The War (1994)

Director:

Jon Avnet

Writer (WGA):

Kathy McWorter (written by)

Release Date:

4 November 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | War

Tagline:

What's worth fighting for?

Plot:

Vietnam War vet Costner must deal with a war of a different sort between his son and their friends, and a rival group of children...

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Group | Friendship | Brother Sister Relationship | Water Tower

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Elijah Wood	...	Stu Simmons
Kevin Costner	...	Stephen Simmons
Mare Winningham	...	Lois Simmons
Lexi Randall	...	Lidia Joanne Simmons
LaToya Chisholm	...	Elvadine
Christopher Fennell	...	Billy Lipnicki
Donald Sellers	...	Arliss Lipnicki
Leon Sills	...	Leo Lipnicki
Will West	...	Lester Lucket
Brennan Gallagher	...	Marsh
Adam Henderson	...	Chet
Charlette Julius	...	Amber
Jennifer Tyler	...	Ula Lipnicki
Lucas Black	...	Ebb
Justin Lucas	...	Willard

Also Known As:

Война (Russia) [ru]
À chacun sa guerre (France) [fr]
A Árvore dos Sonhos (Brazil) [pt]
Das Baumhaus (Germany) [de]
El arbol de los sueños (Argentina) [es]
Háború (Hungary) [hu]
La guerre (Canada: French title) [fr]
Savas (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Sombras de Guerra (Portugal) [pt]
Sota (Finland) [fi]
The war: la guerra (Spain) [es]
To dentro ton oneiron (Greece) [el]
Trädkojan (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | DTS-Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Island World

Goofs:

Continuity: When the family is eating their burnt breakfast, the close-up of the father's plate shows everything except the eggs totally burnt and black. In the next shot, not only his is toast only slightly burnt, but the position of the food on his plate has changed too.

Quotes:

Stephen: Well I don't want our kids growing up thinking there powerless because of me. Everything they do in this world has a consequence. Our children still believe in miracles. They still believe anything is possible. As long as they believe like that, they're gonna be something. They're gonna make a difference in the world... that means I made a difference.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Game-On: (#3.2)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Spirit In The Sky

BEAUTIFUL & SADLY UNDERRATED

"The War" is one of the few "kid" movies that takes itself seriously enough to be loved and appreciated by young and old audiences alike. I would have supported this film to the very end. After all, any vehicle that convincingly gives peace and love a chance deserves a little attention. (Peace and love are such rare qualities nowadays.)

The cast is excellent. Kevin Costner is a little stiff at the beginning but I think that's a good thing. Giving the younger (and equally talented) stars a chance to shine is a smart move on his part. He does get to cut loose in a few fleeting scenes. Also outstanding (when is he not?) is Elijah Wood (a.k.a. the next Tom Hanks) as Costner's angry, multi-layered, deeply troubled son. His frustrations are so well expressed that often times you feel like you could just step in and help him solve his problems.

What is worth fighting for? Nothing. Because as long as you have love, you have everything. Wisdom for both the kiddies and the grown-ups. Just be warned that the film does contain some strong violence and language.