American Son

The sound and cinematography was great and the actors did well.

For all the youth that served after 9/11 I salute them but there is one serious that stands out to me. How can he be a fresh Marine out of boot camp and having flashbacks from battle if he has not been in combat yet?

It definitely added impact to the movie but again HOW could he be having combat flashbacks if he has not been in combat yet?

Worth the time to watch but not one of the best post 9/11 movies concerning military service.

I saw this movie at a screening in LA with some friends and was very moved.

The story is in essence about a young marine who returns home for the first time since joining the army for Thanksgiving, before being shipped to Iraq. The movie follows his story for the 3 or 4 days of his visit home.

The movie is very topical, but subtle too - and deals with the sensitive effects of war on family, and young men whose lives are essentially put on pause for the Iraq war.

It is poignant that Mike meets Christina, someone who he really feels he could care about, the weekend before he is shipped to Iraq. Young love is not even given a chance because of war.

The style of the movie is very realistic, great dialogue and acting. It is very well directed. My personal favorite character is Matt O'Leary as Jake, whose performance is outstanding. April Grace portrays the mother of a soldier incredibly well.

In short, I think this movie is excellent - and as citizens of the world, it sheds important insights onto the current political situation. Not necessarily political or macro insights, although those are there to be interpreted, but certainly a personal view of war - and how it affects individual families.

It gives me more conviction that we should stop sending our wonderful young men over there to die!

You're a young black marine. You have 96 hours leave before being posted to Iraq for more than a year. How do you break the news to your family? What will you get up to in the last period of civilian life you'll have for a while? And will you trying calling that cute girl you met on the way back home? Decisions, decisions...

American Son is what I would refer to as a tepid drama. Everyone involved gives their all, and it all feels pretty realistic. It's just all a little too by-the-numbers for my liking, from the booze-filled parties he attends filled with clothes-shedding nymphets (don't these girls have any self respect) to the decision to inform all and sundry he's off just a few hours before departure. Cue the waterworks, before a quick acceptance. And if you think he's going to spend a bonk-filled final rendezvous with this young lady in a hotel he's known for all of three days... BANG! You win the internet!!

One last question: Our lead seems like a really nice guy... so why are all his friends complete jerks? If I was him, I would dump the lot.... and start afresh. Well, that's what we do with bad Scrabble letters, anyway.... 5/10

This film was beyond excellent. How is it at a mere 5.5? Transformers 2 has a higher rating. Everything was great in this movie. The story. The acting. The music. The direction. First off, Nick Cannon has proved that he is more than just a great actor, he's an extraordinary actor. His performance was Oscar worthy. Jay Hernandez has a small role here, but he was also incredible. Also a great performance by Matt O'Leary as Nick Cannon's friend Jake. This film deserved multiple Oscar nominations including best picture. It's short at only 85 minutes, but a LOT happens and not a single second feels wasted. This film was funny, sad, and deeply moving. This movie deserves at least an 8.0. Incredible

I saw a rough cut of this movie in Los Angeles. A friend of mine was involved with post- production and he invited me to a screening. I didn't know what to expect -- I'd only seen Nick Cannon in Drumline and thought he was kind of lightweight. Not so in this movie. Basically, the story follows him for a few days before he's about to be sent of to Iraq, and in this short time, he falls in love with a girl he's just met.

The movie is very powerful and heartbreaking but it somehow doesn't feel depressing. I've seen a few other Iraq war movies, but this one all takes place in the US, and it's not really a war movie. It's more like a coming of age film.

The performances were great -- especially the kid who plays Nick Cannon's best friend -- and the story is gripping as hell. The cut i saw was terrific and i am really looking forward to seeing the final version.