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I managed to find this movie on Amazon streaming. It is a nice movie about family values and ultimately, finding happiness in what you get in life rather than wishing your life were different. There are a few very harsh IMDb reviews, I don't understand that, this is a really well-made movie of a very nice story.

It starts in about 1985, it is Memorial Day, the start of summer vacation, and the family of four head out for a short trip. The dad, Tom, almost runs over a man and his dog, that incident flashes him back to 1955 when he was about 10 or 11 years old. His father had not returned from the Korean War and was presumed deceased. Young Tom had a lot of anger in his heart.

It was back then that Tom's mom almost ran over a man, Patrick Swayze as Jack, who also had a shaggy dog as a companion. Jack's foot was in a cast, as he heads away Tom's mom feels sorry for him and convinces him to stay with them until his cast is off. Jack has a very positive impact on young Tom.

In most appearances Jack comes across as a real man, but as he interacts with the Little League baseball team in a zen-like manner, and a few other things, we come to believe that he is more like Bagger Vance. Someone who may not be real but who comes into a life at a critical point. Young Tom needed to get his mojo back, to figure out what life is really about. When Tom as an adult encounters the same Jack and his dog in the cemetery, we know the answer.

Good movie with a message for everyone.

I read one of the comments and it wasn't favorable.. but I'll venture to disagree. the movie held my interest until 2:30 in the am.. it made me laugh and cry and it touched my heart strings.all the little boys did a real good job acting, as did the adults. it sent many positive messages on living life and being true to yourself...and the courage to do what makes you happy.also that prayer works.... I e-mailed one of my daughters and told her she too might enjoy it.. so what if it's fantasy...it was a feel good flick and I am happy I had the chance to view it..by far beats all the horror and murder movies and give hope that the world can be turned into a better place one man/woman at a time....

Certainly a mixed bag of comments on this one. I'm definitely one of this film's boosters. I saw it long ago on a motel tv in the middle of the night and have never forgotten it. My memory was that it was an 80s movie; I suppose because most of the plot was set in the 50s. When I rediscovered that it was made as late as 1995 I was quite surprised. The fact that women directors and writers were so heavily involved with this movie explains its beautiful emotional resonance. Even now as I write this I'm again deeply moved by the whole story and its telling. To me it's right up there with films like "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street," etc. Recently TCM has been featuring great women screen writers like Frances Marion and April Guy Blache. I'm glad to discover that women are still and again strongly contributing to our collective screen world of emotions and feelings. Too bad this sensitive approach seems to turn some of your reviewers strongly off. Perhaps it's a gender thing.

Just watched this movie in TV. Although it had a slow pace and some of the characters were not fully developed, I liked it. Especially appealing to me, as a senior, was the locale and the truly accurate portrayal of life and times in the late 1950's. Even the kitchen appliances and the dish ware were spot on! I lived in a tract just like the one in the film - the San Fernando Valley urban explosion! I thought the players were all fine and the child actors were very effective. The story dragged a bit but pacing is not everything - sometimes it is good to linger a bit and be nostalgic. This is a good movie for thoughtful teens who can appreciate the message given about home, hope and history.

I watched this movie on TV twice. It's the first movie I've watched by Patrick Swayze. I was moved by the story and felt myself like that little Tom very much. I couldn't help crying when I saw the ending and told myself I should learn from this movie. And till then I began to understand the meaning of the movie.

It's a good movie for a family to watch together. I think many people can learn from this movie that we should cherish what we already have had in hand. As the saying says, happiness lies in satisfaction.

And it's not a big story, so it may not have got much attention from audience. But still I would say it's a good movie.