VividSimon Simply Perfect

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

mcorner I just watched it yesterday, so forgive me for coming so late to the party.This movie was depressing, but familiar. My small town, while not as small as Rich Hill, has pockets of poverty which are similar. There are hundreds of thousands of very small towns which have the same sorts of issues all over the U.S. But that's not the point. The film makers came from this area and still were able to leave and make something of themselves. I think, if you aren't familiar with this sort of poverty, you might not realize it exists and THAT was their point.I loved Andrew, because he had so much hope. There was always a "reason" why they had to leave each home, even if it was because "God wanted us here". I could tell he was getting frustrated by the end, though. The 4th of July, when he bought fireworks for the neighbors and they set them off near the trailer park was great. Even though this took place a few years ago, the images were scenes of a life that could have happened 50 or 60 years ago. Quintessential, you might say of small town Midwestern USA.Even though Appachey's mom could be a bit rough, I felt like she was real. Right there in the trenches with her kids, doing the best she could and just letting it all hang out. She talked about not having choices and that was sad to me. Everyone should have choices. I hope she can find some way to get out of the place she's in and I hope Appachey goes along with her. There is some vestige of intelligence deep inside them both and I hope there's a way for them to reach it.Harley was a really sad case, but I felt even with all his problems, he was a good kid. It made me angry, though, when he was in the principal's office and was chastised and threatened for wanting to leave school. The principal showed very little understanding for Harley's problems and that was shameful. I do know the principal has a difficult job and likely some of his posturing was for show, but have a little sympathy. If something like what Harley has lived through had happened to his own child, I would hope he'd handle it better. I just think Harley would have been better served in a different environment. As always, the tough thing about these kinds of movies is things are never solved. At least, not the way we want them to be. There's a lot of repetition and a lot of undesirable generational behavior. As someone who tries to see the "big picture", it's frustrating, because just when one of these people has something good happen to them, they fall right back into their old behavior and it's gone again. They can't seem to see their options, if indeed they ever had any in the first place.

kurt-340-176979 This movie is well made and shines a non-judgmental light on what everyone knows is a big problem in Missouri and the nation. I think everyone knows people like this in whatever community you live in. Should these people be judged? What is the takeaway here? I do feel sorry for these kids living in abject poverty, with no way to better themselves... Who is at fault for this. Not the kids. Tobacco. Alcohol. Drug abuse. It's like the parents are physically present, but have a maturity level that is even lower than their kids. I don't know what this movie is really about, but it's 100% true, and it's kind of troubling to watch.

ksbluesfan I don't understand what the filmmakers are trying to achieve. They're showing what it's like to be a young, poor teen in Missouri without explaining why things really are the way they are. The subject is glossed over with a thin layer of hometown bias. It would take a two-week documentary from Ken Burns just to scratch the surface of this complex issues. Don't believe for one second that this is something new in America. Change the year to 1954 and the location to Ironton, Missouri, and it could have been my dad in Harley's place. All of the boys in this documentary were far better off than my dad or grandparents, but that's not saying much. Yes, poverty exists in Missouri and water is wet. As long as people are free to make bad decisions and there aren't any job requirements for "parent", this will continue to be the case. If this documentary showed something new to somebody who can do something about it, that's great. I hope that is the case, but I doubt it. And, please, avoid making comparisons to Ferguson, Missouri. The issues are completely different, though the solution would help alleviate both problems.

lraynes-84-685006 I grew up in a town very close to Rich Hill and I get this. It seems easier to judge when the area is farther from where you live. There is a big problem with poverty in Missouri especially in rural areas where job options are limited and good education may be harder to obtain; my home town also struggles with it but has some advantage in being closer to the jobs in Kansas City( if the car expense can be covered). These rural areas really suffer when they are outside of public busing distance to big city jobs as Rich Hill is and when too many factories have pulled out. Even my hometown is outside of busing limits so people have to carpool or have very good working car and afford the gas to get to the job in Kansas City and live off it. Living in the city is no picnic either as Kansas City rental rates are getting higher and higher for rent and apartments can be quite scary compared to knowing everyone in your smaller town(I am experiencing that now as pay raises are not matching inflation at all.) Yeah, I get this, insightful movie.