Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Even though the title and plot synopsis makes the audience think they are going into an adult drama, The War is actually about children.Kevin Costner plays a Vietnam veteran who returns home to Mississippi (cue all actors have varying degrees of accents) and struggles to reconnect with his wife and children. This part of the story is much more interesting than the main storyline. If the entire movie was about his readjustment after wartime, I would have liked it much better.The kids get in a mini-war that's probably supposed to be a poignant "do as we say but not as we do" lesson for grown-ups, but it comes across as silly and annoying for viewers. I wouldn't even classify it as a coming-of-age story, even though it's probably trying to be. I'll leave you with one last fact, one that will probably steer you towards or away from the film: Jon Avnet is the director, and he directed Fried Green Tomatoes.

"The War' is one of the best emotional father and son films, I ever seem. The relationship between Kevin Costner and Elijah Wood is just wonderful. The film deals with a lot of social issues such as the cause of war and the aftermath of it, failure in life, classism and poverty lines, racism and dealing with death. Family is a strong theme in this movie. Kevin Costner plays Stephen Simmons, a returning Vietnam vet who seeks to build a better life for his wife and children in 1970's Mississippi. Costner is great as the tortured soul trying to teach his young son the value of lessons he had learned during the war. There is a bit of Atticus Finch in his performance that mirrors Gregory Peck. Kevin Costner is brimming with positive lessons on social consciousness, but struggles to be a breadwinner for his family due to post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in the Vietnam War. While this is going on, Simmons children, Stu (Elijah Wood) and Lidia (Lexi Randall) are feuding with an even poorer family of neighbors, the Lipnickis, over access to a tree fort that Stu and Lidia built. Elijah Wood is not bound to his cuteness which is proved very well by his performance here and in numerous other movies as well. Elijah was such a great child actor here. No one like him these days as far as child actors, he just had that natural passion that exudes when he performed. This young man has his own battles and demons to face in an ongoing feud with a family of roughnecks and bullies. The talk between him and Kevin Costner are amazing. There are countless scenes which a parent can take out to teach their children about life lessons. One example would be the 'cotton candy' scene. Lidia is a smart girl whose imagination is fully developed. She processes her experiences and her father's wisdom in an essay that celebrates love, courage, and caring. She sports a great narrator. There is a sub-plot in the film dealing with Lindia in summer school dealing with an over the top racist teacher. Christine Baranski played the racist teacher, but her performance is so cartoony, but without her. We wouldn't have one of the best scenes in the film. The only other noticeable supporting child character would be Elvadine (LaToya Chisholm) and this is where she shines. Elvadine did a fabulous job on her monologue, but it is the last few seconds that gets me. I thought Elvadine's speech and cadence, gave such a great performance for an actress so young. Elvadeen is a hoot. While this story defers the movie from its main story-arch, it's a brilliant stand-alone plot line. The Linicki's children are brutal. The amount of child to child violence might alarm some parents. That's how mean people are. They thrive on making others feel bad so they can feel better about themselves. Seeing how the Lipnicki's father is, you understand why. I think the one thing the Lipnicki kids were jealous of was that Stu and Lydia had a father that couldn't give them much, but he gave them his love unconditionally. The Simmons and Linickis are fighting against each other over a tree fort. It's serves as a MacGuffin, protagonist and antagonist willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to pursue, protect or control, often with little or no narrative explanation as to why it is considered so important. It's represent how much people are willing to battle each other, over something so simple. The gut- wrenching whole story is amazing, sad but true that bad things happen to the good people. Pretty much shows how unfair life really is. Still it's the richest, most realistic and revealing story ever made about the moral challenges of parenting. The lyrical and spiritually resonant screenplay by Kathy McWorter presents the engaging portrait of a father who, through bad times as well as good ones, shares with his son and daughter the ideals he believes give life meaning and purpose. In addition, his compassionate deeds create a legacy that goes beyond wealth or words. This whole movie is great it really makes me realize the things I take for granted. I will definitely recommend this movie to friends. Fabulously written and portrayed scene from a very much underrated movie. Oscar worthy performances from the predominantly child cast. The music is great as well. Thomas Newman never fails to impress, capturing that emotional feel in every movie he composes and love hearing those 1960's pop hits. Parents are often hard-pressed in the midst of dealing with life's unrelenting problems to find the right time and the right words to pass on to their children the values they cherish. It's nice to see a movie that deals with teaching the children about morality.

I rarely like movies about the South because we're portrayed as stupid hillbillies, brainless boobs. But this movie treats us with respect, there is a loving tenderness to it's portrayal. I watched this movie because of Kevin Costner and loved it because of Elijah Wood's performance. There were a lot of great performances by both the children and the adults. I read the comments about preaching and sentimentality, well we tend to be a bit sentimental in the South and I make no apologies for that. This movie deserves to be seen by a wider audience. I like a big blockbuster as well as the next person but I love these smaller, character driven films. They stick in my mind and I mull them around for a while. I've watched this one many times and I still love it. The casting was perfect, Elijah was superb. The actress that played Elvadean stole every scene she was in. I realize some may think the Lipnicki's were hillbillies, but they were limited by their upbringing and would have behaved that way no matter where they lived. Whenever I spot Reinor Scheine in a movie I think about his portrayal of the Lipnicki's daddy. Unfortunately, I know someone distressingly like him. This movie is well worth watching.

this is just me but.........quite frankly it is the best movie i have ever seen. the setting, the soundtrack, the message the movie portrays is so noble. i was the age of those kids in the movie in the early 70's as well and grew up in a small southern town so i can relate. if i could be any character in any movie i would strive to be half the man mr simmons is in this movie. i just happened upon this movie in a discount bin and most of my friends have never heard of it. perhaps they could have come up with a better title name for the movie, maybe "the treehouse", but it is a true diamond in the rough for my values. seems every character in this movie was genuine, which in turn makes you so caring for them all.