Hidden in America

This movie made me think twice about what I have in life and what homeless and/or jobless people must go through each day. I found it to be first-rate, and everything about it was great, especially Beau Bridges's performance. He gave a great performance about a man who lost both his wife and his job, and the remainder of the movie focused on his struggle to raise his two kids and find another job. I loved it.

*** out of ****

In between "Streetwise," "American Heart" and now "Hidden in America," I think I need to go on Prozac. Over the years director Martin Bell has proven himself master of ruining a person's day -- for some reason he seems mainly attracted to topics related to the poor, hopeless and downtrodden. The fact that his films are uniformly of high quality only makes the situations portrayed all the more depressing, but the verisimilitude of these films elevates them to something well above what mainstream Hollywood usually churns out.

Anyway, this film is well acted, fairly well scripted and covers its subject matter effectively. Jeff Bridges has a bit part as a doctor, and (as always) I would have liked to have seen more of him. The fact that this film is set is Seattle is meaningless; a story like this could really happen anywhere in America. 7/10

Hidden in America works both as a terrific film and as an advocate for child hunger. Beau Bridges leads the way with a very real performance of a single father trying to raise two kids after losing his wife to cancer and losing his job of 16 years at an automobile plant. Bridges character deals with feelings of inadequacy as he struggles to find work and properly raise his family. His pride also tested when he meets a doctor (Bruce Davidson) who wants to help the family and when he has to take donations to battle his daughter's malnutrition. The two kids in the film (Shelton Dane and Jean Malone) are great and Frances McDormand adds a nice touch as the rough but concerned mechanic who befriends the boy Robby. I highly recommend this movie which is now available on video.

Great film that shows what happens to many people in America, but what the rest of the population wont see. This movie maybe get some thinking going for those who turn their heads or say "get a job" when someone "fail". There isn´t always a choice between being rich or poor, not everyone can succeed despite how hard they try, this movie shows that. Recommended for it´s story and the acting is good. It adds up to 5/10

This film is first class all the way. Beau Bridges is outstanding as a decent, hard-working man who loses his wife and his job and is just too stubborn and proud to accept help. This is the kind of film that makes you stop and think how lucky you are. Just be warned, it is sometimes so sad and grim that its very difficult to watch.