Same River Twice

Same River Twice combines many perspectives of the Idaho river running experience with outstanding characters and a real storyline. The river plays a significant role here and Idaho looks pretty good. All the family loved it.

This movie was obviously a labor of love for director Scott Featherstone, and his cast of unheralded TV actors tries hard. But it's difficult for them to overcome some of the trite characterizations and situations. Shea Farrel (a regular on the old ABC series "Hotel") is saddled with the most cliched role: the father who feels too sorry for himself after a messy divorce to be a good parent to his teenage son (Joshua Keaton). John Putch (Jean Stapleton's son) as a underachieving bicycle mechanic, haunted by guilt over the death of a young river rafting guide years before, and Keven Rahm, as the Putch character's slacker nephew come off best in a big cast. Robert Curtis-Brown narrates this story of four former river rafting guides (Putch, Shea, and Dwier Brown play the other three) who keep a prearranged reunion years after their halcyon days as young men who bonded on the river. Each has a life crisis. Curtis-Brown is happily married, but his young daughter has MD. Dwier Brown, now a succssful attorney, is ambivalent about committing the young artistic woman he has brought along on the trip. The Shea and Putch characters have the problems cited above. I give Featherstone credit for not tying up all the loose ends, but his script and the talents of his actors are not always up to their more dramatic scenes or ambitions. The scenes of the four friends off by themselves at the end of each day (they have all brought people who are part of their current lives) are the best parts of the movie. In these scenes we can believe these guys are good friends who care deeply for each other. But there are nagging problems. It's hard to believe the decent, upstanding Curtis-Brown character would attend this reunion in light of what was happening with his family. And there are too many pat solutions and quick changes of heart for the film to be considerd "realistic." Though the movie is not "preachy," there are a couple of references to God and religion that made me suspect this movie was financed by a Christian group. But then there are issues like the the unmarried couple of the lawyer and the graphic artist that most conservative Christian groups would not condone, so perhaps I'm mistaken. Another thing that bothered me was the Hispanic character being given some of the worst dialogue for someone of his ethnicity since the last "Cisco Kid" episode was shot. He is a stereotype, despite being a mostly positive character. In sum, I credit Featherstone and his cast for their desire to make a interesting, dramatic family film. The whitewater scenes are quite impressive, and the river and surrounding scenery are beautiful. There are also a couple of tunes on the soundtrack by one of my favorite groups, The Subdudes, as well as one by Shawn Colvin.

Not often do you have the opportunity to see a movie that captures your attention, for the entire span that it is showing, and also is wholesome enough for any member of the family. Same River Twice was showing on our local ION/TBN channel. I was initially lured into watching it by the beautiful scenery and well acted script from the moment I turned the channel. My 12 year old grandson walked by the t.v. on the way outside to play (on a lovely day I might add) when he stopped in his tracks, turned to me and said, "MawMaw, I'm gonna watch this for a minute before I go out." That 'minute' ended with the final credits and it was at that point he said that the movie it was so good, it was one we needed to get for our personal movie library. Not often does he give such endorsement. I wish there were more like this, that we can add to the old classics such as Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows and Homeward Bound.

The version I saw came from Feature Films for Families and there were no nude scenes, no cursing and nothing I found offensive. Great movie for family with preteens or teens. It shows that sometimes growing up and becoming a man means facing hard situations but pressing through. Having friends that help you makes it so much easier. It was funny, sensitive, and makes you look at people differently when you realize sometimes we just don't know what is going on in their lives. I loved this movie and so does my kids ages 12 and 15. The thought of this movie makes me want to get together with my friends and go on a camping river trip.

When the director, Scott Featherstone, was in boy scouts I was a part of his troop. Our scout master and Scott's father masterminded the notion of taking the boys down the Middle Fork of the Salmon for a "superactivity". A lot of water has clearly passed under the "Split Creek Bridge" since then, but I felt a lot of the old familiar emotions watching "Same River Twice". Singing songs from the radio, waterfights on the river, making and re-newing connections, even close calls and dramatic rescues, all memories of those boyhood raft trips. I've since gone on to guide kayaks and rafts and live my life in another part of the country. I lost contact with Scott Featherstone until this movie. Someone else might not feel the intense connection to the message of this movie, but I do. I lived it. Scott has captured those days in a masterful way.

The real star of this movie and what showed best through the film was the majesty and grace that is Idaho's whitewater and her back-country. Gorgeously shot, every scene could be a postcard, and none of it exaggerates Idaho's beauty in the slightest, if anything the movie understates it. People have asked me over the years where my home is. If it is true that your home is where your heart is, no matter where my house has stood, my home has been the Middle Fork. My thanks to Scott and his superb film for re-enforcing that fact and helping me to re-connect with my home, if just for a little while.