1st watched 10/11/2010 -- 7 out of 10 (Dir-Lewis John Carlino): Well crafted drama about a tough marine colonel played by Robert Duvall trying to juggle his career as a jet pilot trainer who moves often, with his family life. He runs his family somewhat like his teams in the marines but not unlike that career, he sometimes causes trouble because of his drinking and flamboyant behavior. At the beginning of the movie, the family is moving into a new town in South Carolina and they have to adapt to their new surroundings one more time. His son, played by Michael O'Keefe, is supposed to follow in his footsteps and he tries to oblige. The movie is light-hearted at first, but becomes very melodramatic in the last 1/2 hour(which, in my opinion, is the movie's only real fault). The son befriends a stuttering black man, who gets bullied by some racists, which provided a side story that really doesn't add much to the movie, in my opinion, but it's done well. The acting is very well done, especially when it's trying to show how the family copes. This overlooked gem gave the two male stars Academy award nominations, but the film was not distributed well and is not very well known. It deserves to be viewed more often, so go out there and rent or buy this one--- you won't be disappointed.
Review of The Great Santini
