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John Lithgow's characters have a common denominator: the outsider who is so unique in his eccentricity that he either A) falls out of society (this picture) B) conspires against it (Buckaroo Banzai, Blowout), or C) manage to remain hostile and yet keep himself close to those around him ( World According to Garp). This movie demonstrates Lithgow's abilities to pull from A and C. He plays a Vietnam Veteran who has been so damaged by PTSD, that he has been recuperating by living out in the mountains of Washington State (probably near Canadian border, but it's never made clear). This is the kind of film I could see Peter Weir directing, with the mystifying elements of nature inhabiting the soul of the characters; the outsider who is trying to reinstate himself into society but doesn't have the social tools to do so.
This is one of the most heartbreaking performances I have seen in awhile, and definitely Lithgow's best. There is a defeated sadness in his eyes that permeates through everything he says; all he wants to do is connect, not just with his son, who he left when he was only two, but with society as a whole. Ralph Macchio plays his son, and although he does a fine job portraying the muted anguish of an eighteen-year old rediscovering his roots for the first time, I questioned some of his scenes from back home which seem unnecessary. There is a scene where Machio has just graduated high school and given a speech as a valedictorian, and a crush in the front row shows him some leg. What does this mean? We never see her afterwards. These are minor issues in an otherwise superb film, but I kept wondering what significance some of these scenes had in a movie about fragile temperaments. I would highly recommend this film for its seem-less efforts in portraying the long- standing effects of Vietnam, and its permanent stamp on America.
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MilleR
the war is over, but Vietnam vets suffer on
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 16, 2008
