1969 (Distributed in 1988)

1969

Directed by: Ernest Thompson

Starring
Robert Downey Jr.
Keifer Sutherland
Winona Ryder
Joanna Cassidy


Synopsis:

Ralph Carr (Robert Downey Jr.) and Scott (Keifer Sutherland) are best friends who grew up togeather and both went to college to avoid the Vietnam draft. Scott's brother is a Marine and has been sent out to fight. During this time Ralph flunks out of school and is in danger of being drafted while Scott's brother is first considered Missing in Action but then is confirmed dead. Scott an undecided youth disagrees with the war but doesn't know how to break away from his parents ideas and struggles to find himself. He goes from hiding in college, to trying to help his friend not get drafted and also makes an attempt to save himself by trying to cross the Canadian border. In the end Scott comes into his own and stands up for what he believes in.


Review:

The characters were all generic, as well as the plot. Even the strife of someone dying in the war was overshadowed by the inability to convey that anything major was really happening in the movie. The director tried to take the viewer on a journey about how the war affected a small town which seemed to remain untouched by any tragedy. The movie comes across as a bit sugar coated with no real show of emotion one way or the other. There are no signficant parts which come to mind to fully describe this movie as other than bland.