Artivels Undescribable Perfection

Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Steineded How sad is this?

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

froberts73-379-217403 There is nothing wrong with this movie. Everything is just right - perfect. First of all, the atmosphere of the '30s was captured to perfection.The story was warm and wonderful, told with great heart. You never want to take your eyes off of it, even for a quick moment.The acting was -well - fabulous. The brothers were totally believable, and the older bro should have received some kind of award/recognition.The bad guys - the porter, and the cop were properly hateful. Outstanding scenes abounded, especially the one where the youngster overheard his peers disdaining him because of his circumstances. (There was also the 'fat-boy-wolfing-his-lunch scene).This fantastic flick will be especially meaningful to those of us who grew up during the depression. (I was five in '33). We had damn little money, and there were some mean adults and children around but, although I was not as tough as the kid in the movie - I made it and managed to have a damn happy childhood.Bottom line - gather your family around for an outstanding history lesson from an outstanding film.

preppy-3 In the 1933 Depression, Aaron (an impossibly young Jesse Bradford) is left all alone after his brother is sent away, his mother put in a sanitarium and his father has to leave to work for money. We see what the Depression was REALLY like through young Aaron's eyes. Too often the 1930s are romanticized...but not here! It is grim and powerful but there's also some very funny moments and a GREAT happy ending that was (more or less) believable. I read and studied the Depression in school and this movie got everything right--especially about the hell people went through. Also it looks fantastic! They got the cars, clothes, houses and everything right on target. This movie also has an incredible cast. Jeroen Krabbe (faking an American accent pretty well), Lisa Eichorn, Spaulding Grey, Karen Allen and Elizabeth McGovern all have small roles but are great in them, but it's Bradford who holds the film together. He was only 14 when he did this and he's GREAT! He anchors the film and is believable every step of the way. Also look for an unknown Katherine Heigl and future Oscar winner Adien Brody in small roles. This was a hard movie to market and the studio didn't even try. It died pretty quickly. I only caught it by accident on cable and was blown away by how good it is. This is an excellent film and easily one of the best film of the 1990s. A definite must see!

aph312 Whenever I watch this film, I find myself days later still being haunted by certain scenes. I can't believe that I had never even heard of this movie until I accidentally recorded it off HBO when trying to record the TV show of the same name. I love the unhurried pace of the film; I love how much is conveyed in people's faces. When the father returns home and Aaron is clearly angry with him, the father acknowledges and apologizes, and Aaron forgives, without a word being spoken. Absolutely brilliant.The scenes that haunt me are those of Aaron being so hungry. I've never been hungry in my life, but the image of him eating yet another dinner roll nearly brings me to tears.The last thing I'll add is that it's so refreshing to see a film set in an American city other than New York. Nothing against the Big Apple, but it's nice to have a different backdrop.

trpdean Everything works with this one. Really interesting and heart-rending story, great characters, fine sets, lighting, costumes, music, excellent acting. Someone compared this to The Pianist and I see what he means. It reminds me of a movie like Paper Moon, but whereas I disliked the Tatum O'Neal character (stealing from those who could not afford to lose the money), I really like this boy. I also think the pangs of missing family, what it's like to be a child, are more realistically done in this movie than in Paper Moon.I really can't imagine anyone who wouldn't like this - it's very mainstream, very good - and in contrast to those who say this reminds them of some European movie, I would say it's as American as apple pie.I highly recommend it. (It also helps that Lisa Eichorn is my favorite living actress - and Karen Allen would be in the top ten).