Product Description

It was a different time…and a different pace. Elijah Wood and Kevin Costner star in a rich feast for the senses from the director of Fried Green Tomatoes. This heartwarming film tells the tale of a close-knit family and their remarkable Mississippi summer of 1970.

With the help of their friends, Stu (Wood) and Lidia Simmons (Lexi Randall) are determined to build the ultimate treehouse, a place of wonder and magic. Their father Stephen (Costner), a newly returned Vietnam vet, has equally high hopes to rebuild his life and fulfill his family's dreams.

Co-starring Mare Winningham, The War will captivate all who fall under its spell. It's a film rich with humor, nostalgia and mesmerizing performances. It is, in the words of the National News Syndicate, "a must-see movie."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11621 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-04-13
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 126 minutes

Amazon.com
Kevin Costner is the big name here, but the film belongs squarely to Elijah Wood, who plays his son. The film deals with the children of a Vietnam veteran in 1970 Mississippi; as their dad (Costner) tries to cope with posttraumatic stress disorder after serving in the war, the kids build a mammoth tree house in the woods--then must defend it against the local white-trash bullies. The film includes a particularly harrowing contest involving a swim across the reservoir of a decrepit water tower; still, director Jon Avnet can't avoid a certain "can't we all just get along" didactic message. That doesn't put a damper on the youthfully natural quality of the child actors, and Costner is actually quite winning as a sensitive, troubled soul. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

Overlooked by critics.
The War starring Kevin Costner and Elijah Wood is a sweet, complicated, and gentle story of a father returning home from war and his sensitive son who is about to come of age. Costner and Wood bring depth and heart to their characters, I was never a big fan of Costner but he absolutely brilliant in this little and ignored film. I highly recommend this tender-hearted film, enjoy!

reminds me of TX as a kid
The culture of the film reminded me of being a kid in Texas when it was still wild, like this movie. Kind of scary- I knew kids like those at the junkyard.

What a great movie of real life.
This is such a wonderful family story & entertaining in the process. Boy does this bring back memories.