The deluge of farming films of the mid 80's hit its height in 1984 with "The River", "Country" and "Places in the Heart", but it hit its nadir with this 1988 Richard Gere movie directed by Gary Sinise. Along with Kevin Anderson, Gere finds his farm foreclosed due to weather issues destroying crops and ends up turning to a life of crime as a result. Tedious in every way, this is one film that even Gere couldn't save with his charisma, and it's due to a very dull script and a lack of interesting detail. There are also way too many supporting characters and not enough time to really give any development to them, especially with the women played by Penelope Ann Miller, Helen Hunt, Laurie Metcalf and Judith Ivey. Brian Dennehy is seeing briefly in the opening as gear and Anderson's father, having made the farm a success, and basically made "Man of the Year" for his good fortune.
There really is little excitement in caring about the plight of the brothers, and it basically comes down to the back that is a story that audiences really aren't going to care about because the characters just aren't interesting, just as reckless and rebellious as a result of their ill fortune. The scenes of them on the road just become monotonous, and at just under two hours, it's a dreadful bore. There are moments when it livens up briefly, but those are moments dealing with stuff that they encounter while on the road rather than anything that moves the plot forward or resolves it. Somewhere in the general plotline, there is a story, but it's not to be found in the movie that never allows its script to develop a strong plot. The cornfield on "Hee Haw" had far more going on after Roy and Buck shut the lights off in the studio.
There really is little excitement in caring about the plight of the brothers, and it basically comes down to the back that is a story that audiences really aren't going to care about because the characters just aren't interesting, just as reckless and rebellious as a result of their ill fortune. The scenes of them on the road just become monotonous, and at just under two hours, it's a dreadful bore. There are moments when it livens up briefly, but those are moments dealing with stuff that they encounter while on the road rather than anything that moves the plot forward or resolves it. Somewhere in the general plotline, there is a story, but it's not to be found in the movie that never allows its script to develop a strong plot. The cornfield on "Hee Haw" had far more going on after Roy and Buck shut the lights off in the studio.