User reviews

Snails pace with two aged adults fighting over peanuts ...its a display of over-indulgence to the nth degree ... bruce dern plays the same role in every film he's ever been in ... i was surprised that ms bujold went along with the farce ...this game is not played in the vermont woods but on a hollywood set .... yuk

In Kingdom County, Vermont in 1956, Austin arrives on the train. His grandfather, also named Austin, picks him up in an old truck. It is never made quite clear why young Austin is there, but his grandfather doesn't seem very nice, at first. He describes himself as the meanest (bleep) in Kingdom County. The word is actually used one time but bleeped the rest of the time the expression is used, with the character's mouth blurred. Austin Sr. can actually be quite loving.

Austin's grandmother Abiah is there when they arrive at the house, and she seems nicer. But there are times when she will be the meaner of the two. The house has a phone but no electricity, and Abiah will not have it in her house even though she always having to deal with flies and electricity would make that easier. Austin Sr. is quite conservative as well, so one would think he's the one who doesn't want electricity. But he has a sawmill to run, in addition to his many farm-related duties, so if the power company wants to run a line there, he is all for it regardless of what his wife thinks. He has maple trees for sap, and Gram has an apple orchard. There are also cows and chickens. There's lots of work, and young Austin is expected to do chores even though he doesn't like them. Austin Sr. also expects Austin to go hunting with him, but again Austin doesn't like the idea.

Now why did I say Abiah has an apple orchard? The two are living together but that's about it. They have been in the same house for 50 years and had three children (one wonders how), but young Austin figures out if he wasn't there neither one would say a word to the other. It turns out Austin Sr. was married (not legally, but they considered themselves married) to an Inuit nicknamed Mira because that was short for the English translation of her name. Austin Sr. never got over her death and settled for Abiah. Abiah is obsessed with Egypt, calling Austin "Tut" because he looks like the boy king, and the daughters Nefertiti and Cleopatra have careers Austin Sr. doesn't approve of (but the rest of the world would consider them a success).

Austin Sr. doesn't approve of education because he thinks it will take away from work. He doesn't approve of his son's career as a teacher. Austin's father comes up for visits occasionally, but young Austin stays for a long time and even goes to school, because despite Austin Sr.'s attitude, children have to go to school. There, Austin meets Theresa, whose family is poor, though Theresa seems happy. Austin Sr. doesn't seem to approve of helping the poor, blames the Dubois family for being poor because they're French, and does not see anything good about Adlai Stevenson. Still, he's not as mean as he seems. There's also the bully Hettie.

Later, the grandparents enter the maple festival's syrup contest, competing against each other.

Austin learns a lot about life and family, and responsibility. There are occasional laughs and some tragedy.

This is a family film, if not one appropriate for younger children. It could have easily been a Hallmark Hall of Fame production, because it reminds me a lot of those films. I don't recall any bad language except for that one word that keeps getting repeated and bleeped. There is some minor violence, and a death, and some difficult topics, but it's a film older children could watch. And maybe even some tough younger children.

Bruce Dern gives an Oscar-caliber performance, though I imagine this film didn't get noticed and there could just have been too many equally good performances.

Genevieve Bujold also does quite a good job.

Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick is good too.

Because of the popcornflix.com logo at the beginning and credits that go on for days with the type information movie credits wouldn't normally have, I believe this was an independent film. That usually means quality, and that's certainly true in this case. I've never seen a film with so much participation by colleges.

It's a worthy effort.

Really enjoyable movie. Bruce Dern and Geneve Bujold are outstanding and the boy Austin is great too. There are flaws; the boy is mature beyond his years, the other family characters are underdeveloped and there are scenes that seem pointless. But I was intensely interested in what would happen to the main characters and I found this movie riveting. If you appreciate a thoughtful movie you will like this one.

Tedious mash-up of hateful family, and don't expect the movie to redeem itself: it doesn't.

As a snapshot of godless, self-centered people making everyone around them miserable, this movie is spot-on. Blurb claims it's "based on a true story" (aren't they all), but even that is a lie.

The list of colleges and universities that contributed to this waste of 109 minutes of your life can serve as a list of institutions for your children and grandchildren to avoid!

Great actor though he might be, perhaps it would be better for us to avoid Mr. Dern's movies entirely, rather than risk more of this ilk!

Bruce Dern and Genevieve Bujold play bickering grandparents who inherit their grandson for an indeterminate amount of time in this film set in the isolated woods of Vermont in the late 1950's. This film is about familial love and misunderstanding. There's little melancholia or anything to feel warm and fuzzy about, but Dern and Bujold help the film rise above its conventions.

Dern might have had an Oscar nod for this film but he had the distinct misfortune for making the film 'Nebraska' (and creating a similar angry character) in the same year (2013). He was Oscar-nominated for 'Nebraska' and not for this film. Bujold has to be one of the most beautiful women in the world and she remains so here (she was 71 when she made this film.) Dern and Bujold, acting champs that they are, work well together creating sparks and they salvage the film overall.

Most of the rest of the characters are underdeveloped (especially the father who drops off his son to the grandparents.) Then, there's the bank robber daughter (I'm not kidding) who, late in the film, hijacks the picture and the story completely. At least the role is played by an actress skilled enough to try to pull off such a weird and basically unbelievable character. Would've loved to see what Tatum O'Neal would've done with it.

The film is slow, so be warned, and the hatefulness between the principles very nearly does the picture in but Dern and Bujold are a wonder to behold and plenty enough to recommend this film. I found myself thinking about it days after seeing it, so that's always a good sign of an indelible if (in this case) sometimes unbelievable story.

First I am disgusted with the movie industries insistence to blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ, often just once. This is obviously some type of anti-Christian strategy. There is nothing good about this movie. Terrible waste of time.

I just discovered the Northern Borders film and I enjoyed it so much I watched it twice in a row. The acting was brilliant, as expected. I've always been a fan of Ms. Bujold and Mr. Dern. The supporting cast were superb. I am going to research Seamus to see what he has been up to in the film scene. The story was compelling and in depth. I have not read the book. I will check my local library. It does make me wonder if there is some family truth to the story. More research 😊. The settings were realistic. As most of us are aware, there were and sadly still are, destitute community members. And, Grandfather proved he was not mean through and through, but had compassion and care in his mind and soul.

Dull, dark and tedious. I kept waiting for one of the main characters to strike a worthwhile chord, but it never happens. Bruce Dern plays the meanest, self-centered, unloving character I've ever encountered in a movie. Mrs. Kittredge, his wife, is not much better. Stuck in the past( doesn't want electricity or Tv), refusing to speak to her husband, obsessed with bizarre Egyptian artifacts, she calls her grandson Tut. When the grown children visit, it is clear that the family is dysfunctional. There is no humor or laughter. This movie is soul crunching, determined to show that the human spirit has died along with Bruce Dern. Horrible movie- don't waste your time.