The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky

A heartwarming coming of age movie. There is no sex, very little violence and no profanity in this heartwarming film about a boy working in the Forestry service in 1919 .

Why can't they make more movies like this?

Jerry O'Connell and Sam Elliot star in this improbably named western, set in Montana in the early 1900s. Forest rangers are clearing a trail over a mountain during one long summer. O'Connell is a 17 year old who learns as he goes, working with a veteran crew. Elliot is the trail boss, and the best mule packer in the group. Before the summer is over, O'Connell's farmboy will have learned a few hard lessons and fallen in love with a gal in town. There's also a humdinger of a bar fight over a poker game involving the camp cook, played by real-life magician Ricky Jay. This is a quiet, introspective movie in many respects, with no gunplay or fancy theatrics other than the bar fight. We can believe this is how forestry people did their job then, and perhaps even now -- with the addition of today's engines, of course. Back then, a lot of it was accomplished by hand. RANGER reminds me of a Hallmark movie, which it probably started out as.

I immediately liked this movie for its period sense and of course Sam Elliot and Jerry McConnell, as well as being written by Norman Maclean. The first time I watched it I felt it was a bit "light" in story. It drew me back to watch it again, though, and now having seen it quite a few times I have come to love it. It is simple and clean and tells the story of a small piece of a young life that is really quite large. Young Mac is 17 and full of himself, as many 17 year old men can be when they feel they have to prove themselves. He is the jerk in the movie, but he takes us on his journey of "becoming." There are many wise "turns of phrase" in this movie, and the more I watch it the more I find. So the story I thought was "light" turns out to be quite profound and deep. The cast, crew, directing, writing, and cinematography are all beautiful. Don't sell it short... watch it a few times.

I liked this movie very much it is a must watch if you like westerns. No corners cut while making the film and is just a great product. The scenery is also amazing!

In the summer of 1919 young Mac joins the Forest Rangers. The summer that follows teaches him to be a man as he learns the meaning of hard work on the trail. He also clashes with the cook who turns out to have a secret talent beyond cooking and bonds with Ranger Bill Bell. During the summer he falls in love, experiences all types of weather and gets involved in a high stakes game of poker.

This is a very slow coming-of-age tale. Mac joins the Rangers and gets into several situations that help him grow up. Some of them are dull and meaningless, such as some of the walking scenes and the love interest, however some are very well done such as the relationships developing between the lead actors and the final poker game. The lessons he learns are not forced or overstated and there is something quite nice about a film with recognisable faces that is gentle with no violence, swearing or sex in it.

The main performances are good. Sam Elliot is good in his usual "weary" role, Jerry O'Connell is also good, he hasn't had much mainstream success yet but he can give good performances when necessary. The best performance (and best role) is by Ricky Jay. Always watchable in the surprising number of big films he's done, he not only gets to show off his card skills here but also his acting skills - he really is always interesting to watch and he's very good here. The worst performance is the off-screen narrator (an old Mac) who gives one of those traditional wise-old-American men things.

The film is very light on plot and it may be a bit boring for many. For me there were many bits that felt pointless. But overall it's an undemanding family film that has some good scenes, good performances, but you really wish that more actually happened during the film!