Windsor (II) (2015) User Reviews (7)

Hoxton Values

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 29 January 2018]

Windsor is kind of an update on The Last Picture Show. A lot of the issues in that classic about life in a small Texas town are faced here almost fifty years later. But there is more of a feeling of optimism in Windsor than there was in The Last Picture Show.

Adam Hicks, Peyton Clark, two refugees from the Disney Channel and Gino Colletti, Nick Krause, Madelyn Deutch, and Quinn Shepherd are six young people about to graduate. Shepherd's dad is something of a local folk hero, Joe Stevens decked the representative of a Monsanto like Agribusiness corporation nine years earlier and he's been doing a 10 year stretch in prison, hoping for a parole to see his daughter graduate. Even in the joint the other cons and even the guards treat him with respect. I've no doubt he's a model prisoner.

The town leader is Barry Corbin who is kind of an unofficial grandfather type figure for the young folk. The people in Hoxton no doubt voted for Donald Trump in the last election, but a lot of them might be might be doing a bit of buyer's remorse.

No sex or violence, no car chases no real plot even in Windsor to give. Just some interesting character studies in small town Texas of the coming generation. Nearly all of them want to leave Hoxton, but they all are grateful to have been born and raised there and want to bring Hoxton and what it gave them to the world.

Nice location cinematography of present day rural Texas characterize Windsor as well. This film did well I'm sure in what is red state America.

Excellent coming of age movie, great for date night

[jmcmharper · 28 May 2016]

I have seen this film twice and would love to see it again. It covers issues from genetically altered foods, to having the guts to fly out of the nest, to end of life decisions. Some of the best humor in the movie deals with end of life.

With sci-fi and violence dominating movies, it is a refreshing to see a thoughtful, well executed film. Cinematography was exquisite. Music as well.

Reminds me a bit of Steele Magnolias. I have watched SM with my grown daughters at least 20 times.

Windsor is headed to that must watch over and over again category- each time you view it you will discover a nuance not picked up before.

Not Too Shabby

[swtx · 10/10 · 23 May 2016]

I rarely cry at movies but several people around me started sniffling halfway through Windsor and the mood was contagious. This movie strikes close to the heart for anyone who grew up in a small Texas town or any town, really. The camaraderie between the six high school friends (two girls and four guys) comes across as realistic and natural. The cast is a Who's Who of young Hollywood up and comers. Nick Krause, the actor who portrayed the goofy kid in The Descendants with George Clooney, plays a polar opposite character in Windsor. Here he's the serious one, leaving most of the comic relief to Kat, portrayed by Quinn Shephard, and three old codgers led by Barry Corbin's character, Gil. The relationship between the old guys is touching and funny at the same time.

The young cast members provide laughs, but the funniest moments belong to Gil and the codgers as he tries smoking marijuana for the first time to deal with the painful effects of cancer treatments. Windsor is old fashioned in that it doesn't include profanities, nudity or graphic violence. But it is modern at the same time, introducing medical marijuana into the plot line without a big fuss. The movie doesn't make any declarations about whether pot should be legal or not. Corbin's character just hears that weed might make him feel better. He reluctantly gives it a try and likes it. That's about all the statement that's made. Watching Corbin go from being scared of pot to hording bags of it in a storm cellar is pretty funny but sad at the same time, since, well, he's dying. The movie's most obvious social statement is that GMO's suck and the agribusiness industry (hello Monsanto) is corrupt, monopolistic and detrimental to farmers and towns. And what better way to drive this point home than by filming some of Texas's most gorgeous, rural scenery? The wide- angle shots of pastures, fields and rolling hills – taken from a plane or a drone -- are breathtaking. The movie was filmed in a real town in Texas and every scene will look authentic to anyone who has ever lived there. Maisie's father is like David to Monsanto's Goliath. In this case, David doesn't slay Goliath but he dings up the giant a little bit. I liked this movie because it's funny, tender, melancholy, subtle, and sudden, just like real life.

This movie seems written for Barry Corbin. He is great as the wise, dying, but still young-at-heart Gil. Sonny Carl Davis also shines as his best buddy. Quinn Shephard's character, Kat, was supposed to be second fiddle to Maisie but Shephard turns Kat into my favorite character. Remember how sidekick Angelina Jolie ruled Girl, Interrupted? Or how Madonna took her bit part in Desperately Seeking Susan and became the star? The same thing happens in Windsor. You can't take your eyes off Shephard when she's on screen. But everybody does a splendid job. I hate to sound cliché, but the movie really did make me laugh and cry and, ultimately, feel good after watching it.

Two Thumbs Up For Windsor!!

[mvrutherford · 10/10 · 17 June 2016]

Don't miss catching the film Windsor this summer

Set in a small town Texas community, it is a beautiful story of real people learning life lessons that can only be learned through the refining fire of difficult circumstances. I think that the cast is so well chosen for the characters. You may find a little bit of yourself in each one of them. They're vulnerable, growing, maturing and facing really tough situations. The magnificent cinematography and scenery will constantly take your breath away. Each time I see the film, I catch more exquisite detail in the scenery and the story, the subtle innuendos, pure lighting, & raw emotions communicated sometimes without even a word.

Two thumbs up for Windsor!!

A Celebration of Friendship, Loyalty and Human Resilience

[jodokent · 20 May 2016]

After enduring one devastating personal setback after another in the small Texas farming burg of Hoxton, you would expect high school senior Maisie Thompson to be the first of her close-knit group of friends to "get out of this town a.s.a.f.p.," as her lifelong bestie, Kat (Quinn Shephard), is fond of saying.

But the snowballing series of life reversals for Maisie, played brilliantly by Madelyn Deutch, have forced her to grow up early and take responsibility for a disintegrating family, and to be present for close acquaintances who have stood by her through one ordeal after the next. She can't leave.

If it sounds depressing, it's not. At all. Maisie is buoyed by a support network of five high-school seniors -- friends for life -- who convene each Friday night in lawn chairs to swill cold beers and swap stories alongside Hoxton's vacant Main Street. The discussions range from girlfriends and boyfriends to disgust for the referees in the latest football loss. But talk inevitably swings back around to the main topic: getting out of Hoxton a.s.a.f.p.

She also is helped along by Hoxton old-timer Gil Denton, played by Barry Corbin in one of the great performances of his long career. Though beaten down by the ravages of old age, Gil is always close by to keep Maisie from sinking into a quicksand of misfortune. His group of geriatric friends face their mortality with tenderness and some truly hilarious moments. Gil clearly has the respect and affection of the six high-school friends, a sentiment that is reinforced when he shows up at their weekly Friday night gathering and blithely guzzles a long-neck in seven seconds.

Written and directed by Texas native Porter Farrell, Windsor is a wonderful film. It will make you want to go home and hug your mother, hug your father, hug a friend. It will have you looking for an injustice to fight. It will awaken your sense of fair play, and it may open your eyes to the struggle of the American farmer. (Maisie's dad Buck, a local farmer played by Joe Stevens, becomes an unfortunate victim of a nefarious and overreaching agribusiness corporation, sending the family into a tailspin.) Windsor will certainly cause your jaw to drop. The sweeping panoramas of emerald farmland in and around Gainesville, Texas, where the movie was filmed, are exquisite eye candy, for which Director of Photography Josh Pickering deserves a sackful of awards.

Bring your hankies. As Maisie's setbacks pile up, you will ache for her. But her resilience will remind you that people can be phenomenally strong, especially with the caring support of those who love them. But save most of your tissues for the tears of pure joy that the uplifting ending will surely bring.

Barry Corbin is Excellent in this film!

[twrgriffith · 10/10 · 13 March 2020]

Worth the watch! Barry Corbin is excellent in this film and supports the young cast throughout the film. 10/10!

A talented cast.

[paddleranger · 8/10 · 25 July 2019]

Be patient. I grew up in a small town in Iowa & experienced everything here. I left for my career, but returned later to the farm A great way to grow up with the same values, no matter where u land...