Title: Overly sentimental and predictable
Review: Wanted to like the movie more, but it is entirely too sentimental, predictable, and pat -- you can watch it and say "Oh, here's where the dad gets to redeem himself" or "Guardian angel talk -- guess one of them will end up dead" or "Aha, the conflict between the kids mirrors the dad's war", and on and on. Got tired of being beat over the head with entirely obvious parallels and symbolisms. Kevin Costner was way too clean-cut and well-dressed to come across as an impoverished Vietnam vet with PTSD. On a more positive note, Elijah Wood was quite good; his southern accent was a lot better than Costner's. And the movie effectively conveys the mood of a hot, rural summer with almost no parental supervision. Note to parents: There's a lot of violence between children in this movie, and one extremely tense scene involving a decrepit water tower. I won't be showing it to my kids (age 3 and 6).
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