director of this overlooked film. His real father Martin Sheen plays his father, and watching the two together is remarkable. This movie really makes you think about what it must have been like for Vietnam vets coming home profoundly changed, to a world that didn't change along with them, and no one really understood post-traumatic stress syndrome at that time in history. And that is the legacy of Vietnam - making it home alive was not the end of the war for those who fought. If you're a vet, you'll want to see this, and you'll want your kids and parents to see it too.

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.