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Even though the title and plot synopsis makes the audience think they are going into an adult drama, The War is actually about children. Kevin Costner plays a Vietnam veteran who returns home to Mississippi (cue all actors have varying degrees of accents) and struggles to reconnect with his wife and children. This part of the story is much more interesting than the main storyline. If the entire movie was about his readjustment after wartime, I would have liked it much better. The kids get in a mini-war that's probably supposed to be a poignant "do as we say but not as we do" lesson for grown-ups, but it comes across as silly and annoying for viewers. I wouldn't even classify it as a coming-of-age story, even though it's probably trying to be. I'll leave you with one last fact, one that will probably steer you towards or away from the film: Jon Avnet is the director, and he directed Fried Green Tomatoes.

Sadly one of a kind. This genre was rarely represented in 1994, even more so now. Director Jon Avnet, who earlier did Fried Green Tomatoes and recently Red Corner handled it well, but brought some unneccesary melodramtic parts that nearly ruined the picture, much like Richard Donner with Radio Flyer. Elijah Wood, looking way different from his previous role in the Good Son, does unbelievably well in his part, as does the often overrated Kevin Costner. The only thing that deterred me from seeing it earlier was the box (I saw it a month ago). I probably passed by it a thousand times at the video store, but it didn't stand out at all. I only did see it when I read an internet review of it, and WOW was it excellent. Brutally realistic, especially with the academy award worthy performances.

This was one of my favorite movies as a kid. It seems like there's a lot of people who didn't see it or they saw it and they missed the point. "Didn't you hear a damn word she said?"