Red Betsy (2001)
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75% of critics liked it
(8 reviews) -
33% of users liked it
(61 ratings)
Wisconsin, 1941. A group of townspeople gather on a farm field, eagerly observing amateur pilot Dale Rounds as he readies his airplane for its inaugural flight. Dale built the plane with the help of his father, Emmet, from spare automotive parts. As the community watches with growing excitement and… More Wisconsin, 1941. A group of townspeople gather on a farm field, eagerly observing amateur pilot Dale Rounds as he readies his airplane for its inaugural flight. Dale built the plane with the help of his father, Emmet, from spare automotive parts. As the community watches with growing excitement and skepticism, Dale and Emmet remain determined to show that their contraption can really fly. Waiting expectantly on the sidelines among the crowd are Dale's girlfriend Winifred, and mother Helen. After a few false starts, the plane barrels down the makeshift runway and glides effortlessly into the air; progress is pioneered. The tale itself, paints a lyrical portrait of a close-knit Midwestern family dealing with loss, change and social progress during a pivotal time in American history, as the country is on the brink of war. Plans are altered and new paths are chosen. New lives are born and others are lost. Consistent though, is the community's gathering to share in and mark these special moments in life, as charted through the Rounds family.
- Directed By
- Chris Boebel
- Genres
- Drama
- In Theaters
- Sep 19, 2003 Wide
- Studio
- Lang Films LLC
Critic Reviews
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Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle
A picture that's lovely to look at but lacking in dramatic impact.
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Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Provides a bountiful harvest of emotions.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
This is not the country postcard of Hollywood fantasies, but just a working farm in a district where there are few enough people that every personality seems back lighted.
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Allison Benedikt, Chicago Tribune
The movie is so general, so afraid to get specific with feelings and complicated characters, that of course I can relate -- just as I can almost always relate to my daily horoscope.
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Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
I can't recall a movie since The Straight Story that does as fine a job of capturing a Midwestern sensibility as Red Betsy.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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