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The War [PG-13] [1994]
Overall movie: *****
EJW content: Must see; top billing, and deserves it.
The first sentence of the Amazon.com editorial review of this movie says, "Kevin Costner is the big name here, but the film belongs squarely to Elijah Wood, who plays his son." FWIW, Costner and Wood are both billed above the title - but Elijah's first.
I'd call this Elijah's first mature role (not an adult, but not a kid). The subject matter is strong and intimate and he handles both aspects extremely well; his character's relationship with his father, played by Kevin Costner, is particularly real, age-appropriate, and moving without being saccharine. Elijah's also called on for some "physical" acting, especially at the movie's climax, which he does convincingly. This is one of the movies where Elijah hands things over to his character and... takes off... somewhere. Stu's a unique individual in his movement, posture, speech, actions, and emotional expression (more openly emotional than most of Elijah's characters).
There's so much great acting from the "kids" in this movie that I have to give some credit to the director, John Avnet (Fried Green Tomatoes); Christopher Fennel is heartstoppingly good as the youngest Lipnicki. Costner's character is complex and honestly played, although you do have to either ignore or suffer through what passes for his Southern accent. (BTW, according to a couple of former Mississippians, EW's accent is pretty good in this one.)
The movie itself is outstanding and can be watched on more than one level. It draws a parallel between the father's Vietnam experience (which has led to PTSD) and a "war" his children are having with another group of kids that's already turning violent and threatening to get even more out of hand. There's also a look at race relations in their small Mississippi town in 1970, seen mostly through the eyes of Stu's sister and her African-American friends.
From several different directions, the movie asks, "What's worth fighting for?" I found its responses to that question satisfying - without the sense that the filmmakers thought they had all the answers.
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