Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

BallWubba Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Reno Rangan The book was from the 90s and the story is about the 60s. Narrated from the father's perspective, that's what I think did not work in this film. This is where a film and the book does not synch. Because books are always very detail when it describes a person. In the films, they are just a simple visual where viewers have to focus on those details to have a perfect impression like the book. So I totally point out to the writer who did not quite transformed the point of the storytelling.It is not the parents to decide what their kids want to be. The film opened with a couple ready to get married, arguing with their elders about something. Soon it forwards to a few years where their relationship with their daughter seems not good. Further, they become more distant and completely lose her for the unrest in the society and the nation. But father never gives up. His love and care for her leads the way and what comes later is even more disturbing before it all ends.It was Ewan McGregor's directional debut. I don't think he would try it again, not any time soon. But I would appreciate his quality of filmmaking. He only needs a better writer and the screenplay. I also think, he should not direct himself. I never considered him a best actor. I yet to see his performance. The film was not strong enough, if you are from outside the United States. Because what they call this 60s revolution was more a misunderstood by the young people. Particularly that religious thing, they were misled and spoiled their lives. So, instead of focusing that, the film centred on a father-daughter relationship. That is why it was a decent film. Otherwise I would have rated even wrose.5.5/10

kbella1sal After watching about 30 minutes of this film, I wondered if I should plan on watching it again. Sometimes I have some difficulty with plot lines that have no clear direction. As I watched it to the end, I realized that once would be enough. Was it a historical piece? Was it another Ordinary People exercise? The daughter's problems were never adequately explained, even with a psychiatrist character with multiple scenes. It left me hanging, not understanding and with a very quiet ending...

The Couchpotatoes When I saw the cast I really thought this was going to be a good movie but in the end it just a disappointment. It deserves an average five star rating just because of the cast. Their acting is good, so nothing wrong with that, but the story is just not interesting enough to make it a good movie. I though the character played by Dakota Fanning was extremely annoying and therefor I lost interest in the story itself. She's playing a confused young brat that I would not give one second of my time. When she was younger and still stuttering it was okay to watch. I thought the story would go somewhere but when she grows up it's just about a father searching for his daughter. It's just too slow and too boring to be good. Well at least that's my opinion.

TxMike My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library. About 26 years ago when we were dating and driving through the Virginia countryside we had a discussion about "pastoral" and "bucolic", finally agreeing that the two terms mean pretty much the same. American Pastoral. American Bucolic. Take your pick.It starts with a narration in somewhat modern times, of a 60- something man who was back home for his class of 1951 reunion. Part of that was meeting the brother of an old schoolmate, "The Swede", an athletics hero of the 1940s. Then most of the movie flashes back to the years in the 1950s and 1960s.Ewan McGregor is "Swede" Levov, son of a garment factory owner in New Jersey. He is to eventually inherit the business. He marries a beauty queen, Jennifer Connelly as Dawn Levov. They have one child, played as a teen and young adult by Dakota Fanning as Merry Levov.It isn't easy to define or summarize the themes here. We see that Swede and Merry had a close relationship when she was small. In a telling scene she asks dad to kiss her. So he kisses her on the cheek. Disappointed, she says "No, kiss me like you kiss mommy." He didn't and was taken aback. So maybe that is just to show that little Merry was to grow up on a dangerous track, which she does. She gets attracted to and involved with the protest groups of the 1960s, and in fact disappears after a post office is blown up and a man is killed. We much later find out how she moved around the country with a number of different IDs. So the story is both about how, in spite of good parenting, a teenager could get on a dangerous track, and how a totally caring parent can hold out forever to try to re-establish relations with a lost sheep. Even if it means losing his marriage and losing his health to die young.