Lebanon, Pa.

There are MANY controversial issues in this film : abortion, adoption, conservative, liberal, religion, infidelity, teen sex....jeez! Too much for one movie. I thought is was going to be about urban living vs. small town. This was not even a discussion, but rather the writer predictably stereotyped each kind of living. This was very uninteresting in light of the local food movement and current trend to blend both worlds. There was no new thought in this film, but rather an attempt at almost every moment to remain "neutral" on the many controversies. Unfortunately, it ended up being one big preach. There were only a few moments when I felt like the dialog and acting were convincing. Otherwise, it either dragged or the actors were "educating" me on these issues. Poorly written, nothing special about the production value, and aside from waiting to hear what the stance is....it's pretty boring. Don't recommend it.

different images of family relationship, return to past, significant moment to transform your life. at first sigh, nothing new. maybe too more elements, a too complex lesson about responsibilities and essential gestures/decisions but important remains the basic fact than it is only a fresco of choices. sure, it is not a great movie and its sins are many. but it is a honest movie and this fact defines it. picture of a side of America, without ambition to impress its public, it is a form of analysis of common realities in a clear light. the acting is OK, the script- not bad, and good intentions are admirable. a film about link between past and future, it can be good subject of reflection for each of its viewers.

This is a fine example of making every bad decision you could possibly make. From abortion to an affair with a married person to teen sex to getting drunk. They do it all but somehow it all works out in the end and everyone will live happily ever after. If you watch this as a movie about what not to do then it would be OK. They could have done a move about pro-abortion and teen angst without the B story of the guy coming back to sell his father's house. The main (A) was about the girl and her problems. His story was real superfluous. I lived near Lebanon for three years. Even though it was not my favorite place to live I can tell you that not everybody is a redneck. It is also not that conservative. It is more conservative than Philly but it is not Redneck country. I could not recommend this movie to anyone.

I write this because of the totally unfair review by "Ihmedeuce". Lebanon, Pa was a very entertaining movie with great acting. It had less Hollywood and more thought. The young actors were compelling and the story line quite interesting. No explosions or car crashes -- just a nice gem of a film.

The soundtrack was also well crafted, lots of great voicings and strings. This was an uplifting movie that gave one moments of helpless sensitivity due to the situations encountered in the plot.

These types of movies were made not for Academy Awards but more for gentle regular people to enjoy and must be watched in this light.

...you are charming. I read the synopsis, then watched the movie, that is the conclusion I made. The geeks, psychos, cuckolds, etc are all bald and I guess being bald is symbolism for loser these days. There are many things to hate about this movie, from the plot, to the undeveloped story, to the B acting, to the there is nothing to like about his protagonist, to the stereotypes of rural living and communities, on and on it goes. This movie is filled with characters who seem unable to see the world through anything but their own selfish and immature perspective. Who take little to no responsibility for their own actions and learn nothing from the trials of others. This is perfectly summed up in the line "when WE kissed that night, didn't YOU think about what might happen (to MY marriage)?". A cast of mostly unlikable characters, but hey, Will has hair and is in great shape, so he must be charming.