While this is a truly engrossing character study of a small community dealing with an outbreak of influenza during the final days of World War I (which was supposed to be the last war according to these Americans), it simply has a few too many characters to really sustain total interest in or keep track of who is who. The story does appear to focus on a young married couple who face a crisis when the husband (William Converse Roberts) comes down with symptoms of pneumonia where the victim seems to think they are in the midst of battle. When the husband finally snaps out of his almost comatose state, he is informed by his wife (Hallie Foote) of a tragic loss. Having hoped to go over to battle when his father-in-law promises to watch over the family, Roberts has to face the pending end of the war when armistice is declared. In the meantime, his young brother-in-law (Matthew Broderick) tries to find himself, but keeps getting into trouble.
That's pretty much all there is as to plot, but if you go into this with your eyes open to a character study of how one Texas community coped with both war and tragedy at home at the same time, you will enjoy it. As a story, it seems almost like a play, and sometimes plays concerning family problems are successfully written with little or no plot. That this was written by the brilliant Horton Foote should come as no surprise. It has the stamp of "A Trip to Bountiful" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" written all over it. Beautifully filmed and moving at a nice pace, this pleasant slice-of-life drama may not be groundbreaking but it is very well written and acted. Michael Higgins is especially memorable as the family patriarch. Broderick adds quiet charm to his rascally character, so he comes off as much more than a Ferris Beuller of an earlier era.
That's pretty much all there is as to plot, but if you go into this with your eyes open to a character study of how one Texas community coped with both war and tragedy at home at the same time, you will enjoy it. As a story, it seems almost like a play, and sometimes plays concerning family problems are successfully written with little or no plot. That this was written by the brilliant Horton Foote should come as no surprise. It has the stamp of "A Trip to Bountiful" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" written all over it. Beautifully filmed and moving at a nice pace, this pleasant slice-of-life drama may not be groundbreaking but it is very well written and acted. Michael Higgins is especially memorable as the family patriarch. Broderick adds quiet charm to his rascally character, so he comes off as much more than a Ferris Beuller of an earlier era.