A Árvore dos Sonhos

With solid play acting by Kevin Costner and young Elijah Wood. The storyline could have been a bit more effective, and I felt the scenes from the war were so totally separate from the rest of it, they had little meaning in the film, the "madness" of the father did not appear in the film at all. Perhaps he was cured of it then, but somehow it would have felt better to concentrate on that aspect instead of the few action scenes about the war.

The end with the childrens' war was also a bit... too powerful, i.e. molotov cocktail's used by kids did seem a bit odd.

All in all, a rather solid movie that you should watch if you like a drama movie, but there are some better ones around.

This movie was wrongly overlooked when it came out. It has a lot to say and says it well, leaving the viewer with much to think about. It tells about poor country life in the early '70's from the view point of pre-teens. It touches on the Vietnam War through flashbacks and uses this as a study for the conflicts the children are facing. Their father is their link to the war. It deals with several kinds of hatred and its effects on the kids' lives. It also contrasts the kids' reactions to the father's.

Everything is done well. The children actors, led by Elijah Wood, do a really good job. Elijah was especially wonderful with the emotional out bursts he has to produce. Kevin Costner was surprisingly understated as the father and Mare Winningham is very good as the mother. I wish it was a bigger part. The part of the school teacher comes off a bit stereotypical but it works okay. Again, the kids carry the scene with their show of pride and willingness to stand by each other in adversity.

All in all, it's a good movie and good for older children to watch even though there is some strong language and violence. Actually, I think it's a bit mild for its PG-13 rating.



***1/2 out of ****

"The War" is one of the few "kid" movies that takes itself seriously enough to be loved and appreciated by young and old audiences alike. I would have supported this film to the very end. After all, any vehicle that convincingly gives peace and love a chance deserves a little attention. (Peace and love are such rare qualities nowadays.)

The cast is excellent. Kevin Costner is a little stiff at the beginning but I think that's a good thing. Giving the younger (and equally talented) stars a chance to shine is a smart move on his part. He does get to cut loose in a few fleeting scenes. Also outstanding (when is he not?) is Elijah Wood (a.k.a. the next Tom Hanks) as Costner's angry, multi-layered, deeply troubled son. His frustrations are so well expressed that often times you feel like you could just step in and help him solve his problems.

What is worth fighting for? Nothing. Because as long as you have love, you have everything. Wisdom for both the kiddies and the grown-ups. Just be warned that the film does contain some strong violence and language.

It has been said that Vietnam is America's most unpopular war, but in light of both popular opinion and critical oversight, the namesake film may just inch Vietnam out of that role.

The title not only refers to the Vietnam War, which has an appropriate albeit very limited place in the film, but it also refers to the literal war that the children continuously wage with one another and the figurative war that rages within each of them...for identity and purpose.

Personally, I don't feel that "The War" deserves the press it received (or the lack thereof). It is a beautifully crafted film from its intricate, multi-layered story to its moving, realistic performances to its homestyle, nostalgic cinematography.

"The War" combines some of the best elements of "Forrest Gump" and "Fried Green Tomatoes." It captures the nostalgia of its timeframe, the innocence and naivete of youth, the situational humor of the moment, the consequences one's decisions and actions bring, and the tragedy of life. It even contains a couple of "musical" period moments.

Its structure harkens very closely to that of "To Kill a Mockingbird" (my favorite film). Both de-emphasize the star talent (Gregory Peck/Kevin Costner), who still performs remarkably and effectively in a supporting role. Both also utilize a (female) narrator who "bookends" the story in a quasi-flashback style, as well as plays a pivotal (if not the starring) role in the story. Each narrator tells the story of her brother and her father: their growth and what has been learned from and about them.

"Sometimes all it takes is a split second to do something you regret the whole rest of your life." What a great and appropriate theme for a film that few went to see. No wonder so many problems still exist in the world.

Though on the surface it might be seen as yet another movie about poverty in Mississippi (which is, by the way, the poorest State in the US) or about the impact of the Vietnam War on the family of veterans, "The War" exceeds expectations on several fronts: presentation, complexity, candidness, and good acting. The story is narrated from the point of view of 12-year old Lidia, played excellently by Lexi Randall, with the acceptance kids usually have at that age ("…we are dirt poor, like everyone else in Juliette, Mississippi" - she tells us right of the start). Though she is white, she befriends two black girls the same age, sharing social condition and taste for music, with some hiccup due to her use of language blacks don't like others to use on them. She is "tough" as kids in that environment usually are, yet "girlish" in step with her age. She is the one sensitive enough to realize how others feel and has the guts to naturally stand for them, though she struggles to understand her father. Her brother Stu, about the same age, played impeccably by Elijah Wood, is eager, as most boys at that age are, to get close to his father, and in the period they manage to do it he puts is heart in the basket, at great risk. The father, also played impeccably by Kevin Costner, is troubled by war nightmares and the lack of a stable job, but has the courage to eliminate violence from daily living, aiming to show it to his kids by example, against the pressure for violence from the environment they live in, and to be as good a father as he can in the given circumstances. The kids are at the front of events throughout the film, and the story brilliantly shows us how a rivalry with a group of poorer and tougher kids, centered on the use of a tree house made by the former with materials stolen from the latter, gradually escalates into a dangerous "juvenile war", much the way political conflicts often escalate into wars among nations. "No matter how much people think they understand war, war doesn't understand people", the girl concludes; thus we all lose. The War goes on at several levels: Kids fighting in the forefront, Vietnam in the background, and the inner struggles of the main characters, being this latter what truly gives depth to the story. Drama is sparkled with hope, humor and coziness, the way it is in life, with very few cheesy scenes. This movie is more that entertainment: it triggers our critical thinking, our capacity for understanding, and leaves a haunting feeling long after is done. Recommendable as a family film for discussion, meaning kids 12 or older with some level of maturity. Not for younger kids.