The War (1994)
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27% of critics liked it
(15 reviews) -
69% of users liked it
(17,074 ratings)
Jon Avnet's The War is set in the rural south and brimming with lessons on social consciousness, much like his previous effort, Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). During the summer of 1970 in backwoods Mississippi, Stephen Simmons (Kevin Costner) is struggling to be a breadwinner for his family while… More Jon Avnet's The War is set in the rural south and brimming with lessons on social consciousness, much like his previous effort, Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). During the summer of 1970 in backwoods Mississippi, Stephen Simmons (Kevin Costner) is struggling to be a breadwinner for his family while still suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in the Vietnam War. His wife Lois (Mare Winningham) provides most of the family income. Stephen gets a job in a mine and saves a friend who has been injured, helping him erase his guilt over abandoning another friend during a firefight in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the Simmons children, Stu (Elijah Wood) and Lidia (Lexi Randall) are feuding with an even poorer family of neighbors, the Lipnickis, over access to a tree fort that Stu and Lidia built. Mr. Lipnicki (Raynor Scheine) is drunken and abusive and helps escalate the disagreement into a major battle for the fort. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Avnet, Jon Avnet
- Written By
- Kathy McWorter
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Nov 4, 1994 Wide
- On DVD
- Apr 13, 1999
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
Critic Reviews
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James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Pretentious drivel
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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Presents the efforts of a father to teach his children the ideals he believes give life meaning and purpose.
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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Cast
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Elijah Wood
as Stu Simmons
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Kevin Costner
as Stephen
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Mare Winningham
as Lois
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Lexi Randall
as Lidia
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Christine Baranski
as Miss Strapford
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Raynor Scheine
as Mr. Lipnicki
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Bruce A. Young
as Moe
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LaToya Chisholm
as Elvadine
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Charlotte Lewis
as Amber
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Gary Basaraba
as Dodge
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Jay Brooks
as Old Man
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Bill Coates
as Catfish Man
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Dorothy Davis
as Nurse
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Tom Even
as Doctor
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J. Don Ferguson
as Mine Foreman
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Afemo Omilami
as Quarry Man
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Mary Nell Santacroce
as Mrs. Higgens
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Nick Searcy
as John Ray Wilkens
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Tim Ware
as Fat Man at Auction
- Debra Zane
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Judson Vaughn
as Soldier
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Lucas Black
as Ebb Lipnicki
- Adam Henderson
- Brennan Gallagher
- Christopher Fennell
- Donald Sellers
- Leon Sills
- Will West
