A Vietnam veteran helps his kids battle over a tree house while recovering from his traumatic war experience.A Vietnam veteran helps his kids battle over a tree house while recovering from his traumatic war experience.A Vietnam veteran helps his kids battle over a tree house while recovering from his traumatic war experience.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 3 nominations
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe cigarettes Elvadine smokes in the movie are herbal, not tobacco.
- GoofsThe Lipnicki gang dries off too quickly after exiting the lake at the quarry.
- Quotes
[Elvadine was falsely accused of interrupting the teacher]
Elvadine: Alright, I'll tell you. I was sayin' "Elvadine, what's YOU gots to write about? Been in the sixth grade your whole good-for-nuthin' life. Ain't GOT no daddy. Never goes anywhere but where your feets take you. Onliest money that ever belong to you in the whole world was twenty dollars you gots yourself in a birthday card, from your uncle last year." But it really wasn't for my birthday. Really, it was for layin' over his lap and letting him spank me with my underpants down. And now here you come along, shovin' me in the back of the room, where I can't even see too good, which means I'm prob'ly not gonna graduate this summer neither, Just 'cuz you read how some white man say Life be like a bowlful o' cherries, I've gotsta come up with some big hit sayin' Well, fine. I'll just write down how happy I'm gonna be to get 20 more dollars on my birthday. Never mind what he's got planned for me THIS year. And I'm gonna write, how maybe the new man my momma been seein' might stop drinkin', and treat me nice, and maybe he's gonna adopt me, and take us off the welfare. And at the end, I'm gonna be sure put:
[sarcastically]
Elvadine: 'Life Sure is a bowl full of Cherries.'
[back to normal]
Elvadine: But to tell you the truth, Miss Strapford, I think you, and that book, and this whole class, be a bowl full of shit!
- Crazy creditsWhen the credits are over and the music ends, we hear a helicopter.
- SoundtracksWho'll Stop The Rain
Written by John Fogerty (as John C. Fogarty)
Performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Courtesy of Fantasy, Inc.
The title not only refers to the Vietnam War, which has an appropriate albeit very limited place in the film, but it also refers to the literal war that the children continuously wage with one another and the figurative war that rages within each of them...for identity and purpose.
Personally, I don't feel that "The War" deserves the press it received (or the lack thereof). It is a beautifully crafted film from its intricate, multi-layered story to its moving, realistic performances to its homestyle, nostalgic cinematography.
"The War" combines some of the best elements of "Forrest Gump" and "Fried Green Tomatoes." It captures the nostalgia of its timeframe, the innocence and naivete of youth, the situational humor of the moment, the consequences one's decisions and actions bring, and the tragedy of life. It even contains a couple of "musical" period moments.
Its structure harkens very closely to that of "To Kill a Mockingbird" (my favorite film). Both de-emphasize the star talent (Gregory Peck/Kevin Costner), who still performs remarkably and effectively in a supporting role. Both also utilize a (female) narrator who "bookends" the story in a quasi-flashback style, as well as plays a pivotal (if not the starring) role in the story. Each narrator tells the story of her brother and her father: their growth and what has been learned from and about them.
"Sometimes all it takes is a split second to do something you regret the whole rest of your life." What a great and appropriate theme for a film that few went to see. No wonder so many problems still exist in the world.
- How long is The War?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $16,928,556
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,203,275
- Nov 6, 1994
- Gross worldwide
- $16,928,556
- Runtime2 hours 6 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1