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Just finished watching this with my kids and they whooped it up and acted it out all over the living room floor. Yes, it may have some drawbacks, but it's for kids, who won't necessarily notice those things, unless their kill-joy parents point them out. What in the world is wrong with having a little fun? The movie was a great way to introduce my kids to the folk tales of our country in an engaging, comical way. They recognized the names, but the stories that went with them. I guess folk tales are going the way of nursery rhymes. And it kept their attention for the hour-and-a-half or so that the movie ran. And considering that we rented the movie on a lark, I do believe we got our money's worth, pardner!

A well made Family movie in the "Field of Dreams" mold. Instead of baseball legends a boy receives aid from some legends of the Old West-- Pecos Bill (Patrick Swayze), Paul Bunyon (Oliver Platt), John Henry (Roger Allen Brown), and Calamity Jane (Catherine O'Hara!). The talented game cast sells this sometimes hokey movie well. It's definitely worth a rent if it ever becomes available on home video though it can often be found on cable.

This film is geared to those who are young or young at heart. The movie takes one through an enchanting tale. It is a good all around family movie. The movie takes us through some American mythical characters who we can reminisce about such characters as Pecos Bill. It is light hearted fun and keeps one interested as to what will happen next. It is a good film to eat popcorn or have pizza with. Good musical scores with the film, wholesome and uplifting. This is a film when after its over, it leaves you with a good feeling. You may not remember each and everything. But the feeling is like after a cup of hot chocolate -- you don't remember every sip, but the good feeling sticks. In fact, you can watch it again a month later and just enjoy the feeling all over again. I give it a six thumbs up out of ten.

Some of us may wonder how appropriate it was for Disney to make a movie linking American legends and historical events, but I wish to assert that "Tall Tale" is worth seeing. It portrays a boy (Nick Stahl of "In the Bedroom") joining up with Pecos Bill (Patrick Swayze), Paul Bunyan (Oliver Platt) and John Henry (Roger Aaron Brown) to fight a developer (Scott Glenn) in the American West in 1905. The movie sort of gives one the feeling that these tales may have had some truth to them. I recommend it.

Oh, and although Catherine O'Hara only appears in one part (as Calamity Jane), she steals the scene there.

Cute, I expected it to be specifically about the Pecos Bill legend, but it was a cute little story, the legend being introduced, lots of action scenes, but for the kids to really enjoy, little drama, reasonable Pecos Bill participation, nothing too flashy or special , average...

I totally dug this movie when I was a kid (like 7 or 8 or 9 years old). I had it on tape and my sister, cousins, and I watched it all the time. It's certainly no blockbuster or award winning picture, but it's still fun for kids (it was for me anyway). I remember liking how these story characters I was familiar with, were all linked together in the story and were (kind of) brought to life. Anyway, I guess it's just personal preference, but I remember digging it, and to say that no child got anything out of this silly movie would be wrong. I can't really remember the story too much now, to be honest, (it's been so long), but just thinking about it made me smile, and I am seriously tempted to go out and rent it for my nephews. It's only a dollar or two, and even if it doesn't pack the same punch it did when I was little, I'm sure I would enjoy seeing it again, and I'm sure my nephews might enjoy it too.

I'd put this in the same category as THE SEVEN FACES OF DR. LAO, a true family movie: there's something anyone can relate to, but with some hokey flaws that ultimately don't matter.

There are so many great parts to it, that it's a shame that some of the editing and a few character blunders are handled so badly.

The John Henry competition is pretty much thrown away, just because of some bad editing.

The bad guy is an out-of-place cartoon, supposedly in the "real world" but seems like a fugitive from THE WILD, WILD WEST. He is pitted against the well-drawn characters of Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, John Henry and Calamity Jane, all of whom start out as cartoons, then are cleverly nuanced. I could have used more Catherine O'Hara.

Speaking of which, William H. Macy is pretty much wasted too.

I won't spoil the ending, but I think they knew that they DID have a great ending that could survive lots of mis-steps. So don't tune out before the end.

Fantasy from Disney set in Old West America at the turn of the century has imaginative but unhappy farm boy dreaming up Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan and John Henry after the family home is threatened by a slimy land-developer. Derivative story goes all the way back to "The Wizard of Oz" for ideas, with Scott Glenn playing a sort of Wicked Witch dressed in black. Other cast members--Patrick Swayze, Oliver Platt, and Nick Stahl--do commendable work, but film lacks real emotion and depth. It looks good, however, as photographed by Janusz Kaminski, and the picture has its heart in the right place. Not the popular family affair Disney likely banked on, grossing just over $8M domestic on a $32M budget. *1/2 from ****

A tad messy in its execution, but a cool film nevertheless.

I'll be honest, it oddly took me a while to catch on to what was happening; I found all the dots, so to speak, but didn't connect them quick enough for some reason. Nonetheless, throughout, I was very much enjoying the film.

The cast are terrific, they certainly elevate the film up in my thoughts. Patrick Swayze, Oliver Platt and Roger Aaron Brown are entertaining in the respective roles as Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan and John Henry. A young Nick Stahl isn't amazing, but his performance is satisfactory. Scott Glenn, meanwhile, is a solid villain.

Away from them, you have the likes of Jared Harris, Stephen Lang, Scott Wilson and Catherine O'Hara appear - I would've loved to have seen more of O'Hara as Calamity Jane, there was great potential there for a big team up with Swayze's character; sadly we only get them together for a short time.

The premise is a strange one but one I liked. It could've came out better no doubt, though it is still done to a suitable level. 'Tall Tale' is a fun flick from Disney.

First of all, the casting is perfect. That's the one good thing I can say about this movie. Patrick Swayze, Oliver Platt, and Roger Aaron Brown make the most of their characters and have great chemistry together. Swayze is particularly hilarious as a tough-as-nails Pecos Bill. But the rest of this movie is a disaster. It has almost NO plot, and what little shreds of a plot it has are ridden with holes. I'll explain.

You see, there's this guy Stiles who wants to buy up all the land in a community. So he holds a town meeting promising to give people vast sums of money in return for their land. Everyone is positively giddy about it, until this guy Jonas stands up and makes a touching speech about how the land is their heritage and it would be a sin to sell. Everyone gets on his case about it, and he concludes with, "Well, I ain't selling." Then what happens? Do they discuss it further? Does Stiles resume the meeting? No! Everyone just gets up and LEAVES! The meeting isn't even adjourned; they all just... walk out of the building! Did they forget what they were doing? Do they have Attention Deficit Disorder? Someone please explain this scene to me.

Now, if I remember correctly, Stiles is so mad about Jonas ruining his meeting that he does the logical thing and... shoots Jonas. At the last minute, Jonas's son Daniel gets ahold of the deed to their land and runs away with it, because Stiles will stop at nothing to snatch it right out of his hands (a tried-and-true legal tactic). Daniel runs away and falls asleep in a boat. Then he dreams about being in the Old West with Pecos Bill. Then he wakes up, and Stiles tries to run him over with a train. Suddenly all the townspeople are on his side and he gets to keep the deed. It's all very confusing.

What a dumb movie. 2/10 stars.

I expected some sort of supernatural-type hero story with he likes of Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan and Jhn Henry, but this movie was more like a regular adventure. It reminded me, in some respects, of an adventure out West such as White Fang. It was that kind of story.

The kid in here, "Daniel Hackett," played by Nick Stahl, was a little annoying for awhile, the typical snotty kid they like to show in the movies, but came to his senses by the end and wound up a decent kid who respected the people he was supposed to respect.

Meanwhile, all the characters including bad-guy "J.P. Stiles" (Scott Glenn) were a lot of fun not only to watch but to listen to, with some good dialog.

In all, it was lightweight fun and a good adventure story rolled into one. Patrick Swaze was a hot as "Pecos Bill" and Oliver Platt equally fun as "Paul Bunyan," and who doesn't admire big "John Henry" (Roger Aaron Brown)?

Why this is not available (at least in Region 1) on DVD is a mystery to me. It's just a fun movie - pure escapism for more than just kids.

Just saw this with my daughter on cable. I'd never heard of it until now, but it is an interesting parable.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned it.

It's about as subtle sometimes as an anvil on the head sometimes (Paradise Valley, the train from a Harper's Weekly nightmare), but it is an interesting take on the co-opting of traditions and symbols, the taming of the American West and the loss of the traditional, independent, potentially dangerous but exciting traditional American lifestyle in order to provide a predictable, comfortable, boring existence serving the greed of a rising industrial system.

It is pretty ironic that it comes from Disney.

This movie wasn't much to watch because it was set in the 1900's and it wasn't much of a storyline. But the actors in the movie made it ok to watch (Patrick Swayze and Nick Stahl)the thing is I couldn't understand that Walt Disney made this picture and I have never heard of Caravan pictures. All I know is that Walt Disney made all those animation films like the classics Snow White and the seven Dwarfs, 101 Dalmations, Lady and the Tramp etc. But this movie just doesn't fit Walt Disney's idea of a great film. So in conclusion to this review I give this film a 5 out of 10 because that's all it deserves. And kids under 10 shouldn't watch this film because of the low level violence.

Disney has retold (again) the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this time with a male protagonist, Paul Bunyan as the Cowardly Lion, John Henry as the Tin Woodman, and Pecos Bill as the Scarecrow. I saw this movie for the first time today with my 8-year-old son, and as cheesy as this sounds, I know we will both remember this day forever. If you aren't the father of a small boy, take a hike. You don't have a clue. But if you are the father of a small boy, go to the public library's children's room and get this movie pronto. And if, like me, you're an old movie propman, get ready to enjoy some of the nicest set dressing and model work you've seen for a long, long time. I wish I had that train on my resume.

I searched for one word to describe this film and came up with dumb. That seems to fit the entire boring, badly acted, silly scripted, nonsensical mess. What was Swayze doing in this production anyway, he is usually in a more mainstream element? I doubt if even a child got anything out of this screwy movie. I can't say anymore, it was just a bad show.

I never do this, but I feel like I have to review this movie just to drive the rating down. Throughly boring and confusing. Its not bad in the fun way. I was just never really sure about what was happening.

"Superstar Patrick Swayze stars as gun-slinging, tornado-riding cowboy legend Pecos Bill in Disney's most rousing Western adventure yet. Summoned by the imagination of a young boy, Pecos sets out to help the lad save the family farm from a greedy land-grabber. Teaming with two other larger-than-life heroes - a mighty lumberjack and a hulking railroad worker - they embark on an incredible journey where danger and surprises await at every turn. Packed with plenty of rollicking action and visual effects, untamed adventure doesn't ride any faster or shoot any straighter than 'Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventure'!"

"Tall Tale" is a competent, unabashed re-envisioning of "The Wizard of Oz" (1939).

But, they went down the wrong yellow brick road by retrofitting it to the American West of 1905 - with folk heroes "Pecos Bill" (standing in for the Scarecrow), "Paul Bunyan" (the Cowardly Lion), and "John Henry" (the Tin Man) made more ordinary than they were even in the old adventures told before the arrival of radio, television, and motion pictures. No wizard, no munchkins. Not surprisingly, viewers in 1995 were interested in more modernized heroics. Most exciting scene has young Nick Stahl (as Daniel) standing up to a train driven by Scott Glenn (The Wicked Warlock of the West). Don't surrender, Daniel!

***** Tall Tale (3/24/95) Jeremiah S. Chechik ~ Nick Stahl, Patrick Swayze, Oliver Platt, Roger Aaron Brown

Unlike the prior poster, I loved this movie. It is a great family movie that is based on the Tall Tales that many of us learned in literature classes. If you know who Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, or John Henry are, you will find those heroes here. If you don't, what better way to learn about some of American histories classic Tall Tale characters that once put a sense of pride in being American. It was obvious that they took the time to find very fitting actor for each role. The script was written to make it a definite family movie suitable for any family. When the movie ends, you feel satisfied that you saw a good movie and not left with an "oily" feeling like you were just slimed like many of the movies do today. The story is that of a boy and his family about to lose their farm to a railroad tycoon in the early 1900s, something that did happen back then. The American Tall Tale characters are brought in one at a time to help the boy through the situation and teach him the way of being a man, with respect.

Actor Stahl (famous for his extremely better performance in The Man Without a Face) appears to have hard times with his dad. They don't get along easily and they could only settle down when his father talks about his favorite "tall tale" characters while fishing. It appears an enemy of the young boy's father tries to take over his land. Stahl dreams that his heroes come to the rescue. This Wizard of Oz fantasy is way too dark and dull looking. Oliver Platt's character, Paul Bunyan isn't as huge as he's supposed to be. Catherine O' Hara's special appearance is no help. Paul Bunyan's blue ox is the best part of the movie.

At the age of 6 I loved this movie I was entertained watching it. Now at the age of 16 now that I have seen this movie again I still think it's entertaining. It features all of the same stories I heard about Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, and John Henry. Nick Stahl (Daniel Hackett) proves in this movie that he is a very talented actor, at a young age, by making a normally cheesy script sound... well... good. I have always been a fan of Patrick Swayze (Pecos Bill) and he portrayed the Rip snortinouse cowboy perfectly. Another admired actor of mine would be Oliver Platt (Paul Bunyan) He adds more humor to this already funny movie. I enjoyed this movie as I think anyone could. I give it an 9/10!

A young boy draws on the inspiration of legendary western characters to find the strength to fight an evil land baron in the old west who wants to steal his family's farm and destroy their idyllic community.

Director Jeremiah S. Chechik brought us "national Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (a classic) and "Benny and Joon" (a cult hit), and then this. Despite a great cast, it just sort of flops around and goes nowhere. The plot really ought to be: kid hangs out with legendary figures, ruins their lives. Why they put up with him is beyond me.

One of the more disappointing things, actually, is how little we get of Calamity Jane. For me, if I had Catherine O'Hara on my payroll, I would find a way to expand her part. But I guess not. I will give them credit for Paul Bunyan, though, as their interpretation is certainly unique.

This is a Disney family movie, and the lead character is 12 years old. This means that the target audience is still in grade school, and the moral lesson is as subtle as Paul Bunyan's blue ox. But if you're willing to relax and put on your mouse ears, you might enjoy seeing Pecos Bill ride a cyclone and John Henry compete with a steam engine. The barroom scene with Calamity Jane is a treat for lovers of Old West humor, and Texas son Patrick Swayze is perfectly cast as Pecos Bill. Sadly for us, his gorgeous looks are all but hidden under his mustache, prairie dust, and 10-gallon hat.

I thought this movie was excellent for older children and adults. Tall tales are such a large part of our culture and others as well. Sometimes a person has to make a stand to protect his or her way of life and I think this movie does that in a way that is easy to interpret. It would also stay in our minds as a life lesson. Rosa Parks stood alone on that bus in Montgomery, AL. The boy in this movie took a stand too. He never hurt anyone either. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. took a stand without any violence and look what happened! The boy's father was an inspiration to his son. Our youth of today need these things. They need someone to look up to by example. I'd highly recommend this movie for all ages! I watched it twice in one day and will do so again and again.