HotToastyRag Even though the title and plot synopsis makes the audience think they are going into an adult drama, The War is actually about children.Kevin Costner plays a Vietnam veteran who returns home to Mississippi (cue all actors have varying degrees of accents) and struggles to reconnect with his wife and children. This part of the story is much more interesting than the main storyline. If the entire movie was about his readjustment after wartime, I would have liked it much better.The kids get in a mini-war that's probably supposed to be a poignant "do as we say but not as we do" lesson for grown-ups, but it comes across as silly and annoying for viewers. I wouldn't even classify it as a coming-of-age story, even though it's probably trying to be. I'll leave you with one last fact, one that will probably steer you towards or away from the film: Jon Avnet is the director, and he directed Fried Green Tomatoes.

ereinion This film really affected me emotionally since the first time I saw it. I began to wonder how come it didn't make more noise than it did in the box office. Movies like this are certainly not every day commodity in Hollywood. It is perhaps Kevin Costner's best role and the most serious one as well and came at the end of his golden era, which in itself is rather poignant when you think about it. It also stars now-internationally famous Elijah Wood and the less famous but equally capable Lexi Randall as his children. The movie is set sometime in the late 60's/early 70's in the South of course.The War that the title refers to is not just the Vietnam War which Costner's character has just returned from but also, in his case, the war to win back your respectability and status. And that's really what this film is about-everyone's fighting for status and respectability. Wood's character faces a struggle in form of the nasty Lipnicki boys who bully and harass everyone who approaches "their" territory around the reservoir with the water tower. He fights to keep his right to go there against overwhelming odds. His sister Lidia befriends two black girls and is therefore seen as a pariah among other white girls in the school and has to fight for status and respect, while her black friend Elvadine does the same but against even worse odds. Costner is struggling to find a job after not being able to get back to his old one and this struggle makes him very frustrated. But he never retorts to violence, except when the equally nasty father of the Lipnicki boys physically threatens his son. Yet he takes pity at his motherless children and treats them kindly even after they hurl verbal abuse at him. It is a really emotional, at times heartbreaking movie, especially since the ending is rather tragic. Lidia provides the narration which enhances the dramatic effect of the film. Costner's touching speech to his son against violence and fighting is also one of the film's highlights and underlines the pacifist message of the film. It's a shame this film wasn't seen by more souls, otherwise maybe the world would be at a better state than it is. This movie should be shown every month on TV if it was up to me. It is about finding out that fighting never solves anything, unless it is fighting against injustice and with words, not fists or guns.

j_luna04 A lot of people that have reviewed here say this movie is too sentimental, too much of an "ideal morals" kind of movie, that they don't like coming of age films, and so forth.I think this movie is a nice break from the typical movies that everyone likes nowadays....ones that are full of sex, sexual humor, people slicing each other's heads off, exploding buildings, etc...Is it a simple story? Yeah. Too full of "moral lessons"? Probably. Cheesy by today's standards? Another maybe, depending on the age of the viewer. I do agree with the statement that kids don't talk like grown-ups, maybe they did back in the time that this movie was set. This is by no means a trendy mainstream type of movie, but Kevin Costner and Elijah Wood are great here. It's a simple story about a war veteran and his family and the adventures of his kids and their treehouse. This is one of my favorite movies. I believe this is also a great movie for children to watch, I bet this movie could teach children some morals better than their own parents can. Also, children have their whole lives ahead of them, and probably are not pessimistic about life already, therefore they still have a chance to be able to appreciate this good old-fashioned story. Good for nostalgia for the non-pessimistic viewer. This movie does not have a happy ending, however, like some of the other "cheesy" "sentimental" movies.

des1111 this is just me but.........quite frankly it is the best movie i have ever seen. the setting, the soundtrack, the message the movie portrays is so noble. i was the age of those kids in the movie in the early 70's as well and grew up in a small southern town so i can relate. if i could be any character in any movie i would strive to be half the man mr simmons is in this movie. i just happened upon this movie in a discount bin and most of my friends have never heard of it. perhaps they could have come up with a better title name for the movie, maybe "the treehouse", but it is a true diamond in the rough for my values. seems every character in this movie was genuine, which in turn makes you so caring for them all.